Enhancing Diagnostic Follow-up and Care Coordination for Children with Autism in a Busy Resident Continuity Clinic: Leveraging the Electronic Health Record.
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| Title: | Enhancing Diagnostic Follow-up and Care Coordination for Children with Autism in a Busy Resident Continuity Clinic: Leveraging the Electronic Health Record. |
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| Authors: | Bahrami, Laleh, Miller, Cara T., Miller, Holly, Carlson, Kathryn L., Foster, Tori E., Ganesh, Abhinaya, Johnson, David, Patterson, Barron L., Hine, Jeffrey F. |
| Source: | Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders. Mar2025, Vol. 55 Issue 3, p904-912. 9p. |
| Subjects: | Diagnosis of autism, Treatment of autism, Documentation, Research funding, Academic medical centers, Children with disabilities, Primary health care, Continuum of care, Information storage & retrieval systems, Decision making in clinical medicine, Hospital medical staff, Surveys, Job satisfaction, Electronic health records, Medical records, Acquisition of data, Medical appointments, Asperger's syndrome, Genetic testing, Medical referrals, Children |
| Geographic Terms: | Southern States |
| Abstract: | Purpose: A high-quality primary care clinic should provide clear action points and important care coordination for a child receiving a new diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Unfortunately, a substantial proportion of caregivers report little-to-no post-diagnosis support from their home clinics and primary care providers often report lack of training and resources in providing these supports. Methods: We implemented an intervention package to investigate the impact on the frequency and quality of follow-up care for children with ASD in a busy, high-volume resident continuity clinic. The package consisted of a care coordination scheduling pathway and a standardized clinical template—embedded in the electronic health record (EHR)—that guided providers through best-practice recommendations and patient resources. Results: As a result of these interventions, 74% of patients had ASD-specific follow-up, a more than threefold increase from baseline with a majority of providers using the EHR-embedded template to guide their visit. Providers also indicated a high degree of usability for the system and that it aided them in following best-practice guidelines for ASD care. Conclusion: Through explicit scheduling pathways and a novel EHR template, we saw a significant increase in ASD-specific follow-up visits and implementation of best practices for ASD care, demonstrating a new process for training and engaging primary care providers in clear action steps for post-diagnostic care without having to rely on tertiary referrals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Purpose: A high-quality primary care clinic should provide clear action points and important care coordination for a child receiving a new diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Unfortunately, a substantial proportion of caregivers report little-to-no post-diagnosis support from their home clinics and primary care providers often report lack of training and resources in providing these supports. Methods: We implemented an intervention package to investigate the impact on the frequency and quality of follow-up care for children with ASD in a busy, high-volume resident continuity clinic. The package consisted of a care coordination scheduling pathway and a standardized clinical template—embedded in the electronic health record (EHR)—that guided providers through best-practice recommendations and patient resources. Results: As a result of these interventions, 74% of patients had ASD-specific follow-up, a more than threefold increase from baseline with a majority of providers using the EHR-embedded template to guide their visit. Providers also indicated a high degree of usability for the system and that it aided them in following best-practice guidelines for ASD care. Conclusion: Through explicit scheduling pathways and a novel EHR template, we saw a significant increase in ASD-specific follow-up visits and implementation of best practices for ASD care, demonstrating a new process for training and engaging primary care providers in clear action steps for post-diagnostic care without having to rely on tertiary referrals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 01623257 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10803-024-06253-1 |
