Doctor’s Note: November Newsletter Introduction from Dr. Claire Boogaard

Dear Pediatric Health Network,

Happy November!  It was great seeing so many of you at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference last month. The presentations and speakers were thought-provoking and energizing, and reconnecting with colleagues and friends was terrific!  As you all know, this year was particularly special, as PHN’s own Dr. Sandy Chung represented our pediatricians as this year’s President.  Although her role doesn’t end until December, she’s already made a lasting impact on the Academy and pediatric health care delivery and we are grateful for all of her expertise and advocacy.  Congratulations and thank you, Sandy!  We are so proud to have you represent us (and we hope you have a much-deserved vacation planned for when you pass the torch come the New Year).

The conference also highlighted themes that we have been working hard to address as a network: improving access to preventive care and incorporating new strategies on screening and immunization into practice; integrating specialists into primary care settings to improve patient outcomes and control costs; ensuring equitable care delivery in low access environments; and, of course, mental health. Many pediatric practices and networks are struggling with the same things we are (i.e. vaccine shortages, race/ethnicity data validation) and in many ways, our network is ahead of others in piloting solutions. For instance, the Nirsevimab toolkit that our Quality and Services teams put together (and continuously update) answers many of the common questions around the new RSV vaccine. Also, the PHN IT and Quality teams are validating our race and ethnicity data and creating a toolkit for practices to improve data collection in 2024.

This work will never be done, but our network’s strong foundation and commitment to continuous improvement allow us to leverage our collective expertise for the betterment of our patients and practices.  I hope to see many of you at the upcoming Business of Pediatrics meeting this December 14, where we can meet again to focus on these topics (and more) and share best practices.

Sincerely,
Claire Boogaard, M.D., MPH
Medical Director, Pediatric Health Network