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Colorado – ABCD

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Colorado participated in the ABCD Screening Academy as a “Setting the Stage for Success” grantee, a project designed to replicate the North Carolina ABCD Project model which integrated structured developmental screening into well-child care visits.

Specifically, the ABCD Screening Academy project in Colorado improved child development services by:

  • Incorporating screening requirements into Colorado’s Medical Home initiative, and by targeting "improving state policy" as a critical area of attention in the 2009 ABCD team work plan.
  • Completing multiple ABCD community trainings on structured screening in all eight pilot communities, increasing the use of a objective, validated developmental screening tools at well child visits by providers outside of pilot sites, and partnering with Kaiser Permanente and Denver Health to ensure that all of their offices implemented the use of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) by all pediatricians and family practitioners.
  • Sustaining and spreading structured screeninig by applying for funding to continue to gather groups of providers for informational workshops and trainings on the importance of health care screening during well child care.
Title Description Date Published Acitivity
Seven Years of ABCD in Colorado (Eileen Bennett) This document contains comments from Eileen Bennett, Colorado’s ABCD Coordinator. In this document Ms. Bennett discusses the history of ABCD in the state, as well as results and accomplishments achieved through the project. November 2012 Improving Policy and Spreading Results
Child Find Referral Form (Colorado Department of Education) This is a parental release form for children age 3-5 years – who may need special education services. The form contains an area at the bottom for Child Find to provide an update to the provider. November 2012 Care Coordination and Linkages to Services
Early Intervention Colorado Referral and Release Form (Colorado Early Childhood Connections) Parental release form for infants and toddlers – birth through two years of age – who may need early intervention services. This is an updated form from the one originally developed by Colorado in 2007. November 2012 Care Coordination and Linkages to Services
Colorado ABCD Website (Colorado ABCD: 2010) This link directs to the Colorado ABCD project homepage. The site includes information for families, health care providers, and community providers. The website also includes information on screening and referral. April 2012 Care Coordination and Linkages to Services and Spreading Results: Dissemination Strategies
Family Panel Screening Card – Spanish
(Colorado ABCD Project) Proof copy of informational card promoting developmental screening. Answers three most common questions about screening. Spanish version. December 2007 Engaging Families
Family Panel Screening Card – English (Colorado ABCD Project) Proof copy of informational card promoting developmental screening. Answers three most common questions about screening. English version. December 2007 Engaging Families
A Gift for Your Child! Give Your Child the Gift of Regular Checkups. (Colorado ABCD Project) Color poster promoting developmental screening to families. English version. December 2007 Engaging Families
Referral, Evaluation, and Release Form (Colorado Early Childhood Connections) Parental release form for infants and toddlers – birth through two years of age – who may need early intervention services. December 2007 Addressing Needs
Early Intervention Referral Process for Children Birth to 36 Months (Colorado Early Childhood Connections) Flow chart for Early Intervention Referral Process showing responsibilities of health care provider’s office, Part C Early Childhood Connections, and where responsibilities overlap. December 2007 Addressing Needs
Colorado Referral Form

(Colorado Early Childhood Connections) Provider-completed form for recording status and progress of referrals.

 December 2007 Addressing Needs
An Introduction to Developmental Services for Colorado Health Care Providers (Colorado ABCD Project) 3-fold color pamphlet for physicians that promotes developmental screening. December 2007 Making the Case

Arkansas – ABCD

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Arkansas’ ABCD III project, AR LINKS (Linkages Improve Networks and Knowledge of Services), plans to build AR LINKS on current initiatives and partnerships, many created through their work in the ABCD Screening Academy. The strong partnership between Medicaid, the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, and the local AAP and AAFP chapters enabled Arkansas to implement policies and practices to improve identification of children at risk for developmental delay. This work created a strong platform on which to base the new work on linkages.  Not only are policies in place to support screening, but many providers have already begun to use screening tools, and a broad range of stakeholders recognize the importance of developmental services.   Also, the leadership group formed for the ABCD Screening Academy continued to work together after the Screening Academy ended and will work together to implement this project. 
 
Project staff has already begun planning to address issues that impede linkages including: PCPs lack knowledge about community resources, multiple conduits for referrals, ineffective referral and follow up processes at the state and community levels; lack of coordination among programs serving children with developmental problems, and lack of care coordination capacity. This grant funding and the technical assistance provided by NASHP will enable Arkansas to accelerate, enhance, and expand these efforts.
 

Title  Description  Date  Activity 
Arkansas Provider Feedback and Consent Form (AR LINKS: 2012) This is a standardized provider feedback and consent form that was developed by the Arkansas team for the ABCD III project. This form, which is both HIPAA and FERPA compliant, allows physicians to refer to and then receive feedback from providers of Early Intervention services with feedback on referrals to Early Intervention. August 2012 Testing Models and Care Coordination and Linkages to Services
AR Links Community Cafés and Protocol (AR LINKS: 2012) This is a protocol designed by the Arkansas ABCD III team to be used at Community Cafés designed to raise awareness about the project and the state’s ABCD III work. The protocol is designed to ask participants information about child health and development services, and where they receive their information. The protocol also requests information regarding ways participants believe the delivery systems providing services can be improved. August 2012 Engaging Key Stakeholders and Care Coordination and Linkages to Services
Statewide Spread Strategy for Arkansas’ ABCD Project  Arkansas ABCD Screening Academy Project. Strategies and action steps for Arkansas’ ABCD Project to promote statewide spread of innovations.  December 2008 Spreading Results 

Improving the Delivery Health Care that Supports Young Children's Healthy Mental Development: Update on Accomplishments and Lessons from a Five-State Consortium

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The five states that participated in the second Assuring Better Child Health and Development (ABCD II) Consortium were successful in improving child development services, increasing the rate of identification of children in need of developmental services, and improving the likelihood that those identified with a potential need received appropriate follow-up services. The results of the 3-year project are detailed in a new report from the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), Improving the Delivery of Health Care that Supports Young Children’s Healthy Mental Development: Update on the Accomplishments and Lessons from a Five-State Consortium.
In their projects, all five ABCD II states (California, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Utah) were able to increase the rate of screening of young children, through the use of an objective screening tool, in selected physician practices in which the states tested approaches. Most of the states also demonstrated an increase in the percentage of children referred for follow-up services, such as secondary developmental surveillance, assessment, rehabilitation, evaluation by a child psychologist, early intervention, and school services.
To achieve their goals, the states used a combination of partnerships among state agencies, clinicians, and provider organizations; education, training, and support activities; identification and modification of policy barriers in Medicaid and other state programs; identification of follow-up resources for clinicians; and using quality improvement projects to produce and sustain improvements.
The new report is a valuable tool for other states interested in improving child development services. It discusses:

    • the five states’ accomplishments and lessons in measuring screening, referral, and follow-up;
    • strategies that the states developed for supporting and facilitating improvements in the delivery of services; and
    • lessons learned in eight key areas of strengthening primary health services and systems that support the healthy mental development of young children.

The Assuring Better Child Health and Development program is sponsored by the Commonwealth Fund and administered by NASHP; the program has been ongoing since 2000. ABCD II was designed to strengthen primary health care services and systems that support the healthy mental development of young children, ages birth to three. The program focused on preventive care of children whose health care is covered by state health programs, especially Medicaid.
The goals of ABCD II were to:

    • Create models of service delivery and financing that promote high quality care supporting children’s healthy mental development, especially those with less intense needs (those who need only preventive care and those who are identified as “at risk” or in need of low-level intervention); and
    • Develop policies and programs that assure that health plans and pediatric providers have the knowledge and skills needed to furnish care in a manner that supports a young child’s healthy mental development.

 

State Policy Options to Improve Delivery of Child Development Services: Strategies from the Eight ABCD States

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Since 2000, the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) and The Commonwealth Fund have conducted two state learning consortia dedicated to improving the delivery of child development services to young children who are Medicaid beneficiaries. The work of the states involved in the Assuring Better Child Health and Development (ABCD) initiative has shown that state policies, especially Medicaid policies, can effectively promote improvements in the quality of preventive and developmental services provided to young children. This report provides a starting point for states seeking to identify and implement policy improvements to achieve two main objectives:
• improve the identification of young children with or at risk for developmental delays through promoting use of an objective, standardized screening tool; and
• improve families’ access to follow-up services, including assessment, referral, and care coordination.
The policies that govern the operation of any state program can be divided into three groups – policies that define what services the program will cover for which people (coverage), those that establish how much the program will pay for a qualified service (reimbursement), and those that establish how services will be delivered (performance). State Policy Options to Improve Delivery of Child Development Services presents specific policy improvements that emerged from efforts of the eight ABCD states that can serve as models and inspiration for states interested in improving developmental services for young children.

ABCD_state_policy_options.pdf 500.5 KB

 

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