The Gillette Children’s Cerebral Palsy Institute is dedicated to helping provide the most promising future possible for individuals who have cerebral palsy (CP). Gillette looked toward Marcie Ward, MD, pediatric rehabilitation medicine physician, and Meghan Munger, PhD, director of Outcomes at Gillette, to help guide the multidisciplinary Care Delivery team at the Institute.
The Care Delivery group ensures that every part of CP care at Gillette is continuously changing for the better and adopting the clinical best practices that the rest of the Cerebral Palsy Institute teams have researched and validated. “Leading this team allows me to bridge the gap between clinical practice and the work of the Knowledge Translation and Research teams that are seeking to provide even better care options for Gillette patients,” Dr. Ward says.
Patient Navigation Pilot Breaks New Ground
One such care option that builds on Gillette’s collaborative CP care model is the Patient Navigation pilot. “For families in the pilot program, our teams proactively organize and manage the extensive care needs and appointments so that families can participate in streamlined care — that means fewer trips to the clinic with more accomplished at each visit,” Dr. Ward says.
“Although there is research evidence to support care management and care coordination, we must study how well it works, and under which circumstances it works best, at Gillette,” according to Dr. Munger.
In the coming year, the Care Delivery team will be able to see preliminary results for the Patient Navigation pilot program. From there, the team will share evidence-based practice guidelines that can impact families beyond Gillette walls, even teaching other health systems and creating change at the policy and insurer level.
Looking to the Future
Both Dr. Munger and Dr. Ward see great promise in the work they’re accomplishing at the Institute. “I view Gillette as a learning health system in its infancy, where research is more rapidly integrated into practice,” Dr. Munger says. “We’re well on our way toward systematically gathering our own evidence that informs a sustainable, family-centered care model with measurable, positive impact on patients and families that choose our care.”
“The overarching hope is that all patients with cerebral palsy will receive well-coordinated, streamlined care in a timely fashion to maximize their development, function, and ability,” Dr. Ward says. “On a personal level, my dream is that the Cerebral Palsy Institute will allow all our patients to participate in sports and recreational programs to maximize their overall participation in life."
