Cyber Week is here! Unleash savings from Nov. 20-29. Use code CYBER23 at checkout for 20% off your order. Hurry, exclusions apply! Don’t miss out on the biggest deals of the year!

Pediatric Physician Advisors – A Commonly Missed Key to Healthy Hospital Operations

Pediatric Physician Advisors – A Commonly Missed Key to Healthy Hospital Operations

Just as the role of physician advisors has come to the forefront of the healthcare world over the last decade and a half, so too has the subset of pediatric physician advisors in recent years.

Their expanding ranks and critical developments nationwide affecting hospital pediatric units and availability of pediatric services now makes discussion about the importance and future of the role unavoidable.

Pediatric services have never been considered financially impactful. Without routine, profitable, diagnostic and preventative procedures like colonoscopies and cardiac catheterizations, as in the adult population, and the harsh truth that Medicaid and managed Medicaid plans notoriously pay pennies on the dollar for reimbursement of services, the overarching understanding has been that pediatric cost of care will essentially break even for health systems. However, as hospitals close their pediatric units and cut back on their outpatient services, it’s clear that getting paid less than expected for services provided is even worse than being paid what’s expected. 

While pediatric medicine is advancing year over year, our nation’s hospitals’ capability to provide this level of care is dwindling due to insufficient payment.

There is no side-by-side comparison with adult counterparts, when it comes to many aspects of patient care. From clinical presentation and clinical trials to treatment modalities and Food and Drug Administration- (FDA)-approved pharmaceuticals, there often are stark differences – or even a true lack of comparative data. One impactful example is the content of common clinical guideline criteria used by case/utilization managers and payers for statusing patients. While they may have pediatric-specific criteria, there often is nothing that even mentions major treatment pathways usually only seen in pediatrics. 

Additionally, it is very common for payer medical directors to misidentify the major factors of a case and try to fit complicated diagnoses into simplistic conditions. Hospitals that have pediatric departments need physician advisors with pediatric expertise. The issue is not simply having internal staff who can appropriately identify patients meeting criteria for inpatient status, but also having staff with the ability to explain the reasoning to a payer medical director who lacks this expertise. 

Top-hitting diagnoses in hospital pediatrics are not really all that different from the adult world, including sepsis, acute respiratory failure, and malnutrition. However, pediatric training and experience are required to ensure the subtleties of identification, stabilization, and treatment, as completely illustrated in the documentation, captured by the coders, and appreciated by the payers.

One of the key roles physician advisors play is to maintain the financial health of hospitals so they can maintain the physical health of the communities they serve. It’s high time health systems recognize the pediatric patients of these communities and the critical needs they require to grow up and develop into the educators, artists, change-makers, and even medical professionals we’ll all rely on and be inspired by for generations to come.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Print

Juliet Ugarte Hopkins, MD

Juliet B. Ugarte Hopkins, MD is Immediate Past President of the American College of Physician Advisors, Physician Advisor for Payor Peer-to-Peer Services for R1 RCM, Inc, and a member of the consulting teams for Phoenix Medical Management, Inc., Enjoin, CSI Companies, and Pediatric Resource Group via Velvet Hammer Physician Advising LLC. Dr. Ugarte Hopkins practiced as a pediatric hospitalist for a decade and then developed the physician advisor role for case management, utilization, and clinical documentation at a three-hospital health system where she worked for nearly another decade. She is a member of the RACmonitor editorial board, author, and national speaker.

Related Stories

MINOCA and INOCA: Twin Aspects of a Cardio Conundrum

MINOCA and INOCA: Twin Aspects of a Cardio Conundrum

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently reported MINOCA (myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries) and INOCA (ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries) as non-conventional presentations

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Read More

Leave a Reply

Please log in to your account to comment on this article.

Featured Webcasts

Revolutionize Case Management and Revenue Cycle Team Collaboration to Improve Patient and Financial Outcomes

Revolutionize Case Management and Revenue Cycle Team Collaboration to Improve Patient and Financial Outcomes

Unlock the keys to bridging the clinical-finance disconnect by transforming your approach to revenue cycle collaboration for superior patient care and financial prosperity!

Join Dr. Ronald Hirsch as he delves into the pivotal connection between case management, utilization review, and hospital revenue cycles, unveiling strategies to enhance communication and align goals effectively. Discover how to overcome hidden challenges hindering seamless collaboration and gain insights imperative for success

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
December 7, 2023
Mastering the Two-Midnight Rule: Keys to Navigating Short-Stay Admissions with Confidence

Mastering the Two-Midnight Rule: Keys to Navigating Short-Stay Admissions with Confidence

The CMS Two-Midnight Rule and short-stay audits are here to stay, impacting inpatient and outpatient admissions, ASC procedures, and Medicare Parts C & D. New for 2024, the Two-Midnight Rule applies to Medicare Advantage patients, requiring differentiation between Medicare plans affecting Case Managers, Utilization Review, and operational processes and knowledge of a vital distinction between these patients that influences post-discharge medical reviews and compliance risk. Join Michael G. Calahan for a comprehensive webcast covering federal laws for all admission processes. Gain the knowledge needed to navigate audits effectively and optimize patient access points, personnel, and compliance strategies. Learn Two-Midnight Rule essentials, Medicare Advantage implications, and compliance best practices. Discover operational insights for short-stay admissions, outpatient observation, and the ever-changing Inpatient-Only Listing.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
September 19, 2023
Unlocking Clinical Documentation Excellence: Empowering CDISs & Coders

Unlocking Clinical Documentation Excellence: How to Engage the Provider

Uncover effective techniques to foster provider understanding of CDI, empower CDISs and coders to customize their queries for enhanced effectiveness, and learn to engage adult learners, leveraging their experiences for superior learning outcomes. Elevate your CDI expertise, leading to fewer coding errors, reduced claim denials, and minimized audit issues.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
December 14, 2023
Coding for Spinal Procedures: A 2-Part Webcast Series

Coding for Spinal Procedures: A 2-Part Webcast Series

This exclusive ICD10monitor webcast series will help you acquire the critical knowledge you need to completely and accurately assign ICD-10-PCS and CPT® codes for spinal fusion and other common spinal procedures.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
October 26, 2023
Inpatient Spinal Fusions: Mastering Anatomy, Coding and Documentation

Inpatient Spinal Fusions: Mastering Anatomy, Coding and Documentation

During this exclusive ICD10monitor webcast, inpatient coders will gain a profound understanding of prevalent spinal procedures. They’ll delve into the intricate anatomy, grasp the purpose and method behind these procedures, uncover essential elements within physician documentation, and receive expert guidance, step by step, on constructing accurate ICD-10-PCS codes. It’s the key to enhancing their expertise and ensuring coding precision.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
October 26, 2023

Trending News