The AAP Board of Directors approved a new initiative for FY05-06 that aims to increase the ability of pediatricians to implement AAP recommendations at the point of care. The project, entitled the Partnership for Policy Implementation (PPI), will assign a medical informatician and (optional) a pediatric primary care quality improvement expert, to serve as a consultants to the statement's lead author or writing group. This project is supported by AAP core funds (separate from the committee budget) and logistical funding from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).

Selection of statements included in the pilot year was based on the statement’s potential applicability at the point of care and the fact that they are currently in the initial stages of being written/revised.

The informatician will:

• help the author(s) develop an algorithm that will define how the recommendations or key points are to be carried out at the point of care;
• help the author(s) identify key vocabulary terms and ensure that they are used consistently throughout the statement and in related documents (eg, a technical report that accompanies a policy statement);
• help ensure the transparency of the statement's evidence
• help ensure that the statement can be implemented by the pediatrician at the point of care, either by following the algorithm in print or through its incorporation into an electronic health record (EHR) system.

• help ensure the primary care generalist perspective is presented in the content;
• help in crafting the implementation aspects of the content so that the statement is written within the QI framework; and
• provide constant reminder for the content to influence physician behavior-change (in order to implement recommendations)

A PPI consultant has been assigned to work with you on the statement. What this means for committees/councils/sections who are writing statements with PPI participation:

1) The PPI consultant's attendance at your Fall 2005 committee meeting: In an effort to familiarize the Committee with this project’s methodology, project funds have been allocated to support the consultant’s travel to your Fall 2005 Committee meeting. If you agree to his attendance, he would be able to give a brief overview of this project and sit in on your discussion of the statement.

2) Consultation conference calls: An initial conference call is scheduled early in the writing process to assist in the committee’s introduction to the PPI consultant and QI expert, to further discuss the project's methodology, and to begin dialogue about the statement's content. For consistent consultation as the statement develops, access to conference calls with the PPI consultant and the QI expert is also available, per the discretion of the authoring group.

3) Face-to-face writing session: Because there is great value in face-to-face time, project funds are allocated to support 1 face-to-face writing session with the lead author, the PPI consultant, and the QI expert. Funding is available to send 2 of these individuals to the location of the 3rd; however, if an alternative arrangement is preferable and it does not incur significant additional costs, we are happy to discuss other options.

Due to funding restrictions, each meeting must occur by December 31, 2005. The meeting must be limited to 1 day. Staff will work to identify an amenable time.

Finally, it should be emphasized that the PPI consultant’s role is not to determine the content of the statement, but rather to assist in ensuring AAP's recommendations/key points are written with an implementation focus. His role is to enhance the statement based on the expertise of the authoring committee, council, or section.

Thank you for your willingness to engage in this new initiative. AAP leadership is excited to see the outcomes it generates and greatly appreciates your participation. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the PPI lead project staff, Beki Marshall BMARSHALL@AAP.ORG.

PPI Informaticians Paul Biondich, MD, MS, PPI Co-Chair S. Andrew Spooner, MD, MS, FAAP, PPI Co-Chair William Adams, MD, FAAP Aaron E. Carroll, MD, MS, FAAP Stephen M. Down, MD, MS, FAAP Kevin B. Johnson, MD, FAAP Christoph U. Lehmann, MD, FAAP Richard Shiffman, MD, FAAP Stuart T. Weinberg, MD, FAAP

QI/Medical Home Experts W. Carl Cooley, MD, FAAP, Lead QI/Medical Home Expert Richard Antonelli, MD, FAAP Peter Lindren, MD, FAAP H. Garry Gardner, MD, FAAP Jennifer Lail, MD, FAAP Dennis Odell, MD, FAAP Greg Prazar, MD, FAAP Linda Sagor, MD, MPH, FAAP

PPI Staff