QI Study of a Practice Facilitator's Impact in Working With Clinics on Improving Dental, Lead & Obesity Measures for Children

Funded by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services - Medicaid Technical Assistance and Policy Program (MEDTAPP), the "Child Health Excellence Center - a University-Practice-Public Partnership" (CHEC-UPPP) focuses on improving the health of Ohio's children in 3 target areas: 1) prevention of dental decay; 2) detection and management of overweight and obesity; and 3) lead screening. These topics represent critical public health issues for Ohio's children. The study is based on strong evidence that interventions are needed to improve practice in the target areas and that achieving these goals represents fundamental improvements in child health care that would reduce morbidity and costs. The approach for the study involves a trained Practice Facilitator (PF) working with multiple pediatric and family medicine practices to create change tailored to individual practice preferences and methods of operation. Our overall hypothesis is that a university-community consortium, utilizing evidence-based methods (involving education plus a facilitated, practice-tailored approach) will increase the rates of targeted services in primary care practices.