THE DIGITAL GUIDE
4 ways digital care coordination tools improve pediatric care
Unlock capacity and optimal health outcomes
The saying “it takes a village to raise a child” rings more true in the care of children with chronic health conditions than perhaps anywhere else. 1 in 5 families in the US have a child with special healthcare needs, accounting for more than one-third of pediatric healthcare spend annually.
With more than 10 caregivers involved in the child’s care, siloed systems, specialists located across geographical regions, and lack of standardization of care, the patient journey quickly becomes fragmented. The children and their families are at risk of frequent and prolonged hospitalizations, parental burnout, missed/duplicated services, and medical errors caused by miscommunication. However, the rise of digital health, particularly solutions that enable integrated care management, offers an effective way for care providers to create continuity across the continuum of care; improving health outcomes and patient satisfaction while reducing the financial strain on the health system. Here are four top ways in which investing in a digital care coordination solution increases the impact of pediatric care providers:
1. Empower parents to be effective primary caregivers
Current Challenges: Transitions of care in pediatrics are complex, and occur dozens of times on the care journey of a child with complex healthcare needs. The primary manager of care across this journey is typically a parent, who needs to acquire a great amount of specific knowledge quickly. Lack of appropriate communication, education, and actionable steps from clinical settings leave the parents confused, unsupported, and unequipped to take on this responsibility. One study found that 78% of patients had a lack of understanding of discharge instructions, putting the child at a significant risk for rehospitalization. Health literacy is also a concern — in children without a chronic illness, low health literate caregivers had more than 3 times greater odds of presenting for a non-urgent condition than those with adequate health literacy.
How digital tools help: Having a digital tool to facilitate communication, recollection of discharge instructions, education, and monitoring helps parents transition smoothly between clinical and home care, ensuring that the child thrives in their home and community, and doesn’t end up back in hospital unnecessarily. Digital tools should support interventions that improve patient and caregiver empowerment, which have been shown to be effective in reducing hospital readmission.
2. Reduce unnecessary duplication of services
Current Challenges: The care of children with complex healthcare needs typically requires multi-disciplinary teams from various healthcare organizations. Unfortunately, there is little consistency between Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) and other systems, and so information related to the child’s care is not readily shared across teams. Each time the child visits a hospital or clinic, there is a high chance of repeating tests or services that were performed elsewhere. Duplicate testing has been shown to occur in 32% of cases and runs a hospital up to $1,255 in unnecessary costs for a single 12-hour period. Duplication also increases the emotional strain on the family and the child, creates confusion, and erodes confidence and satisfaction with care providers.
How digital tools help: Leveraging a digital solution for integrated care management creates a source of truth for patient data, and enables interoperability between various care settings, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. Clinicians have full transparency into what has happened between visits or in another provider interaction, increasing efficiency in care delivery and eliminating service duplication. This in turn creates continuity on the patient journey, reduces the length of hospital stays, and improves the quality of experience for both families and clinicians.
3. Increase access to care
Current Challenges: Multi-disciplinary teams and highly specialized providers are often required in the care of children with complex healthcare needs. However, financial and geographical barriers significantly reduce a family's ability to access the services that their child needs. In the US, it is estimated that 20 million children lack sufficient access to healthcare.
How digital tools help: Increased adoption of telehealth is a great start, but care providers and their families need more holistic digital solutions to support them between clinical visits. Care coordination solutions enable streamlined workflows, continuous, asynchronous communication, and data capture across the continuum of care. This allows multi-disciplinary teams across geographical areas to work together effectively, increasing access to specialists and care providers outside of the family’s home area.
4. Reduce non-reimbursable admin time and improve margins
Current Challenges: Without effective communication channels, streamlined workflows, and efficient follow-ups, staff spend additional hours on the phone, emailing, and relaying messages and instructions. Time not spent directly providing healthcare services is often not reimbursable by insurance providers, costing children’s hospitals up to $2,510 in non-reimbursable time per patient annually.
How digital tools help: Leveraging an integrated digital care coordination solution streamlines workflows, automates follow-ups, reduces back and forth via phone and email, and significantly increases the capacity of care coordination programs. In addition, the use of many digital tools is reimbursable under CMS’s new remote patient monitoring fee schedule. Investment in a solution to manage care reduces pressure on already eroding margins for children’s hospitals, improves the experience for patients and families, and frees up clinician time to provide top-quality care.
Supporting the people involved in the care circle — the patient and family, as well as clinicians and administrators, is key to unlocking optimal health outcomes and minimizing the total cost of care. With more patients than ever before being treated at home and in communities, the use of technology is the only way to ensure everyone is on the same page and that the right actions are being taken. Team-based care is the future, and digital tools are the foundational framework to ensure that each person is empowered with the right information, at the right time.
Contact us at getcareteam.com to learn more about how Careteam’s integrated care management platform can unlock capacity in your organization today.
Author:
Laura Harries, Pediatric Care Strategy Lead @ Careteam Technologies
