Clinical & Other Resources

Antibiotic Use

Antibiotic stewardship is a pressing health issue in our time. There are four reasons for this growing concern:

Harm associated with unnecessary antibiotic use
Antibiotic resistance which is linked to overutilization of antibiotics
Very few new antibiotics available in pharmaceutical industry.
Financial waste

View more Antimicrobial Stewardship Information

Patient education fact sheets:

Behavioral Health

Patient referral:
Because a primary care provider is most often the first place a patient seeks help, the Quick Reference Behavioral Health Cards show which providers are available for patient referral.

Screening tools:

Cancer Screening

Colon MD: Clinicians’ Information Source
The American Cancer Society offers free materials and information to help providers continue to encourage colorectal cancer screening among patients 50 and older. Health care professionals play the most important role in getting people screened for colorectal cancer. If your patients don’t hear about screening from you, they may not think they need it. The clear, concise materials offered to providers can help in understanding screening guidelines and explaining colorectal cancer tests to your patients.

Clinical Practice Guidelines

Sanford Health Plan is responsible for adopting and distributing clinical practice guidelines for acute, chronic and behavioral health care services that are relevant to our membership. Clinical practice guidelines are systematically developed statements that help practitioners and members make decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances. These guidelines can improve health care and reduce unnecessary variations in practice patterns. Practice guidelines are based on reasonable medical evidence, such as clinical literature and expert consensus. The Plan’s multi-specialty physician committee, Physician Quality Committee, has reviewed and approved practice guidelines for numerous conditions. Where links are provided, Sanford Health Plan has adopted the clinical practice guidelines exactly as they are written by the respective organizations. If you have questions or suggestions regarding these guidelines, contact Sanford Health Plan.

Clinical Practice Guidelines

Cultural Competency

Sanford Health is dedicated in meeting the diverse needs of all members in every setting by providing services that are respectful of and responsive to the beliefs, practices, and cultural and linguistic needs of members that improve health outcomes. Providing cultural competent care is the ability to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs and behaviors, including tailoring delivery to meet member's social, cultural and linguistic needs. Providers who provide culturally competent care raise awareness of the needs of our members from various cultures resulting in the delivery of more personalized care.

Culture refers to patterns of human behavior that include the language, thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values and institutions of racial, ethnic, religious or social groups.

Competence is the capacity to function effectively as an individual or organization within the context of the cultural beliefs, behaviors and needs presented by people and their communities."

Cultural competency training and other resources:

Immunizations

Immunization Schedules from birth to 18
Each year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) publishes immunization schedules for persons age birth through age 18. These schedules summarize recommendations for routine vaccines for children age 18 and younger. There is also a catch-up immunization schedule available.

HPV (human papillomavirus) immunization resources

Elements of a Successful and Unsuccessful Vaccine Visit:
http://www.vimeo.com/avwired/aap, with password: aap2015. It’s a 52-minute video about teenage HPV vaccine hesitancy and research conducted in South Carolina and Oklahoma.
Immunization: You Call the Shots Module Eight - HPV, 2016:
https://www2a.cdc.gov/nip/isd/ycts/mod1/courses/hpv/ce.asp, free CME worth 1.25 hours. Eighth in the series on immunizations by the CDC. It's mostly useful for the new provider, or the medical or nursing student. It can also work well for the seasoned health care provider wanting a refresher.
You are the Key to HPV Cancer Prevention:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/hpv/index.html, free CME worth 0.75 hours. Helps the provider explain in plain language the importance of HPV vaccination for cancer prevention and the rationale for vaccinating at ages 11 or 12. Also provides an effective recommendation for receiving the vaccination. This helps practitioners answer parents’ questions.
HPV Vaccine Video for Health Care Providers:
https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/immunize/hcp/hpvvideos.html, No CME available. The Minnesota Department of Health has created a 12-minute video for providers on HPV vaccine communication. Clinical encounters are given and can help providers demonstrate low-stress ways of recommending HPV vaccine. The video also has answers to many parents’ questions.

Patient Safety

Prevention of medical errors and adverse outcomes is an essential part of high quality health care. While health care providers have an obligation to practice patient safety, patients and their advocates play an essential role in this too. Many tools are available for physicians and other practitioners to use with patients. In addition, Sanford Health Plan encourages members to learn about the risks of medical procedures and therapies, to take precaution with medications, and to question anything they do not understand.

Univadis
Univadis is an advertisement-free medical portal designed specifically for U.S. health care providers. This website provides breaking medical news, a wide range of scientific educational resources and diagnostic tools all at no cost to providers.

For More Information

Tobacco Cessation Resources

Preventive Guidelines

View the Preventive Health Guidelines by logging in to mySanfordHealthPlan Provider Portal here.