A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Complex Care Coordination Program in a Small Setting

Children with medical complexity comprise a growing population that stresses existing models of pediatric care. This report will describe a care support project that delivered shared plans of care to providers and families of children with medical complexity. This program was built around carefully constructed care support teams where each member had clearly defined roles and responsibilities. The teams worked collaboratively to improve provider communication, create SMART (Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, and Timely) goals, and perform task tracking. This process created a scaffolding to support community physicians, allowing patients to remain in their local medical homes and to access services closer to home and reducing hospital admissions and emergency room overutilization.