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Care coordination services in pediatric practices
Vidya Bhushan Gupta1, Karen G O'Connor, Carlos Quezada-Gomez
1Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Metropolitan Hospital Center, New York, New York 10029, USA. bhushan07627@yahoo.com
Insights
Most pediatricians coordinate care for children with special health care needs. However, many do not consistently perform key care coordination activities due to limited time and staff.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Health Services Research
- Child Health
Background:
- Care coordination is crucial for children with special health care needs.
- Understanding pediatrician involvement in care coordination is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of care coordination services provided by pediatricians.
- To identify barriers pediatricians face in delivering these services.
Main Methods:
- A survey was distributed to 1632 randomly selected US pediatricians.
- The questionnaire assessed the provision of specific care coordination activities.
Main Results:
- 71.2% of pediatricians act as primary care coordinators.
- Fewer than 25% consistently contact schools or discuss specialist findings with families.
- Limited time and lack of staff were the primary barriers identified.
Conclusions:
- While many pediatricians perceive themselves as providing care coordination, specific activities are often not consistently performed.
- Barriers such as time constraints and staffing shortages hinder comprehensive care coordination.
Objective:
To examine the frequency with which pediatricians provide care coordination services to children, particularly those with special health care needs, in their practices and the barriers to providing these services.
Methods:
An 8-page questionnaire was mailed to 1632 randomly selected US members of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Results:
The response rate was 56.7%. Most pediatricians (71.2%) reported that they or someone in their practice serves as the primary care coordinator for their children with special needs, but fewer than one fourth (23.3%) always contact the school about the child's health and educational needs as part of care coordination, only 18.7% always schedule time with the child's family to discuss the findings of a specialist, and only 23.2% meet with the discharge planning team to facilitate transition from hospital to home. The respondents identified the 2 top barriers that impede this activity: limited time and lack of medical staff in their offices.
Conclusions:
Although most pediatricians believe that they are providing care coordination services, when asked about specific care coordination activities, such as contacting the school or scheduling time with the family to discuss the findings of a specialist, many do not provide these services.
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