Build a consensus and expectation about how screening is going to be implemented in the community. Typically each screening site is responsible for follow up and management of any flags that are generated. This may be as simple as sharing flags with a connected medical clinic, public health resource or equivalent community resource but an expectation of how to manage flags needs to be established and met. Additionally, expectation needs to be set about the schedule for screenings and what is measured when, to best enable early detection.
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Medical clinics, WIC clinics, home visitation programs, early learning centers, Head Start, personal apps and even health fairs are all sites where screenings can be initiated and managed. Remote screening via secure links in SMS texts or emails are excellent alternatives to screening in person, dramatically increasing the potential reach of a screening site.
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Expectations about how to manage flags needs to be tailored to services and resources available in the community. Connection to Early Intervention services, special education services, a HMG central access point, food banks and other community specific resources and services need to be mapped out and made available to the screening site flag management procedures.
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While the work and costs need to be pushed off into self-sustaining sites, a group in the community needs to setup and maintain the screening program. Setup involves recruiting the network of sites, working out the rules of engagement and potentially providing technical assistance as sites in the network get implemented. Maintenance involves ongoing feedback of performance data (typically quarterly), providing transparency and guidance highlighting what is and is not working.
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It is important to understand that medical clinics have the best access to children and typically can get reimbursed for screening and providing services. This makes them an ideal screening site because they are self-sustaining with good reach to the families that they serve. However medical clinics have strict HIPAA regulations and need to manage their patients using their EMR, pretty much excluding centralized screening solutions. Pediatric Tools implements a standard Data Exchange solution that enables each site to operate independently, centralizing data and securely sharing information as needed and with permissions.
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Using embedded Data Exchange functions, Pediatric Tools builds a Community Health Network from a few simple apps, making profile and data connections. You can start with a single app and easily build a county, state or national network.
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