Rady Children’s Hospital receives federal grant
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – Rady Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Orange County will share a $17.7 million federal grant to improve care in Southern California for health problems like asthma, the medical organizations announced Thursday.
The money from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will be used to engage around 1,450 primary care physicians and specialists to enhance the quality of care and lower costs of providing care.
The Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative will also focus on acne, bronchitis, community-acquired pneumonia, headaches and acute gastroenteritis. Those conditions often lead to unnecessary emergency department visits, hospitalizations, testing and specialist referrals, according to the hospitals.
"Supporting doctors and other health care professionals change the way they work is critical to improving quality and spending our health care dollars more wisely,” said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell.
"These awards will give patients more of the information they need to make informed decisions about their care and give clinicians access to information and support to improve care coordination and quality outcomes.”
Rady Children’s and CHOC officials said they will provide evidence-based clinical care plans, culturally sensitive care plans, strategies for improving access to care, as well as additional support, training and technical assistance to providers in San Diego and Orange counties.
CHOC and Rady Children’s have been collaborating on ways to improve health care for youth for about two years. They’re among 39 grant awardees around the country.
