Improving Medical Homes and Transition Outcomes for Youth Served in IMD Clinics

Project Lead: Dr. Laura Pickler

Project Summary

Transition from a pediatric based medical model to an adult medical model is important for all youth. Youth with Special Health Care Needs have especially critical transitions that could impact their health significantly. Transition should be viewed as more than simply a transfer of care to an adult provider, but as a process that promotes independence and confidence. Young adults with IMD are a vulnerable population with unique needs during the transition process. This project – Improving Medical Homes and Transition Outcomes for Youth Served in IMD Clinics – seeks to implement Medical Home standards within a specialty clinic that serves youth with IMD. By providing a clinical setting that strives to be part of a young adult’s Medical Home team our hypothesis is that transition outcomes will improve for this patient population. To this end, this part of the project is focused on documentation of a transition model that will be standardized. Future efforts will involve testing the model and measuring outcomes for youth with IMD.