Patient-Clinician Communication: Principles and Expectations
This new publication from the Institute of Medicine outlines the key principles for achieving patient-centered care by improving communication between patients and healthcare providers. The report also emphasizes the importance of cultural and environmental factors to the success in achieving expectations for the care experience.
Pediatric Medical Homes—Laying the Foundation of a Promising Model of Care
The National Center for Children in Poverty has developed a report 
that describes the current status of the medical home concept and explains how it has been broadly defined, applied, and measured in pediatric care. The report highlights opportunities to further leverage medical homes to achieve better health outcomes for young children, with a particular focus on the coordination of care for vulnerable children.
New Bright Futures/Child Care Health Partnership Parent Handouts
Child care programs can play a key role in the lives of patients and their families. It is best for a child’s health and development when families, the medical home, and child care programs work together to make sure children are healthy and safe in out-of-home child care settings. These new handouts from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Healthy Child Care America program provide: tools for healthy, active living; tips by topic areas such as relationships and nutrition; and questions for parents to ask their health care professional. These tips are based in best practice, including Caring for our Children health and safety standards.
Now Available-State-by-State Medicaid Fact Sheets
The AAP, in partnership with the National Association of Children's Hospitals, has created fact sheets that explain the importance of the Medicaid program, and how children in every state rely on it for their health care. In the medical home, families often look to their physicians for guidance and support, mainly in the form of collaborative problem solving and resource management. It is important to be aware of, refer, and even partner with federal and community organizations, such as Medicaid, that offer needed services to patients and families. To view the fact sheets, click here.
Duration of a Well-Child Visit: Association with Content, Family-Centeredness, and Satisfaction
This article, published in Pediatrics, discusses how “studies of pediatric primary care suggest that time is an important limitation to the delivery of recommended preventive services. Given the increasingly frenetic pace of pediatric practice, there is an increased need to monitor the length of pediatric visits and the association of visit length with content, family-centered care, and parent satisfaction with care.” For additional information, click here.
Now Available in Spanish—HealthFinder.gov
HealthFinder.gov is a Web site developed by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that provides information and tools that are aimed to help individuals and their families stay healthy. Based on the English-version, HealthFinder.gov en Español offers personalized and actionable health information presented in an easy-to-read format. For additional information, click here.
Interoperability Toolkit Enhances Service Integration
HHS and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) have released a toolkit titled Your Essential Interoperability Toolkit: An ACF/HHS Resource Guide . The toolkit aims to facilitate greater communication and service integration between state agencies and their health partners; this coordinated community-based system promotes the healthy well being of children and their families in the medical home setting. As such, the toolkit provides up-to-date information and resources to support the efforts of workers and agencies in order to better serve clients and achieve better outcomes.
Grant Opportunity—Affordable Care Act Family-to-Family Health Information Centers
Applications Deadline: December 16, 2011
This announcement solicits applications for the Affordable Care Act Family-to-Family Health Information Centers (F2F HICs) Program. F2F HICs were established by the Family Opportunity Act of 2005 (FOA) as a part of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171), to provide information to parents of children with disabilities and special health needs. These family-staffed/run centers assist families in making informed decisions about health care in order to promote good treatment decisions, cost-effectiveness, and improved health outcomes for such children. For additional information click here or to apply for this grant opportunity click here.
AAP Community Pediatrics Monthly Funding Alert
The AAP Community Pediatrics Monthly Funding Alert provides information on funding opportunities from the AAP and other organizations, as well as links to key programs and agencies.
For a more detailed listing of funding opportunities, click here.
(Back to Top)
Webinar—Transforming Health Care Delivery Systems: Evolving Challenges for State Policymakers and Health Centers
November 15, 2011—1 to 3pm (Eastern)
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) supports federally funded health centers in providing care for vulnerable populations. ACA also fosters integrated care, and states are thinking about how health centers fit with new models. Building on a National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) forum convened in June 2011, this webinar will profile Colorado’s Accountable Care Collaborative Program; highlight key variables about health center participation in state delivery system reform; and examine key issues for state policymakers, primary care associations, health centers, and vulnerable populations. For additional information or to register, click here.
Webinar—A Common Strategy for Health Care Transition Improvement in Practice Settings: The Six Core Elements of Health Care Transition
November 16, 2011—2 to 3pm (Eastern)
This webinar will unveil the National Health Care Transition Center’s Six Core Elements of Health Care Transition and mark the general availability of a package of tools for their implementation in primary care and specialty practice settings. Experience with the Six Core Elements and tool set in a multi-practice learning collaborative will be described. For additional information or to register, click here.
Health Outcomes among Children and Families Living in Rural Communities
December 1-2, 2011—Bethesda, MD
The purpose of this two-day conference, co-sponsored by several institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health, is to bring together community members, researchers, health professionals, educators, policymakers, and members of professional organizations to identify research needs regarding the differences between health outcomes for children and families living in rural communities, compared to those in urban areas.
For more information and registration updates, click here.
2011 Patient Advocate Conference
December 5, 2011—Orlando, FL
The Professional Patient Advocate Institute is hosting the 2011 Patient Advocate Conference, an interactive conference that promotes a culture of clinical and professional competence that will improve the health and welfare of clients. The faculty is made up of experienced patient advocates from various settings who will share real-world information and insightful strategies that can enhance practice, skills and outcomes.
11th Annual Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) Conference
March 5-6, 2012—St Louis, MO
The 2012 Annual National EHDI Conference will provide an opportunity to identify areas of concern, promote collaboration, and share best practices to improve early hearing screening, diagnosis, and intervention systems for infants/young children and their families.
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) Annual Conference
March 28-30, 2012—San Antonio, TX
The NAPNAP 33rd Annual Conference on Pediatric Health Care will carry the theme New Frontiers in Child Health. The conference will highlight topics such as immunization updates from the CDC and a childhood obesity pre-conference. Two concurrent sessions of interest include: Innovations in Implementing a Pediatric Health Care Home and Advance Care Coordination for Children with Special Health Care Needs.
2012 National Health Promotion Summit
April 10-11, 2012—Washington, DC
The 2012 National Health Promotion Summit, hosted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), aims to promote the development of disease prevention and health promotion polices that align with national prevention initiatives, encourage stakeholders at every level to collaborate on reaching national health goals, and integrate health policies across all sectors.
Advancing the Methods for Healthcare Quality Improvement Research
May 7-8, 2012—Washington, DC
This two day event, hosted by the Academy for Healthcare Improvement, will include presentations from the experts in the quality improvement research field. The program will include presentations, panel discussions, case studies, abstract presentations, and posters.
For a full listing of Upcoming Conferences and Events, click here
(Back to Top)
Medical Home and Out-of-Pocket Medical Costs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Published in Pediatrics, this article discusses how parents of children with special health care needs pay less in out-of-pocket expenses when the children are cared for in a medical home setting. Researchers analyzed 2005-2006 data from the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs, including information about 31,808 children; 73 percent had private insurance, 27 percent had public insurance. The study's results indicated the care coordination component of the medical home helped to lower out-of-pocket medical costs per $1,000 of household income. For additional information, click here.
Grants Awarded for the Redesign and Transformation of Primary Care Practice
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has awarded four cooperative Infrastructure for Maintaining Primary Care Transformation (IMPaCT) - Support for Models of Multi-sector, State-level Excellence grants to support model state-level initiatives using primary care extension agents in small- and medium-sized independent primary care practices. The grants are targeted towards supporting four successful, established programs that will serve as models to others:
- HEROs: New Mexico's Health Extension as a Model for Primary Care Transformation (University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center)
- North Carolina IMPaCT: Advancing and Spreading Primary Care Transformation (University of North Carolina)
- PA SPREAD: PA Spreading Primary Care Enhanced Delivery Infrastructure (Penn State Hershey College of Medicine)
- Primary Care Extension in Oklahoma: An Evidence-Based Approach to Dissemination and Implementation (University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center).
For more information, contact Leilani Liggins at Leilani.Liggins@AHRQ.hhs.gov.
Suicide Prevention Resources Available from SAMHSA
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Substance Abuse and Medical Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has developed a variety of resources available to aid in suicide prevention. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. By dialing 1-800-273-TALK, the call is routed to the nearest crisis center in our national network of more than 150 crisis centers. Additionally, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) provides prevention support, training, and resources to assist organizations and individuals to develop suicide prevention programs, interventions and policies, and to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
$4.5 Million Awarded to Create Clinical Preventive Services Research Centers
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has awarded three-year grants totaling $4.5 million to support research in three centers that will focus on improving clinical preventive services and practices such as screening, counseling, and use of preventive medications for patients. For additional information, click here.
For additional information on National Initiatives, click here
(Back to Top)
New Publications from the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC)
The PCPCC has release two new publications that highlight various aspects of the medical home.
AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange Releases New State Page Feature
The AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange now features a new Find Innovations by State page that enables visitors to search Innovation Profiles by State and access state-related resources. Additionally, this new page features:
- A State Selection Map and a State Selection Drop-Down Menu that lists Innovation Profiles by State,
- State-based AHRQ resources for health care quality improvement including State Snapshots, quality diagnostic tools, and a factsheet on state and national health information technology (HIT) demonstration projects, and
- QualityTools that provide states with practical information including resource guides and workbooks to improve the quality of care for asthma and diabetes.
HHS Office of Adolescent Health Redesigned Web Site
The Office of Adolescent Health in the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched a new Web site on adolescent health issues, including physical, mental and reproductive health, substance abuse and healthy relationships. The Web site features national and state fact sheets, information and tips for parents and adults about talking with adolescents, research summaries, adolescent health resources from across federal agencies, and opportunities to review the latest news in adolescent health.
(Back to Top)
Improving the Medical Home Through the Use of Health Information Technology-A Fact Sheet for Health Care Professionals
The National Center for Medical Home Implementation (NCMHI) is pleased to announce the availability of this new resource for health care professionals. A fact sheet, developed in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Child Health Informatics Center (CHIC), demonstrates the relationship between HIT and medical home and provides information, tools, and resources related to implementation in practice. The fact sheet can be found on the Health Information Technology (HIT) page of the NCMHI Web site or click here to access the fact sheet directly.
(Back to Top)
