Children with Medical Complexity: A Unique Population with Unique Needs Nancy Murphy MD, Professor and Chief, Division of Pediatric PM&R, University of Utah School of Medicine Rishi Agrawal MD, MPH, Lurie and La Rabida Children's Hospital Laurie Glader MD, Co-Director Cerebral Palsy and Spasticity Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Eric Levey MD, Medical Director, Feeding Disorders Program, Kennedy Krieger Institute
Disclosure Information BRK 19 AACPDM 70 th Annual Meeting September 20-24, 2016 Speaker Name: Nancy Murphy MD Rishi Agrawal MD, MPH Laurie Glader MD Eric Levey MD Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships We have no financial relationships to disclose. Disclosure of Off-Label and/or investigative uses: We will not discuss off label use and/or investigational use in our presentation
Objectives 1. To define children with medical complexity (CMC) and identify the unique needs of these children and their families 2. To discuss functional approaches and goal-directed care for CMC and their families 3. To understand the value of comprehensive care programs for CMC 4. To apply functional and goal-directed approaches to high-value care for CMC, using 2 illustrative cases
Children with Medical Complexity: Who are they? How are they different than children special healthcare needs? Rishi Agrawal MD
Needs Chronic Condition(s) - Substantial family-identified service needs - Significant impact on family (e.g. financial burden) -Diagnosed (E.g. CCCs) OR unknown, but suspected - Severe and/or associated with medical fragility Functional Limitations Health Care Use -Severe -Often associated with technology dependence Cohen, Kuo, et al (2011) Pediatrics 127(3): 529-38 - High Resource Utilization - Necessitating involvement of multiple service providers
Identifying Children with Medical Complexity What is the purpose? Clinical Program assignment Service allocation Research Policy Initiatives 2 categories of methods: Patient Level (Bottom-Up) Administrative Data (Top Down)
Patient Level Identification Advantages More detail available Can consider psychosocial factors Disadvantages: Time Consuming Expensive 2 main methods Program specific tools National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs
Program Specific Tools Locally developed tools Complex Care Program eligibility Service eligibility (i.e. home care) Typically not validated Kuhlthau 2013 review of program common factors: Condition, technology, hospitalization, family needs, social needs, specialists
Administrative Data CCC CRG NI TA PMCA
What are the unique medical, functional and social needs of CMC and their families? Eric Levey MD
Common Medical Problems Technology dependence Tracheostomy/ventilator Gastrostomy/enteral tube feeds Other: CSF shunts, intrathecal baclofen (ITB) pumps, vagus nerve stimulators (VNS), colostomy and other ostomies Complex respiratory care: CPAP/Bi-PAP, airway clearance Severe neurologic disability Other Congenital heart disease Chronic kidney disease Genetic disorders and syndromes
Medically Fragile (Frailty) Risk of acute decompensation due to illness or underlying condition Risk of developing associated and secondary problems due to underlying condition Risk of frequent and prolonged hospitalizations
Burden on Families Time Direct care of child with medical complexity Multiple appointments/provider visits Time devoted to care coordination Financial strain Co-insurance, co-pays, out-of-pocket expenses Transportation Time off from work/other compensation Mental health (stress, anxiety, depression) Related to caregiving Anxiety related to risk of acute decompensation Financial-related Impact on relationships Parent-parent Parent-sibling(s)
Common Service Needs of CMC Multiple medical specialists Rehabilitative or habilitative therapies Specialized therapies Special education & home teaching Private-duty nursing Home medical supplies and equipment Specialized child care/day care Respite care Palliative care Care coordination
Need for Care Coordination Between providers Multiple specialists Home care Across settings School, home, community During times of transition Hospital to home Adolescent transition With onset of new problem(s)
Need for the Ultimate Medical Home
Shared-decision making and goal-directed care for care with CMC and their families Laurie Glader, MD
Given the complex nature of caring for CMC, how can we provide efficient and meaningful care?
Variability in models of care delivery for CMC Medical Home Tertiary care based programs Condition specific Comprehensive complex care Common themes Identification of the range of needs Team communication Delegation of responsibility
Whatever we do, it must be meaningful: family centered care Shared decision making results in alignment of care provided and care desired by patient and family Associated with Improved QOL Reduction of non-beneficial care Positive family outcomes Cost reduction
Discussing goals of care: best practices Share prognostic information How do you see your child s condition? How do you handle information? Understand fears Are there symptoms that concern you? Are you worried that your child is suffering? Understand goals What do you hope for? Optimize health? Time at home? Comfort? Elicit decision-making preferences How do you make decisions? Who is involved? Explore sources of support and strength Social world Faith and spirituality Concrete resources. Bernaki RE, Block SD. Communication about serious illness care goals: a review and synthesis of best practices. JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Dec; 174(12):1994-2003 Acknowledgment: Pediatric Advanced Care Team, Boston Children s Hospital
Mapping priorities
International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) http://www.who.int/classifications/icf/en/
Integrating the ICF into a complex care approach Prior discussion at AACPDM and Complex Care SIG Categorical considerations Health condition and associated medical concerns Functional status Participation Environmental factors that impact health, function and participation Technology Family systems Team management Specific personal factors (transition, access to health care insurance, etc.)
Management and decision-making Identify the range of issues across categories Determine priorities Delegate responsibility Maintain documentation system Repeat!
Value-Driven Care Good care doesn t have to be expensive. Nancy Murphy, MD
US Healthcare and CMC CMC account for less than 1% of all US children, but also for more than 30% of all pediatric healthcare costs; 5% of CMC account for 50% of total costs (Berry 2014) CMC account for 47% of Medicaid s spending on all pediatric hospital care, and for 71% of the 30-day unplanned readmissions Hospitalizations for CMC increased by 32% (2004-09) (Berry 2013) Despite high expenditures, families of CMC report low satisfaction with health care (Kuo et al, 2015) Fee-for-service models of payment do not offer value
Value = Outcome per Cost Cost = direct medical costs + direct nonmedical costs (out of pocket expenses, travel to hospital) + indirect costs (lost productivity) How do we measure Outcome? 70% of CMC families report financial hardship and 50% report social hardship (Thompson et al, J Peds 2016); Is hardship a cost driver? Post-acute care is underutilized (Berry et al, JAMA Peds 2016) CMC experience widely different patterns of utilization Complexity = high risk for error (low value)
Value of Comprehensive Care for CMC Consultative, tertiary care hospital based program saw $10.7M reductions in charges (Gordon 2007) Primary comprehensive care model reduced Medicaid costs by $6,250/child/year (Mosquera 2014) 586 CMC over 7 years in consultative, tertiary care hospital based program saw cost reductions of $116M (Murphy)
Solutions Understand that CMC need high value health care, responsive to longitudinal needs Recognize the unique needs of CMC and their families Implement intensive inpatient and outpatient comprehensive care in team-based models of goal directed care Promote safety, rapid access to appropriate care, and continuity across acute inpatient, post-acute and outpatient settings Palliative care, post-acute care, telehealth, and strong parent-provider partnerships support value driven systems Design, implement and measure outcomes for models of care
Case 1: 5 yo boy with quadriplegic CP (Glader, Agrawal) Ambulates with maximal assistance in gait trainer over level surfaces Emerging hip dysplasia Eats well but growth is slowing down Single mom believes that he will outgrow his slow development and be normal Sleep is poor Not enrolled in school (just needs more time until he is ready)
Discussion Functional approaches to care Propose a discussion with family on goals of care Anticipated outcomes (value): will more care yield more outcomes? Ethical considerations
Case 2: 17yo female with leukodystrophy (Levey, Murphy) Functional dependencies in all domains Declining respiratory function with recurrent pneumonias and impaired airway clearance 78% ideal body weight despite maximally tolerated enteral feedings Neuromuscular scoliosis with chronic pain Parents request all available interventions
Discussion Functional approaches to care Propose a discussion with family on goals of care Anticipated outcomes (value): will more care yield more outcomes? Ethical considerations
Final Points CMC have complex functional, medical and psychosocial needs Goal-directed care brings highest outcome per cost (value) Comprehensive care programs offer opportunities to provide highvalue care for CMC but are not sustainable in a fee-for-service system; prospective payment approaches best support care for CMC