Can one tool make your practice more efficient? It certainly can when it works together with the tools and workflows that help your practice run at its best. PCC is excited to announce the integration of CHADIS questionnaires into their pediatric EHR, to make screening children easier, but there are plenty more benefits to this exciting integration. Learn more about the benefits of CHADIS, what employing accessible screening tools mean for your practice, and get an in-depth look at PCC users’ frequently asked questions.
In April of 2021, PCC met with CHADIS to co-host a webinar detailing their new partnership and how integration would welcome new accessibility and ease for pediatricians. Check out the webinar below and read on to learn more.
Why Pediatric Screenings Matter
Screenings give physicians the opportunity to engage patients in their healthcare. “We really want to involve patients and their care teams in the information-gathering process,” said Sharissa Epps of CHADIS, in the webinar she co-hosted with PCC. “We provide those questionnaire results directly to clinical teams -- and not just the results as a pass/fail grade, but also decision support, so suggestions on next steps and treatment resources to enhance patient care.”
CHADIS, a product of Total Child Health Inc., is a web-based questionnaire and tools system designed to create patient data for exchange between physicians, parents, patients, and educators. Patients can offer health and wellness insights in the online questionnaires for dozens of concerns from mental health to asthma to behavioral health, and pediatricians can view score results and recommendations for next steps instantly, making questionnaires a simple addition to practice workflows and leading directly to more excellent clinical care.
Epps pointed out that CHADIS’s online capabilities mean that patients can access questionnaires on any internet-capable device, and that the results and interpretations of any CHADIS screening test are instantly available to the physicians on the patient’s healthcare team. Online screenings eliminate the need for paper screenings, making screens easy to track over time in the patient’s record, reducing operations time in printing and mailing screens, and allowing for greater flexibility. Parents, teachers, and patients can complete screenings at home, at school, or in the office, offering convenience and easing stress for busy families.
CHADIS in Your Pediatric EHR
Choosing to integrate PCC with CHADIS brings two powerful tools together: CHADIS’s vast array of questionnaires, training, quality improvement reports, and patient coordination, and PCC’s patient portal, My Kid’s Chart. While many practices use CHADIS as a separate tool from their EHR, CHADIS’s integration with PCC combines the two powerful tools and offers added convenience, flexibility, and a simpler screening process to get kids the care they need with reduced workflow times.
After integration with PCC, CHADIS notifications are sent through the patient portal automatically by visit type. Parents, patients, school nurses, and educators can complete their questionnaires online via any device from home, at school, or at the pediatrician’s. The questionnaire then arrives instantly in the provider’s CHADIS account for the pediatrician to access, review results, and with the assistance of decision support from CHADIS, determine a care plan if appropriate.
Since the patient portal, EHR, and CHADIS work together, practices no longer need to handle operations tasks like reminders and printing screens to paper. The process also encourages families to use the patient portal to communicate about and manage their visits.
Families also benefit from CHADIS. Patients or caregivers may use the added time and peace of mind to complete screenings thoughtfully and can complete additional questionnaires if they choose. These screenings help pediatricians identify health concerns and streamline visits to focus on high-level concerns families care about, without the stress of needing to complete paper screenings at the time of the visit.
Screening Tools in Primary Care: Your FAQ
During the webinar, attendees had many excellent questions about the integration of CHADIS and PCC. Pediatricians wanted to know the nuts and bolts: how CHADIS would work with their existing form workflows, how much CHADIS costs, and how much they could expect to be paid. They also wanted to know if the service was a good fit for their patients -- from teens with privacy needs to families whose first language isn’t English.
Since each practice operates a little differently, each practice who integrates CHADIS with PCC will have a team assisting them in the specific details of workflows, configuration, and support. We selected questions from the topics common to most pediatric practices to share with you. Check out the answers to some of these questions below.
Q: If my practice already has visit types associated with screenings, can auto-assignments easily be integrated with CHADIS?
A: Yes -- during the integration, you’ll work with PCC and CHADIS to configure your visit types in the EHR and CHADIS to correspond to the questionnaires you prefer.
Q: Can questionnaires be sent to teachers?
A: Yes. Invitations to complete questionnaires can be completed by an educator, parents, or eligible patient.
Q: Can I create custom questionnaires in CHADIS?
A: You can request custom questionnaires from CHADIS.
Q: If questionnaires have been sent to a patient but the appointment is rescheduled, will the questionnaires be sent again?
A: Questionnaires will not be sent again after a reschedule.
Q: How can adolescents access screenings privately and securely?
A: Eligible adolescent patients should have their own account on the patient portal, with a relationship of “self” (rather than “parent”). Screenings are visible and assigned by age, so the patient will receive the appropriate screenings to complete while their parents will receive appropriate parent screenings, if there are any.
Neither parent nor patient will see questionnaire scores. Patient screenings will also notify them that their answers are confidential and only accessible by themselves and their provider.
Q: How can questionnaires be completed in the office?
A: You could provide a tablet for families to complete questionnaires in the practice if needed.
Q: Is CHADIS available in Spanish?
A: All questionnaires are available in Spanish and French. Some are available in Chinese, and you may request screenings in different languages from CHADIS.
Q: How can I assist families whose native language isn’t English or who have trouble completing online questionnaires use CHADIS?
A: The CHADIS Waiting Room feature allows you to assist families in the practice.
Q: Can a provider complete CHADIS questionnaires with a family over the phone prior to the visit?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Are CHADIS questionnaires reimbursed reliably?
A: As always, this depends on your state and payor. Generally, reimbursement is reliable and is always reimbursed by Medicaid.
Q: How long will it take to integrate CHADIS with PCC EHR?
A: Our estimated time frame is about 8 weeks to complete set up and training. We will work to get you set up as quickly as possible!
Q: Is CHADIS pricing different for part-time providers and full-time providers?
A: CHADIS provides a flat rate per provider. Please contact CHADIS for questions about situations such as a part-time provider or locum physician -- they would be happy to work with your practice.
Online capability from tools like CHADIS makes screenings easier to send, complete, and review, and with this ease comes simpler workflows and the opportunity for better care. With many families eager to access tools and information online, integrating web-based questionnaires is a simple but powerful solution for any pediatric practice.
PCC is excited to offer pediatricians another valuable way to improve clinical measures and engage with patients. Want to know how a practice can get started with PCC and CHADIS? Check out the webinar to learn more.
