Presenter: Suzanne Mullin, MD, Rochester General Pediatrics

    With the goal of providing a “safety net” of care for families in the most underserved areas of the community, Rochester General Pediatric Associates (RGPA) began a project to improve pediatric care while maintaining a pediatric residency training program and research. This session will discuss the challenges an academic setting poses to providing open access while maintaining continuity of care, and how the team overcame barriers. How RGPA strengthened patient-provider team alignment, improved resident experience within the clinic setting, improved access for families, and decreased patient utilization of the emergency room will also be described.
    After this presentation you will be able to:

• Identify the unique aspects of an academic practice that are barriers to open access and continuity of care.
• Implement strategies to improve open access in a pediatric setting, including backlog reduction, new patient assignment (RGPA Stop Light), evening hours, reducing part-time providers, improving support staff to decrease patient cycle time, and embedding mental health within the pediatric setting.
• Apply methods to help improve continuity for families, including designing vertical provider care teams, creating a medical home for patients, team building, and educating families about the team concept.