COR Teach Rounds
Grant Status: Completed
Training Category: Collaborative Office Rounds
Project Director(s):
Alison Schonwald, MD
Touchstone Neurodevelopmental Center
Cambridge Health Alliance
304 Cambridge Road Suite 320
Woburn, MA 01801
Phone: (781) 497-8164
Email: aschonwald@touchstonema.com
Goals and Objectives:
One in five children and adolescents in the United States experiences a mental health disorder, and one in six is affected by a developmental disability. With population estimates of over 73 million 0-17 year-olds in the country, the 775 Developmental Behavioral Pediatricians and 8500 practicing child and adolescent psychiatrists cannot meet this diagnostic and management need. To further complicate the challenge, many children have both mental health AND developmental needs. With minimal training specific to these complex issues, pediatricians provide the best care they can, often expected to diagnose, evaluate, and manage this plethora of disorders, while supporting families as they navigate multiple involved systems (i.e. mental health, schools). This project will provide specialist consultation (from a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician) to primary care providers to provide the best care for children in the most efficient manner. By collaborating with the Pediatric Physicians' Organization at Children's (PPOC), a network of practices serving 400,000 children across Massachusetts, we will potentially reach more than of the children in our state. Collaborative Office Teach Rounds will be at the center of our project. Twice per month, primary care providers (pediatricians, nurse practitioners) will present challenging cases to a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician via live webinar ("COR Teach Rounds"). Case discussion will focus on the psychosocial developmental aspects of child health, increasing provider ability to help children and families address these issues within their own medical home. The presenters will be part of a group of 12-16 PPOC practices across the state participating in a 2-year Learning Community hosted by the PPOC. In addition to participating in COR Teach Rounds, these 12-16 clinicians attend several in-person sessions on topics such as Autism, ADHD, Depression and Anxiety. These practices also complete a Quality Improvement Project, and benefit from an integrated behavioral health provider housed within their office. Learning at the COR Teach Rounds will be reinforced through these additional Learning Community activities, then shared with the broader PPOC network of over 85 practices. We will tie the importance of rigorous early identification and ongoing screening with the patient-level outcomes (seen first hand in the COR Teach Rounds cases), outcomes we can improve. Our impact will be measured by demonstrating change in knowledge and increased rates of screening.