July 29, 2019

Just when you thought life couldn’t get any better, The Center for Children and Women is on Instagram.

Log on and double tap if this made your day – https://www.instagram.com/thecenterforcw/.

“We are always looking for new ways to engage our members on social media and what better way than Instagram?,” said Rosa Pruneda, social media specialist for Texas Children’s Health Plan. “Everyone is on Instagram and we’re so excited to bring information to where members are.”

Pruneda, who will be managing the site by posting photos and information, will also answer member questions in English and Spanish. “The page won’t just be informational, it will also be interactive,” Pruneda said.

The Center for Children and Women is owned by Texas Children’s Health Plan. The two Center locations are full-service clinics for Health Plan members only, with a few exceptions for members of other government-sponsored programs.

All employees are encouraged to follow the new page at https://www.instagram.com/thecenterforcw/. Double tap, tag and tell everyone you know.

Want more information about The Centers? Visit https://www.jointhecenter.org/

July 23, 2019

Accreditations that highlight quality and performance are frequently earned at organizations like Texas Children’s. Our hospitals and many of our clinics hold credentials that show patients we’re the best.

And now it’s The Health Plan’s turn.

Texas Children’s Health Plan is beginning efforts to earn an accreditation through the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA). NCQA surveyors will be on campus in April to see how our operations measure up.

“Our survey is in April,” said Dan Christopher, assistant director for Quality and Outcomes at The Health Plan. “However, it’s important for employees to understand that there is a “look back period”, which begins October 1. This means that we must have all of our I’s dotted and T’s crossed very shortly.”

To reach this goal, Christopher and his team have launched the Strive for Five campaign to not only rally Health Plan employees, but employees all across the Texas Children’s system.

“We are all interconnected. The quality of service that we provide Health Plan members is impacted by performance at Texas Children’s Hospital, Texas Children’s Pediatrics and all of our other partners,” Christopher added. “Earning this accreditation is a win for us all.”

Why Strive for Five?

The Strive for Five campaign name was born out of the 5.0 NCQA ranking that we are looking to achieve during the April accreditation. We currently sit at a 2.5.

How do we score higher?

NCQA surveyors will arrive one morning in April of 2020 and begin to review the quality of our operations as it pertains to our members. They will show up at the Bellaire office location and will focus on our performance in six areas. These are:

  • Effectiveness of Care
  • Availability of Care
  • Experience of Care
  • Utilization and Risk Adjusted Utilization
  • Health Plan Descriptive Information
  • Measures Collected Using Electronic Clinical Data Systems

We must do well in these areas to earn a higher score.

“An NCQA designation is important because it means we are meeting the minimum basic standards for the care of our members,” Christopher said. “Of course our goal is go beyond the minimums, but we have to reach this bar first. I know we can do it.”

Want more information?
Just sit tight. Frequent communications will be posted on Connect from now until April 2020.

July 9, 2019

This month’s installment of Medically Speaking features Texas Children’s orthopedic surgeon, Dr. John Heydemann, discussing the rising prevalence of obesity in American adolescents and the increased level of difficulty it creates in the treatment of pediatric orthopedic injuries or deformities.

To clearly relate the two, he highlights four specific treatment areas or conditions that are often exacerbated by, or that can contribute to, obesity. These are:

  • Trauma, including increased fracture rates, higher risk of loss of reduction and increased risk of complications
  • Blount’s disease, a growth disorder of the shin bone that causes the lower leg to be angled inward
  • Slipped capital femoral epiphysis, a hip condition that occurs in adolescents and teens
  • Back pain, potentially due to children leading more sedentary lifestyles

Learn more about the services provided and conditions treated by Texas Children’s Division of Orthopedics.

Fighting obesity at Texas Children’s

In addition to contributing to or complicating the treatment of orthopedic injuries, obesity drives significant health outcomes in Texas Children’s patients. Obesity is one of the biggest drivers of preventable chronic diseases and in childhood can lead to high blood pressure and cholesterol, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, asthma and sleep apnea, and joint problems, not to mention the associated psychological ramifications, such as anxiety and depression.

But obesity it a health problem Texas Children’s Hospital is attacking head on.

This year, Texas Children’s included a system-wide BMI goal as part of our Fiscal Year 2019 care quality objectives. The target was to record BMI for 85 percent of the patient population, ages 2 to 19. In addition to recording BMI, an additional target was set to refer or implement counseling and/or education for more than 40 percent of patients with BMI greater than the 85th percentile.

So far this year, Texas Children’s is exceeding those goals. Through March 2019, we’d recorded BMI for more than 87 percent of our patients, and more than 73 percent of those with BMI in the 85th percentile or higher have been referred to or received the resources they need to combat obesity.

About Medically Speaking

Medically Speaking, a video series from Texas Children’s Service Line Marketing, features some of the brightest minds from several Texas Children’s specialty and subspecialty areas. The series is meant to be a helpful educational resource for parents and a convenient way for physicians and other caregivers to stay up-to-date on the latest in pediatric medicine. Viewers can watch talks on a variety of interesting topics, including advancements in surgery, breakthroughs in research, new clinical trials, and novel and back-practice treatments for specific conditions.

Don’t miss future Medically Speaking episodes featured here on Connect, or view additional episodes now.

PLEASE NOTE:
This presentation is not intended to present medical advice or individual treatment recommendations, and does not supplant the practitioner’s independent clinical judgment. Practitioners are advised to consider the management of each patient in view of the clinical information. All content is shared for informational purposes only, and reflects the thoughts and opinions of the original author. No physician-patient relationship is being created by the use of this presentation. The presentation sets out recommendations based upon similar circumstances and is provided as an educational tool. The presenters are not attorneys, and to the extent this presentation provides commentary on current laws and regulations affecting health care activities, it is not intended as legal advice.

The First Lady of Botswana, Neo Jane Masisi, was recently announced as an inaugural member of the Global HOPE International Council. The International Council which will comprise African leaders and dignitaries, noteworthy global health care leaders, philanthropists and other key influencers, will serve as advocates for Global HOPE to raise awareness for the program and the plight of children with cancer in Africa.

Masisi is an accountant by profession and has held various portfolios in Botswana within the private sector. She further embarked on a career as an International Civil Servant where she served the United Nations in USA, Ethiopia and Central African Republic. Masisi has extensive experience in management and budgetary controls, grants management and financial reporting. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA – UK) and holds an MBA.

Currently, as First Lady, Masisi is involved in national issues geared at addressing HIV/AIDS. She is passionate about girls and rural women, causes that she pursues in her personal capacity. Having worked in both Botswana and the international arena, Mrs. Masisi brings across a “global view’’ approach to issues that affect humanity.

Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence), recently celebrated its two-year anniversary. It is a transformative initiative focused on creating an innovative pediatric hematology-oncology treatment network in sub-Saharan Africa that will build long-term capacity to treat and dramatically improve the prognosis of thousands of children with cancer and blood disorders. The program was created in partnership with Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation and Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatrics AIDS Initiative at Texas Children’s Hospital (BIPAI).

Global HOPE works closely with Ministries of Health in its three initial countries of focus including Botswana, Malawi and Uganda. Within two short years, the program has seen extraordinary progress, including treating more than 3,000 patients, training over 1,000 health care professionals, and graduating its first class of physician fellows from the Global HOPE Pediatric Hematology Oncology Fellowship Program, the first of its kind in East Africa.

While Global HOPE initiative is relatively new, the relationship with these countries in Sub-Saharan Africa goes back nearly 20 years with the implementation of Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI), the largest pediatric HIV treatment network in the world, leveraging existing experience, infrastructure and public/private partnerships created through the initiative. To date, BIPAI has provided care and support to more than 1 million HIV-infected children and adolescents, and has trained more than 52,000 health care workers on issues of pediatric HIV. Building on this experience, Global HOPE is using this approach to address childhood cancer.

In the U.S., where there are 15,000 cases of pediatric cancer a year, over 80 percent of children survive and most have a very good quality life. In contrast, of the more than 100,000 children who develop pediatric cancer each year in sub-Saharan Africa, 90 percent die. In an effort to correct this glaring inequity, Global HOPE established a $150 million campaign to launch their program in three initial countries, including Botswana.

In September 2018, Dr. David Poplack, Director of Global Hope and Associate Director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, had the pleasure of hosting His Excellency OP and Mrs. Masisi in Houston, Texas. The visit offered an opportunity to assess the progress made to help combat pediatric illnesses in Botswana including HIV/AIDS.

“As First Lady of the Republic of Botswana, Mrs. Masisi has an incredibly powerful voice capable of raising awareness and garnering support for initiatives to address childhood cancer in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Dr. Poplack. “With our hallmark program in Botswana, she was able to see the work we are doing firsthand, and I believe she has the ability to help expand our reach. I also believe she will be an extraordinary advocate for children with cancer and blood disorders.”

With the support of Mrs. Masisi and the entire International Council, Global HOPE will have the ability to expand its reach and to dramatically improve childhood cancer treatment and care in sub-Saharan Africa.

July 8, 2019

Texas Children’s patient Eden Green visits Capitol Hill to advocate for graduate medical education funding.

Progress doesn’t just happen. It takes real conversations between people who care.

That’s exactly what happened recently when Texas Children’s Hospital patient Eden Green visited Washington, D.C., during the 15th annual Speak Now for Kids Family Advocacy Day.

The vibrant 14-year-old met with a handful of Texas lawmakers, including former Congressman Gene Green and Representatives Michael McCaul and Dan Crenshaw. She hopes her voice brings change and increased investment in pediatric cancer research.

Family Advocacy Day, hosted by the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA), was focused on ensuring that a federally-funded pediatrician training program receives an increase in financial support, among other issues.

According to CHA, the hospitals that receive Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) train approximately half of the nation’s pediatricians. Texas Children’s is one of those hospitals.

Increased CHGME funding helps recruit and retain the highest quality pediatricians.

A Young Advocate in the Making

Eden’s story is one we can all be proud of. In 2015 at just 10 years old, she was diagnosed with a rare tumor – so rare it still doesn’t have a name. It had spread throughout her body. An individualized treatment plan was drafted by the Rare Tumors and Neuroblastoma Programs at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, which included many rounds of chemotherapy and hip surgery.

Eden was cancer free for nearly two years when she relapsed in June 2018. Thanks to funding by Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), Eden had the opportunity to participate in a novel clinical trial at Texas Children’s Cancer Center for pediatric patients with relapsed disease that allowed her to go into remission for the second time.

Dr. Jennifer Foster, who is Eden’s pediatric oncologist at Texas Children’s, couldn’t be prouder of her patient’s trip to D.C. Foster said she often urges patients and medical professionals to get involved in the legislative process.

“As medical professionals, we can all advocate at a patient level, but we won’t experience any real change on a global level until we tap into the policy side of health care,” Foster said. “There is so much we can do as pediatricians and getting involved in the political process is part of that.”

Foster goes on to say that everyone can help the cause in their own way.

“Eden is an incredibly dynamic individual – truly someone who lights up a room when she walks in. Speaking out and interacting with people is one of her gifts and she’s using it to give back to Texas Children’s.”

You can also help.

Texas Children’s is a hospital that receives CHGME funding. You can help the cause! Let your voice be heard, here: https://actnow.io/m8pHocn

July 1, 2019

Since implementing Texas Children’s Patient Access Initiative, Texas Children’s continues to make great strides to ensure our patients and their families get in the door easier to access our high quality services.

One of the many impactful changes benefitting patient families has been their ability to easily and quickly schedule their appointments online as a result of new features the organization has implemented. To date, more than 10,000 appointments have been scheduled online via MyChart and DocASAP.

In May 2018, Texas Children’s launched direct scheduling that allows current patients to schedule return appointments online through MyChart. Since its implementation, over 7,909 visits have been scheduled online and many patients and their families describe the scheduling process as “easy and convenient.”

“I was surprised that Texas Children’s now offers this option,” wrote a Texas Children’s family. “It was very convenient and the process for scheduling appointments was very simple and streamlined.”

In addition to direct scheduling via MyChart, over 2,814 appointments have been made via DocASAP, Texas Children’s online scheduling partner, since November 2018. Offered in both English and Spanish, this online scheduling tool is available to new patients, current patients, and referred patients at Texas Children’s three hospital campuses including our specialty care locations in Houston and Austin, and Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women.

“I am excited about the progress we’ve made to better serve our patients and their families,” said Sarah Ringold, assistant director of Perioperative Business Operations at Texas Children’s and project manager for the online scheduling team for Patient Access. “It is amazing to be able to offer families the flexibility of scheduling online, and to continue to improve the online scheduling tool to make it more and more effective for our patients.”

Other patient access milestones

Texas Children’s implemented other enhancements to improve patient access across the system. Below is an update on where we are today:

  • MyChart activations: Texas Children’s continues to see an increase in the number of patients signing up for MyChart. In October 2017, the organization had approximately 61 percent of distinct patients sign up for MyChart. As a result of system wide efforts to raise patient awareness and engagement, we have now exceeded over 74 percent activation rate for MyChart throughout the system as of June 2019.
  • Electronic Waitlist: Since implementing this MyChart feature that automatically sends texts and email notifications when appointments become available sooner, 3,794 patients have accepted an appointment on average 39 days earlier than their prior appointment. The total patient volume includes Texas Children’s Pediatrics (TCP), all subspecialties, sleep studies and therapies. Due to its success, TCPs in Austin and College Station will go live with this convenient electronic tool by the end of the summer.
  • Referrals: The referrals team continues to work through enhancements to the referral process in an effort to improve patient access. In April and May 2019, Texas Children’s received over 6,000 referrals from external providers that were processed through the central transcription team – the highest number of referrals from external providers to date. In addition, TCP surgical referrals and medicine referrals referred to Texas Children’s specialties also reached their highest levels at 91 percent and 87 percent, respectively. Current initiatives are in process to increase scheduling conversion and appointment capture rates for various specialties.
About Texas Children’s Patient Access Initiative

Launched in August 2017, Texas Children’s Patient Access Initiative is an on-going, collaborative effort to improve patient access across the organization. Since then, Texas Children’s has made significant progress to ensure patients easily and conveniently get in the door so we can provide the care they need, when they need it.

Click here for a list of other tools and features we’ve implemented across the system to improve access, care coordination and patient experience at Texas Children’s.

Texas Children’s Health Plan is launching a campaign to educate consumers about the importance of having health insurance.

The Get Insured campaign urges families to “Have a better plan for your kids” and will run from now until September 1.

“Texas has the highest percentage of people without health insurance in the United States and a large percent of these are children,” said Cristina Garcia-Gamboa, Texas Children’s Health Plan Marketing Director. “Applying for CHIP and Medicaid is a lengthy and daunting process and we want consumers to know we are here to help.”

“The goal of Get Insured is to educate families eligible for CHIP or Medicaid of their options to manage care through our health plan and encourage parents to have a plan for their children. We are also tying our message back to the importance health coverage has on a child’s future,” Garcia-Gamboa added.

Through this campaign, The Health Plan is also touting the newly created application assistance team, which is available to help parents apply for CHIP or Medicaid. The goal is to make sure that children get quality health care and are protected through life’s unexpected moments.

The effort will run locally in the greater Houston service area across TV, radio, outdoor, digital, social media and grass roots efforts. The campaign is member-centric and addresses both the emotional and rational benefits of having a plan, complete with an easy phone number for potential members to call. (1-888-559-PLAN)

The two 30-second TV spots in both English and Spanish depicts children and expecting parents dreaming of their own/child’s future and how Texas Children’s Health Plan can help them achieve those goals.

Want to help? Here’s how you can show your support for Get Insured.

Refer a friend or family member to plan now. If you know someone who is uninsured, tell them to apply for Medicaid or CHIP. Remind them to plan now for the health of their family.