​The Beacon Program and Clinic at Children's Mercy Kansas City provides a pediatric medical home approach to care for children with medical complexity. The program streamlines health care for families and patients through a team-based, accessible, comprehensive, and coordinated approach.
​Implementation Insights:
  • Create written policies for each new successful procedure implemented in practice.
  • Host sibling support group events for families and caregivers to encourage peer support and relationship building.
  • Develop plans of care in partnership with families and the health care team.

    Updated: June 2016
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 Background Information
  • ​Type of Practice: Academic Institution, Pediatric Medicine
  • Location: Kansas City, Missouri
  • Population Served: The Beacon Program and Clinic serves approximately 200 families of children with medical complexity and their siblings.

 Pediatric Medical Home Implementation Strategies
  • Utilize quality improvement methodology to foster transformation into a pediatric medical home model of care.
  • Convene weekly meetings to review progress on measures and discuss successes and challenges.
  • Create written guidelines every time a new process is developed.
  • Facilitate 24 hour a day, seven day a week access to a primary care provider via telephone.
  • Allow families and patients to schedule same day appointments.
  • Implement a team-based approach to care by including the following professionals on the health care team:
      • APRN Case Managers
      • Clinical Service Coordinators
      • Primary care providers
      • Registered Dietitians
      • Social workers
  • Create a "Pediatric Emergency Form" which patients and families can present at the Emergency Department. The form includes basic information about the patient, family, and contact information for the primary care team.
  • Hold an annual 2-hour "Health and Service Evaluation" meeting for each patient seen by the program. This meeting involves the entire health care team and results in the creation of a comprehensive care plan for the patient and family.
  • Provide the availability of language interpreters at every visit with the patient and family (in-person and via telephone).
  • Host "sibling support group" events with families and caregivers to allow opportunities for families to meet each other and provide peer support.
  • Provide health care services to siblings of children and youth with complex medical conditions to enhance family-centeredness of the clinic.
  • Develop a telehealth appointment process that allows for same-day acute care visits in the patient/family home.
  • Establish a family advisory board to allow for family and caregiver feedback on clinic procedures and policies.

 Challenges
  • Many changes were implemented in the clinic in a short time frame, causing staff burnout. To address this challenge, the team held weekly meetings to discuss barriers to change, successes, and review quality improvement measures. A strong motivator for continued change and project implementation was discussing the postive impact of the work on patients and families.

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