July 2024 Pediatric Newsletter

“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”
— Harry S. Truman

Referrals

In order to schedule an appointment, we require the following from a referring physician:

• A SIGNED order requesting a “Modified Barium Swallow Study” or a “Swallow Function Study.” The physicians can write their own or find one on our website under the ‘Pediatrics’ tab.
• Demographic sheet with insurance information
• Their latest clinical notes to provide a thorough history
• These documents can be faxed to 888-920-1201 or emailed to info@diagnostex.us.

Research Opportunity

I am so excited to announce a research project involving NMES and Modified Barium Swallow Studies! If you are an NMES provider (VitalStim, AmpCare, Guardian Way, etc.), be on the lookout for more to come

MBSS Course

DiagnosTEX will be hosting a Live & In-Person course discussing pediatric and adult Modified Barium Swallow Studies. This is a unique opportunity to learn about each population. While it may be unconventional, I can personally say that I feel as though I have become more proficient in completing pediatric MBSS since cross-training to also complete adult studies. Plus, who doesn’t love watching extra videos of MBSS and learning something new? Registration details to follow.

Date: September 20th
Time: TBD (Just go ahead and ask off for the day )
Location: Aloft Hotel, Euless – easy access from Dallas & FW. Restaurants within walking distance

Guest Writer

Theresa Moffitt is the Marketing Director at Earth Angels Pediatric Day Center in Grand Prairie. She is the guest writer this month to provide information on Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care Centers. Reach out to her with any questions: theresa@earthangelspediatricdaycenter.com.

Earth Angels Pediatric Day Center is located on Hwy 360 just north of I-30. We provide transportation service from both Fort Worth and Dallas as well as areas north and south of, as well as including, the Arlington/Grand Prairie area. Please call us at 682-683-2450 with any questions about PPECCs in general or Earth Angels specifically.

Texas Health and Human Services began licensing and regulating Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care Centers (PPECC) on January 1, 2015, allowing Texas Medicaid to pay for PPECC services. However, with only 11 PPECCs licensed in the State, they are a limited, and relatively unknown, resource for children and adolescents with significant medical issues who are enrolled in Medicaid.

PPECCs are designed to provide skilled nursing services required for medical health in an environment similar to a typical day care. Services are available to children requiring technology based and/or skilled nursing intervention from birth until their 21st birthday. In addition to skilled nursing services and oversight, patients receive therapies such as speech, occupational, and physical therapy on site. Nutritional needs, including the use of a feeding tube, along with medication

administration can also be accommodated. PPECCs maintain a patient to direct care worker ratio of no less than 2.5 to 1. Thus, patients also benefit from social interactions with peers, as well as staff, throughout the day.

While the patient may qualify for Private Duty Nursing (PDN) service, finding consistent staffing to provide care at home is often difficult. And, it appears that legislation will soon be passed requiring an adult to be at home while the nurse is there which limits the type of activity (respite, errands, etc.) a parent can engage in while their child is receiving PDN services. A PPECC offers parents an alternative setting to meet their child’s needs.

PPECCs are required to provide transportation for patients to/from the facility. A licensed nurse is onboard and available at all times during transportation. Transportation may be provided within a 60 minute transport window. This allows for a significant service area for patients and does not add to the parent’s own personal morning or evening transportation schedule.

A physician’s order begins the process of admission to a PPECC. Once the order has been received, the PPECC will request medical records and work with the parents, physician, and staff to create a plan of care that addresses the medical, nursing, psychosocial, therapeutic, and developmental services appropriate to the child’s medical condition and developmental status.

Some common conditions of children enrolled in PPECC programs include:

• Cardiac Disease
• Metabolic & Endocrine Disorders
• Respiratory Disorders
• Orthopedic Conditions
• Gastrointestinal (Enteral Feedings)
• Post-Op Care
• Neuromuscular Disorders
• Feeding Disorders
• Oncological & Hematological Disorders
• Tracheostomy Care

In short, the PPECC model offers a physician-ordered multidisciplinary service of high skill level pediatric care in a non-hospital setting. Thus, providing parents the comfort of knowing their child is being appropriately cared for while they are at work or obtaining much needed respite from caretaking.

At this time, Medicaid is the only payor that covers PPECC services. Thus, for Medicaid recipients, there is no cost to the parent/guardian.

In-Services

Do you have a team of therapists that would like to learn more about Modified Barium Swallow Studies? I would love to prepare a presentation for your team, complete with videos, to educate them on deficits and how that applies to the therapy they are implementing each week.

Ampcare

Have you heard about Ampcare and want to become a certified user? They offer In-person certification courses, as well as a hybrid option. They have the following dates available for certification:

• Live, In Person: July 16th at 7:30am in Oklahoma City
• Hybrid & Zoom: June 23rd – 24th from 3pm-5pm. Must attend both days.

Visit swallowtherapy.com for more information!

Contribution

Do you have an interesting topic that you would like to share in a newsletter, whether it be a research article you have read or a patient you have treated? Email me if you are interested!

I, and the rest of the DiagnosTEX staff, look forward to helping you serve your patients and ensure a safe diet for ALL children.