Skip Navigation

Strengthen the Evidence for Maternal and Child Health Programs

Sign up for MCHalert eNewsletter

Evidence Tools
MCHbest. Medical Home: Care Coordination.

MCHbest Logo

Strategy. Health Information Technology

Approach. Utilize health information technology to enhance care coordination for children.

Return to main MCHbest page >>

Overview. Technology has many advantages to support and enhance the use of care coordination services.[1] Examples of this include effective early identification of children with special healthcare needs. (CSHCN).[1] A virtual wraparound care program called "vKids" provides comprehensive care coordination and includes virtual visits for children with medical complexity and their families.[2] Technology can also be leveraged to create Mobile Complex Care Plans. (MCCP).[3] Parents who utilized MCCP report improved their understanding of their child's overall medical situation.[3] Finally, telehealth-based care coordination programs can reduce healthcare utilization and associated costs for children with complex chronic conditions.[4]

Evidence. Moderate Evidence. Strategies based on moderate evidence show a clear trend toward positive results. While these approaches are likely to be effective, further research is needed to confirm their impact. Implement with evaluation to better understand specific local effects.

Access the peer-reviewed evidence through the MCH Digital Library or related evidence source.

Potential Data Sources. Data to support this strategy can be accessed through:

  • Patient portal engagement metrics
  • Patient satisfaction data
  • Provider satisfaction data

Outcome Components. This strategy has shown to have impact on the following outcomes (Read more about these categories):

  • Patient Experience of Care. This study improves individuals' perceptions, feelings, and satisfaction with the healthcare services they receive.
  • Access to/Receipt of Care. This strategy increases the ability for individuals to obtain healthcare services when needed, including preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services.
  • Utilization. This strategy improves the extent to which individuals and communities use available healthcare services.

Detailed Outcomes. For specific outcomes related to each study supporting this strategy, access the peer-reviewed evidence and read the Intervention Results for each study.

Intervention Type. Direct Care (Read more about intervention types and levels as defined by the Public Health Intervention Wheel).

Intervention Level. Individual/Family-Focused

Examples from the Field. There are currently no ESMs that use this strategy. Search similar intervention components in the ESM database.

Sample ESMs. Here are sample ESMs to use as models for your own measures using the RBA framework (see The Role of Title V in Adapting Strategies).

Quadrant 1:
Measuring Quantity of Effort (“What/how much did we do?”)

  • Number of organizations partnered with Title V adopting health information technology (HIT) systems to support pediatric care coordination. (Measures uptake of HIT for coordination)
  • Number of children with complex health needs whose care is coordinated using HIT platforms. (Assesses reach of HIT-enabled coordination)

Quadrant 2:
Measuring Quality of Effort (“How well did we do it?”)

  • Percent of care coordination process fully integrated with HIT systems. (Measures degree of HIT integration)
  • Percent of care team members actively using HIT to collaborate in care coordination. (Assesses team adoption of HIT)

Quadrant 3:
Measuring Quantity of Effect (“Is anyone better off?”)

  • Number of families reporting high satisfaction with HIT-enabled care coordination. (Measures family experience)
  • Number of training programs developed to build workforce capacity in HIT-enabled coordination that leads to an increased in knowledge and/or skill. (Assesses workforce development)
  • Number of best practices disseminated on effective use of HIT for pediatric care coordination. (Measures knowledge translation)
  • Number of cross-sector partnerships formed to build robust HIT ecosystems for care coordination. (Shows multi-sector collaboration)

Quadrant 4:
Measuring Quality of Effect (“How are they better off?”)

  • Percent of families reporting high satisfaction with HIT-enabled care coordination. (Measures family experience)
  • Percent of training programs developed to build workforce capacity in HIT-enabled coordination that leads to an increased in knowledge and/or skill. (Assesses workforce development)
  • Number of best practices disseminated on effective use of HIT for pediatric care coordination. (Measures knowledge translation)
  • Number of cross-sector partnerships formed to build robust HIT ecosystems for care coordination. (Shows multi-sector collaboration)

Note. When looking at your ESMs, SPMs, or other strategies:

  1. Move from measuring quantity to quality.
  2. Move from measuring effort to effect.
  3. Quadrant 1 strategies should be used sparingly, when no other data exists.
  4. The most effective measurement combines strategies in all levels, with most in Quadrants 2 and 4.

Learn More. Read how to create stronger ESMs and how to measure ESM impact more meaningfully through Results-Based Accountability.

References

[1] Petitgout, J. M., Werner, J. L., & Stewart, S. (2021). Pediatric Complexity Tool Best Practice Alert: Early Identification of Care Coordination for Children with Special Health Care Needs. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 35(5), 485–490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2021.04.010

[2] Curfman, A., Haycraft, M., McSwain, S. D., Dooley, M., & Simpson, K. N. (2023). Implementation and Evaluation of a Wraparound Virtual Care Program for Children with Medical Complexity. Telemedicine Journal and E-health, 29(6), 947–953. https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2022.0344

[3] Ming, D., Jackson, G. L., Sperling, J., Gray, M., Roth, N. W., Spears, T., Parente, V., & Bosworth, H. B. (2018). Mobile Complex Care plans to enhance parental engagement for children with medical complexity. Clinical Pediatrics, 58(1), 34–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922818805241

[4] Braun L, Steurer M, Henry D. Healthcare Utilization of Complex Chronically Ill Children Managed by a Telehealth-Based Team. Front Pediatr. 2021 Jun 16;9:689572. doi: 10.3389/fped.2021.689572. PMID: 34222153; PMCID: PMC8242159.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U02MC31613, MCH Advanced Education Policy, $3.5 M. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.