QI collaborative will focus on developmental, autism, social-emotional and maternal depression screening

Alabama’s children achieve better outcomes when challenges in infancy and toddlerhood related to development, autism, social-emotional concerns, and maternal depression are identified and addressed early on. Best Beginnings, an Alabama Child Health Improvement Alliance (ACHIA) Early Screening and Referal collaborative, will support primary care practices in 2020 to improve their current screening processes or to introduce new screenings into their workflow.

Participating practices will be encouraged to focus on one screening process during the collaborative. Online modules for all practice members will provide clinical education, and the one-hour monthly webinars, held from January through September, will allow practices to learn from one another and from Alabama-based content experts about screening processes, best practices, and quality improvement. Practices will track data over time to ensure interventions lead to improvements.

Which practices should participate?

Any practice that wants to introduce a new screen and referral process for development, autism, socialemotional, or maternal depression should consider participating in the collaborative. Likewise, your practice may want to sign up if you are interested in improving a current process, such as the following:

• Improving workflow

• Identifying new partners or strengthening connections with current partners in order to support patients with positive screens 

• Administering the correct age ASQ for patients with prematurity or who have preventive visits off schedule

• Reliably administering the screen in the preferred language

• Accurately scoring screens when answers are skipped

• Tracking referrals to close care gaps

• Training providers and staff to create a shared culture for screening

• Updating clinic policies/job descriptions to support screening process

• Switching from paper to electronic screening

• Learning from colleagues’ experiences from around the state

• Reviewing coding practices

There is no charge to participate. Additional benefits of participation include MOC Part 4, CME, and meeting PCMH re/certification requirements. Look for recruitment information coming soon to your email box. For questions or to request a registration packet, contact Linda Champion.

This article first appeared in the Third/Fourth Quarter 2019 Edition of the Alabama Pediatrician Newsletter. See full newsletter here.