Measuring the primary care medical home for children with special health care needs: an index/tool validation study. The aim of the Medical Home Index tool is for measurement of observable, objective, and verifiable indicators of the primary care medical home for children with special health care needs. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that the medical home is accessible, family-centered, coordinated, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally competent. It is meant to improve care for all children but especially those made vulnerable due to special health care needs. Uses of the index include practice classification for researchers and payers and as a quality improvement instrument for practices and organizations. Phases of the validation include development of the index, completion of an expert validation process, primary care site validation, corroborating family interviews, data analysis and report, and tool dissemination. Six domains describe medical homeness, these domains include organizational capacity, chronic condition management, care coordination, data management, community outreach and quality improvement/change. Poster participants will view the actual index and see its application to primary care practice; they will have access to validation data and will see the indicators for future health systems research linking the medical home to enhanced outcomes for children with special health care needs and their families. The index holds implications for reimbursement for medical home encounters from potentially certified centers of excellence in the care of children, particularly those with special health care needs.
Learning Objectives: As a result of a poster presentation depicting an index for measuring levels of primary care medical "homeness" for children with special health care needs the learners will: 1) Use an operational definition to describe who children with special health care needs are 2) Identify six domains within which medical home activities and outcomes can be quantified and analyze preliminary tool validation data 3) Apply a medical home index tool to primary care practice, assess levels of quality and comprehend the value of correlationships to child and family outcomes
Keywords: Children With Special Needs, Primary Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The Hood Center for Children and Families
Children's Hospital at Dartmouth
1 Medical Center Drive Borwell 3
Lebanon, New Hampshire 03756
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.