Pediatricians: Re-connect with your patients during swine flu crisis

Why This Topic Matters

It helps pediatric practices understand how a public health event can affect patient communication, visit length, and coding workflow while also pointing to relevant public health and triage resources.

Article Sections

1. Coding options

   This section discusses general coding considerations when swine flu concerns lead to patient contact or longer visits. It addresses time-based E/M concepts and the broader context for coding during counseling-focused encounters.

2. Background

   This section provides public health context for the outbreak and summarizes prevention-oriented guidance from public health sources. It also notes general information about illness duration and related clinical background.

3. Phone triage

   This section describes telephone-triage resources and the role of pediatric telehealth guidance during a rapidly evolving outbreak. It focuses on practice workflow support and available professional resources.