Child Health Provider Outreach

Child health care providers are uniquely positioned to identify developmentally vulnerable children as they have near universal access to young children that provides ongoing monitoring of children’s developmental status, as well-child health care includes developmental promotion and early identification through periodic screening. However, child health care providers often face challenges in identifying early signs of developmental or behavioral concerns, and even when needs are recognized, keeping comprehensive and updated information on community-facing services is difficult and lastly, successful connection to those programs is time-consuming. The formidable challenges of facilitating connections to needed services can be daunting for busy practitioners and potentially discourage early detection efforts.

The HMG system supports community-based pediatricians by enhancing their effective developmental promotion and early detection activities for all children and families. This support is provided through educating and motivating providers to conduct systematic surveillance and screening of young children, as well as providing community-based pediatricians with access to a centralized access point that can serve as a care coordination arm for busy pediatric primary care practices. In doing so, HMG partners with pediatricians to ensure effective linkage to appropriate programs and services.

Child Health Provider Outreach Key Activities and Resources

The Basics

1. Child Health Provider Outreach Manual Excerpt *Note: The Help Me Grow Manual was developed in 2014; certain pieces may have been updated since development and any indicated policies are not binding. For current benefits and responsibilities of affiliation, see current year Help Me Grow Affiliation Agreement.

2. Engaging Child Health Providers in Developmental Surveillance/Screening and Connecting Children to Services

3. HMG 101: Child Health Care Provider Outreach

key activity #1: Identify a Physician Champion

  1. Integrating Pediatrics Into Your Early Childhood System
  2. HMG Oregon Physician Champions
  3. Presentation: Why Pediatricians Should Love HMG

Key activity #2: training on developmental surveillance & screening 

  1. Developmental Surveillance & Screening: The Help Me Grow National Center Standpoint
  2. Provider Outreach Training: Tips for Engaging Providers
  3. Help Me Grow Florida Healthcare Professionals Outreach Toolkit
  4. Help Me Grow Quality Improvement (QI)/Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Project

key activity #3: training on linkage and referral 

  1. Reframing the Early Detection and Early Intervention Pathway
  2. HMG CT: EPIC Physician Outreach Presentation
  3. Just What the Doctor Ordered: Honing Expertise in HMG Physician Outreach

Key activity #4: Close the Feedback Loop with Physicians

  1. Child Health Provider Outreach