NEWS June 14, 2018
New Pediatric Health Network Launches: Physician-Led, Professionally Managed
Summary
More than a year of planning, development and market analysis by Children’s National Hospital and community-based clinicians has resulted in the launch of the Pediatric Health Network.
A clinically integrated network (CIN) that serves children and the medical providers who care for them has been created for the Washington, D.C. region. More than a year of planning, development and market analysis by Children’s National Hospital and community-based clinicians has resulted in the launch of the Pediatric Health Network.
The new Pediatric Health Network aims to enable community providers to deliver higher quality and more efficient care at a lower cost. Led by community pediatricians and a full-time executive director, the network will improve pediatric health outcomes by strengthening connections between primary care and specialty care experts, with the goal of providing optimal care for the region’s children. By working through a formal network, data will be analyzed and best practices shared to continually enhance the quality, cost and efficiency of patient care.
Modeled after successful pediatric CINs in other parts of the country, the Washington, D.C. region’s Pediatric Health Network was unveiled this week at the Children’s National Health Network’s annual Future of Pediatrics Continuing Medical Education (CME) program. Terry Lindquist, who played an instrumental role in establishing the Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center Health Network in 2013, will lead the Pediatric Health Network as its first executive director.
“Children may be 20 percent of our population but they are 100 percent of our future,” says Kurt Newman, M.D., president and CEO of Children’s National. “We’ve created this pediatric CIN to establish critical infrastructure, data sharing and best practices to better support care to our area’s children right in their own communities.”
“I’m thrilled to combine my CIN leadership experience with the groundwork laid by the Children’s National physician working groups to foster greater collaboration in the greater D.C. region,” Terry Lindquist comments. “The level of advanced pediatric care that already exists in the nation’s capital, coupled with expert specialty care and strong institutional support from Children’s National, creates a unique opportunity to produce a more coordinated and collaborative model of care for the many families whose children could benefit from our pediatric focus and expertise.”
The Future of Pediatrics CME Program takes place every June and is a popular forum for area providers to gain knowledge and strengthen relationships with industry peers. The Pediatric Health Network will build on the established programs and professional relationships that Children’s National has offered community pediatricians through this and other community engagement forums.
About Children’s National Hospital
Children’s National Hospital, based in Washington, D.C., has served the nation’s children since 1870. Children’s National is one of the nation’s Top 5 pediatric hospitals and, for a second straight year, is ranked No. 1 in newborn care, as well as ranked in all specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. It has been designated two times as a Magnet® hospital, a designation given to hospitals that demonstrate the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers in the D.C. Metropolitan area, including the Maryland suburbs and Northern Virginia. Home to the Children’s Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children’s National is the seventh-highest NIH-funded pediatric institution in the nation. Children’s National is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels.
