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BLUECONNECT
Providers
May 2024
In This Issue
► May news: Executive summary
► Now available: Annual fee schedule updates (effective July 1)
► New! AZ Pediatric Psychiatry Access Line
► New Category III code policy starts July 1
► Complimentary CNE/CME opportunity for maternity care providers
► Update your system to remove these obsolete drug codes
New! Pediatric Psychiatry Access Line
Primary care providers (PCPs) and pediatricians can now access a new resource to support youth mental health intervention. With a phone call to the Arizona Pediatric Psychiatry Access Line (APAL), providers will be quickly connected to a pediatric psychiatrist for a consultation and guidance for quality care. You can reach APAL at 1-888-290-1336 weekdays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. 
Giving Arizona kids a chance through early intervention
In a recent press release, the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA) reports there are only 11 child psychiatrists per 100,000 kids in Arizona. Conditions such as anxiety and depression increasingly impact children ages 3 to 17, and suicide is the second-leading cause of death for children ages 10 to 14. To address this urgent need for more access to care here in Arizona, psychiatrists from the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson launched APAL on May 1, 2024. 

The APAL model builds collaboration between front-line providers and mental health specialists, in service to holistic care. The provider-to-provider consultations aim to empower PCPs and pediatricians with evidence-based guidance on assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning.

APAL is funded through a grant from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) and is a partnership between University of Arizona Health Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson, Banner-University Medicine, and AHCCCS. 
Learn more and call for a consultation
You can learn more about APAL and get insights from its founders on the University of Arizona Health Sciences APAL webpage or see ArMA’s April 18 press release. And the next time you encounter a youth patient and are considering next steps for the best mental health care, call APAL at 1-888-290-1336 to experience how it works. 
In This Issue
► May news: Executive summary
► Now available: Annual fee schedule updates (effective July 1)
► New! AZ Pediatric Psychiatry Access Line
► New Category III code policy starts July 1
► Complimentary CNE/CME opportunity for maternity care providers
► Update your system to remove these obsolete drug codes
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