Tag: Detecting Delays

An Independent Pediatric Clinic Finds a Digital Solution to Screening Barriers

The research is clear: developmental screening is critical in the first years of a child’s life.1

Despite research findings, screening rates remain as low as 17% in some states,2 and many pediatricians don’t screen using American Academy of Pediatrics recommended tools such as the PEDS-DM or the ASQ.3 According to a survey of California pediatricians, 95% agreed that developmental screening is important, but only 37% said they were performing screenings using validated tools.4

What challenges are pediatricians facing? Pediatricians cite time as a significant barrier to performing screenings.4 Physicians who are screening usually only have time to do so informally at well-child visits, but they are unable to access reimbursement for informal screenings.  Furthermore, valuable time that could be spent educating parents on developmental milestones, discussing parent concerns, or referring a child-in-need is wasted on screening and scoring, which can take 5 or more minutes of a short 15-minute visit.

As a family-run practice providing pediatric care to children in Los Angeles County, Kidz Kare Doc decided to try BabyNoggin to see how a digital tool could improve workflow efficiency, increase parent engagement, and help them access reimbursement for the high-quality care they were already providing. 

Read about BabyNoggin’s impact in our case study with Kidz Kare Doc.

Download (PDF, 62KB)

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References:

1.Burak, E.W. and Odeh, M. (2018) Developmental Screenings for Young Children in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Retrieved from https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2018/03/06/developmental-screenings-for-young-children-in-medicaid-and-the-childrens-health-insurance-program/#easy-footnote-1

2.Hirai, A.H., Koganm M.D., Kandasamy, Veni., Reuland, C., Bethell, C. (2018) Prevalence and variation of developmental screening and surveillance in early childhood. Jama Pediatrics, 172(9), 857-866. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2686728?resultClick=1

3.American Academy of Pediatrics. Screening Tools. Retrieved from https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Screening/Pages/Screening-Tools.aspx

4.Silicon Valley Foundation. (2017). From the Doctor’s Office: California Pediatrician Survey on Early Childhood Developmental Screening. Retrieved from: https://www.siliconvalleycf.org/sites/default/files/publications/2017-CAPediatricianSurvey-DevelopmentalScreening.pdf

 

From Screenings to Better Outcomes

Learn how digital platforms streamline the child development screening process. You can find our slides at here.

Hosts Patricia Herrera, Director of Developmental Screening and Care Coordination at 211 LA, and Dr. Jin Lee, founder and CEO of BabyNoggin share how Pediatricians can access reimbursement, better engage parents and direct them to timely intervention services.

Slides include:

● Streamlining the developmental screening process
● How to receive reimbursement easily for performing screenings
● How to engage and connect parents to timely and effective intervention services

Patricia Herrera is a trained social worker and mental health professional with a career dedicated to the development of innovative, cost-effective models of care coordination to improve the health outcomes for children.

Interested providers seeking to get more information and special offers for physicians and families living in LA County should contact BabyNoggin now to take advantage of 211 LA services.

The Economics of Developmental Screening and How Screening is Protecting Children’s Health

The Economics of Developmental Screening: How Developmental Screening Protects Children’s Health and Increases Revenue 

American children are currently facing a health epidemic: developmental delays affect 1 in 4 children under age 5. Although developmental screening is recommended by the American Association of Pediatrics, many doctors are unable to give kids timely developmental screenings. In the state of California, a survey of several hundred pediatricians reported that fewer than 1 in 3 children received timely developmental screenings. There are many reasons for this; time, high costs, training accessibility, and inefficient paper-based based tools are just some. In 2017, BabyNoggin surveyed 118 medical practitioners at the AAP National, in order to acquire data on current screening methods. Lack of training and an inability to integrate current tools with EMR systems was cited as a primary driver behind professionals not using AAP-approved screening tools. An overwhelming 76% reported using only paper-based screening tools to administer tests. More data can be viewed in this survey summary: BabyNoggin-AAPNationa2017-SurveySummary.

Young brains are extraordinarily plastic, particularly from birth to three years of age. The brain grows to about 80% of adult size by 3 years of age, and more than a million neural connections are happening each second. Not surprisingly, if developmental delays are found and treated early, parents and health care providers are given the opportunity to not only prevent further delayed development in children but, in many cases, ensure that children actually improve in functionality from the point of their developmental diagnosisAccording to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, rehabilitative efforts can help children to not only compensate for but also overcome their setbacks.

Catching delays early also yields promising recovery and improved functionality. According to Griffiths & Hochman (2015), all systems within young children are constantly interacting to reach their developmental milestones; in other words, for children to be able to develop healthy speech patterns, they need a variety of developmentally appropriate skills. Here is an example: if children are not properly engaged in their environment, they will not undergo the cognitive pattern detection process that is necessary for language development. Similarly, if children lack motor control over their tongue and mouth, they will be unable to practice speech and fall behind due to a lack of practice. These cognitive and motor skills interact to produce speech and decreased functionality in one domain will ultimately spill over and negatively impact another domain. During infancy and toddlerhood, children experience sensitive periods for a range of skills; therefore, providing children with the appropriate experience during these time-sensitive “windows of opportunity” is paramount to proper development. While damage to the child accumulates when intervention efforts are delayed, the child’s ability to be successful compounds when intervention efforts are implemented.

In addition to the hordes of developmental issues that can arise due to delayed detection, there is yet another area that is heavily impacted by neglecting prevention: finances. When at-risk kids are screened early and receive early intervention, everyone benefits! The ROI of early screening and early intervention are clear:

All children deserve the opportunity to be their best selves. When we conduct proper developmental screenings, we not only save money and resources, but we also set children and families up for success. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1 in 4 children under 5 has a developmental delay, but, if we treat them early, we can provide better outcomes for America’s children and future.

References

  1. The importance of screening. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Screening/Pages/T

he-Importance-of-Screening.aspx

  1. Screening recommendations. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Screening/Pages/Screening-Recommendations.aspx

  1. Developmental screening infographic. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.childrennow.org/reports-research/developmental-screening-infographic/

  1. Brain development. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.zerotothree.org/espanol/brain-development

  1. Pascual-Leone, A., Amedi A., Fregni, F., & Merabet, L. B. (2005). The plastic human brain.

Annual Review of Neuroscience, 2005(28), 377-401.

  1. Facts about developmental disabilities. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/developmentaldisabilities/facts.html

  1. Griffiths, P. E., & Hochman, A. (2015). Developmental systems theory. ELS, 2015, 107.
  2. Early intervention contacts. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/parents/states.html

  1. Invest in early childhood development: Reduce deficits, strengthen the economy. (n.d.).

Retrieved from https://heckmanequation.org/resource/invest-in-early-child

hood-development-reduce-deficits-strengthen-the-economy/

  1. 4 big benefits in investing in early childhood development. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://heckmanequation.org/resource/4-big-benefits-of-investing-in-early-childhood-development/