News

Bozeman Health Pediatrics was selected as one of five groups nationally—and the only one in Montana

Bozeman, MT [February 12, 2018] – Bozeman Health Pediatrics had the distinct honor to welcome experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), to their clinic last week.

In June 2017, Bozeman Health Pediatrics was selected as one of twenty pediatric groups nationally—and the only one in Montana—to participate in the I-SCRN (Improving Screenings, Connections with Families, and Referral Networks) quality improvement project. The goals of the project are to increase screenings and referral networks for families of children with developmental delays, autism, maternal postpartum depression, social determinants of health, and adverse childhood experiences. The Bozeman Health Pediatrics team has implemented small tests of change which has improved upon the great care delivered to their patients.

Bozeman Health Pediatrics was one of five groups to be selected for a site visit as a part of the project. Two experts from AAP were onsite learning about the clinic and the Bozeman Health organization, in addition to seeing the effects of the changes that have been made, and giving suggestions for further improvement. The experts also delivered a clinic-wide learning session on Helping Families Build Protective Factors.

"We acknowledge that rural communities have particular challenges with identifying and connecting families to resources that support health and development, and we understand that some of Bozeman Health's patients come from far distances to receive care. The AAP's hope is that Bozeman Health Pediatrics participation in the learning collaborative and welcoming us for an onsite visit provides us with lessons learned about screening process implementation in a rural community that can be translated to other pediatric care practices across the country. As Project I-SCRN reaches its halfway point, we have also been particularly impressed by the practice's engagement in the project and the changes that they've made thus far. From our visit, we've seen that the core of their success is a cohesive team that shares a strong commitment to improving the health of their patients."

—Kori Flower, MD, MS, MPH, FAAP, Quality Improvement Advisor, Senior Improvement Advisor, Population Health Improvement Partners
—Britt Nagy, MPH, Program Manager, Screening in Practices Initiative, American Academy of Pediatrics

"We strive to provide the best possible care for our patients and community members. Being selected to participate in this quality improvement project was and still is a great honor. It's nice to be acknowledged for our efforts to be the best we can for our patients," stated Bozeman Health Pediatrics pediatrician Pepper Henyon, MD.

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Photo caption:

Bozeman Health Pediatrics I-SCRN core team members and AAP experts.
Pictured left to right: Dr. Pepper Henyon; Kayla Alley, RN; Shannon Fors, RN; Sarehl Lomme, LCPC; Kodi Whisenhunt, parent partner; AAP's Dr. Tori Flower and Britt Kagy. Photo by Tyler Duke.