• Original Articles By Dr. Lavin Featuring Expert Advice & Information about Pediatric Health Issues that you Care the Most About

    Dr. Lavin Serves on Expert Panel for AAP Bright Futures: The National Reference of Care for Pediatricians in the United States

    By Dr. Arthur Lavin

    On February 17, 2017, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) will be publishing and releasing the 4th edition of a very important reference, Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents.

    https://brightfutures.aap.org/Pages/default.aspx

    Dr. Arthur Lavin was honored to be invited by the Academy to serve as one of 36 experts selected to serve on the Expert Panels that revised the Third Edition to create this current Fourth Edition.  Dr. Lavin was the only doctor from Ohio invited to serve on these Expert Panels.

    The Bright Futures Guidelines were first created by a collaboration of the AAP and the Federal Government convening a group of experts and family representatives who were asked to create their vision of the best care a child could get from their pediatrician and primary care team.  What would the best care possible be that could promote the brightest future for every child in America?   The Bright Futures Guidelines were revised over the years to keep up with new insights from the practice of pediatric medicine, with the 3rd edition coming out in 2008.

    In 2009 the passage of the Affordable Care Act included provisions that defined benefits that every insurance plan should cover.  An important list of such benefits included the essential services of good primary care.  The United States put into law that the minimum benefit package for primary care pediatrics would from that point forward need to include the recommendations of the Bright Futures Guidelines.

    And so, the recommendations contained in this new edition of the Bright Futures Guidelines actually are legally binding minimum items that must be covered by all insurers for pediatric primary care.

    The Bright Futures Guidelines are now accepted as the definitive reference for all pediatricians and pediatric nurse practitioners in the United States for defining what the doctor and nurse should be asking about, investigating, advising at each of the routine visits in the schedule of health supervision visits (check-ups) from birth through adolescence.

    I was personally deeply honored to have been invited to serve as an expert to help revise the 3rd edition and create this current publication.  There will be a lot of publicity surrounding its release starting Friday February 17th, so I wanted you all to enjoy a “sneak preview” that is was happening.

    A major part of this publication will be the release of valuable family materials that make up the Bright Futures Guidelines.   These include a very handy pocket guide that summarizes all the recommendations for care at each age.

    We invite all those interested to explore the world of resource the Bright Futures Guidelines  offer.  Every pediatrician in the US will be following at least some of these recommendations, it could be interesting for you to see the new standards.

    BOTTOM LINES

    1. The American Academy of Pediatrics is the leading professional society of pediatricians in the world.
    2. It’s Bright Futures Guidelinesis a national reference for defining what is the standard of practice of general pediatrics in the United States.
    3. The Fourth Edition of Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents is being released to the public on Friday, February 17, 2016 after an extensive revision process.
    4. Dr. Arthur Lavin was honored to be one of 36 people in the US selected to serve on the Expert Panels of the Bright Futures Guidelines.
    5. The Bright Futures Guidelines includes wonderful resources for families.  Check it all out at https://brightfutures.aap.org/Pages/default.aspx

     

    To your health,
    Dr. Arthur Lavin 

     

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