AHP Enhancing Pediatric Care Management Support
August 30th, 2017 | Network NewsAHP’s pediatric care management team currently supports 18 community-based pediatric practices. As described in the June newsletter, the team has recently expanded and is comprised of two pediatric nurses, three licensed clinical social workers and a psychiatric nurse practitioner focused on child and adolescent psychiatry. All members of the team have extensive expertise in behavioral health and knowledge of community resources for children and families in need.
Effective September 1st, we are enhancing our care management structure to allow more time for our care managers to work with individual practices. Following an assessment process that considered practice needs, patient panels and care management experience to date, each of our pediatric practices was assigned a “primary care manager.” This process included all members of our pediatric team and was led by AHP’s Director of Care Management, Dr. Daryl Sharp, in collaboration with Dr. Laura Jean Shipley, Associate Medical Director for Pediatrics. Although communication and referrals will now go through the primary care manager assigned to each practice, the care management team will continue to function as it always has, drawing as needed from one another’s skill sets and expertise.
In addition to restructuring care management staffing, three pediatric practices will serve as pilot sites for testing the collaborative care model, which integrates behavioral health support with primary care delivery. The care management team and Dr. Shipley will be consulting throughout this pilot work with Dr. George Nasra, URMC’s Division Chief for Collaborative Care and Wellness and AHP’s Associate Medical Director for Behavioral Health. We expect to learn many valuable lessons through this initiative that can potentially inform dissemination of behavioral health integration efforts across the AHP network.
For questions about these changes or general information about care management, contact Daryl Sharp here.
