Chicago Family Health Center Dental Communications Plan

Dental Communications Plan

Prepared by:

Valerie M. Reynolds

Community Affairs Manager

E-mail: [email protected]

March 12, 2012

mailto:[email protected]

OVERVIEW Founded in 1977, Chicago Family Health Center is a community-based, nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that provides comprehensive, accessible and culturally competent primary care, dental, social services and support programs to the residents in the far South, Southeast and Southwest communities and surrounding areas. Chicago Family Health Center operates 5 community health centers, four of which offer dental services: South Chicago, East Side, Pullman and Chicago Lawn. Between these four sites we have seven full time dentists and one full time hygienist. In 2011, Chicago Family Health Center saw 8, 388 patients through 19, 270 dental visits. 34% (2,851) of

these patients were children (ages 0-18 years), while 66% were comprised of adults (18 years and

older). Looking at Chicago Family Health Center as a whole, there are 10, 514 patients between the

ages of 0-18 years old. However, only 27% of these patients are dental patients at Chicago Family

Health Center.

GOALS & OBJECTIVES

Primary Goals: Foster an increased focus on pre-natal, child and adolescent oral health through

targeted staff awareness through a joint, site wide effort. To increase volume of pre-natal, child and

adolescent oral health visits at each of the 4 sites providing dental services.

Secondary Goals: To increase the knowledge surrounding the importance of oral health as

related to overall health and well-being among patients and in our communities through

targeted community outreach.

Secondary Goal II: To Increase the children’s dental visits by 50%

Tertiary Goals: To decrease wait time in obtaining appointments, reduce no-shows and ease

emergency/ walk-in procedures.

KEY MESSAGES

#1: Oral health holds the same level of importance as medical health and well-being.

#2: Chicago Family Health Center, your local community health center, now offers affordable

dental health care at all 5 sites.

INREACH

Chicago Family Health Center as a whole sees over 10, 000 patients between the ages of 0-18 years old.

However, only 27% of these patients are dental patients at Chicago Family Health Center. These

statistics evidence the need for expanded dental inreach among current CFHC patients as a means to

increase our pre-natal and pediatric dental volume. Creation of a jointed effort that fosters the

importance for medical and dental well-being is key.

INREACH GOAL: Within one year following implementation of our dental plan we hope to have 50%

of CFHC medical patients aged 0-18 years old also being seen as dental patients.

Chicago Family Health Center Staff Buy In

Staff needs to be instilled with the messages above and we will need to work to change the mindset of

staff to a more comprehensive view of health that includes dental, especially pre-natal and pediatric

dental.

The new dental plan, procedures and initiatives will be presented at the next All Staff meeting as

an introduction to the direction we will be taking towards increased pre-natal and pediatric

capacity. This will include breakout sessions depending on position held at the health center to

discuss how this will affect their current roles and expectations.

Semi-Annual lunch and learn meetings with providers to discuss implementation of this plan and

to work out kinks in creating stronger unity between CFHC staff (medical and dental).

Dental Brochures will be designed and distributed to staff as informational pieces to distribute

to all patients 0-18 years of age.

Anticipatory Guidance Outreach/ Education

Inreach Environment

CFHC Dental Program Initiatives

Chicago Family Health Center Staff Roles

Chicago Family Health Center medical and support staff will provide the primary means of delivery and

dissemination of oral health information, its importance for overall health and well-being and creating

the necessary links for patients to schedule dental appointments.

Providers: Will provide the bulk of the evidence based research behind oral health importance,

how to maintain good oral health and effects of basic behaviors on oral health. (Accountability

will be noted through Anticipatory Guidance requirements- more below). Pediatricians and

OBGYNs will provide dental bags to each patient following their conversation. These bags are

prepared by external affairs and include pertinent information regarding either prenatal or child

oral health quick facts, a toothbrush, toothpaste, coloring book, information to make a dental

appointment at CFHC.

Medical Assistants: MAs will ensure that the physicians have an oral health conversation with

each patient and distribute the dental bags. They further will inquire about the patient’s need to

make a dental appointment

Frontline/ Check-In Staff: Frontline staff will distribute our oral health newsletter to each

patient upon check-in along with an oral health quick facts sheet to look over while they wait for

their medical appointment.

Check-out Staff: Check-out staff will generate report from their visit and will ask if patient needs

to schedule a dental appointment and will help to facilitate that process with dental scheduling.

** Are same day appointments feasible? ** How can we best get these patients scheduled-

would a dental scheduler be able to take these referrals?

Outreach Staff: Outreach will provide oral health information in conjunction with already

provided medical information at outreach events. Further, outreach staff will be trained to

provide expanded dental outreach presentations to targeted schools, headstarts and pre-

schools.

Chicago Family Health Center Newsletter/ First Friday

Community Affairs Manager, Valerie Reynolds will create, print and disseminate a monthly oral

health newsletter for the waiting rooms at each of our 5 sites. Newsletters will be provided in

English and Spanish and at a reading level appropriate for our patient base.

Community Affairs Manager, Valerie Reynolds will develop a quarterly Dental Plan update in the

internal employee First Friday newsletter.

Chicago Family Health Center Dental Operatory Field Trip

Through outreach/ partnership efforts, school aged students will be able to participate in a CFHC

Dental Center field trip to become oriented with a dental visit experience. (Visit health center,

meet staff including dentist, see a dental operatory and tools used during dental visit). These

will be offered at each of our 4 center locations with specified dates, scheduled on an as needed

basis.

CFHC Community Open House Events

CFHC will conduct open house style events centered on oral health during Oral Health Month

(February) and the Back to School Health Fair Season (August). Open Houses will be conducted

at each of the 5 sites for an entire working day. Outreach staff will provide oral health

information, giveaways and will help link patients to CFHC dental services.

TIP Management

The AmeriCorps member will coordinate with the TIP team including Marie Ferro to include oral

health components for pre-natal patients during their TIP home visits. Outreach staff will

provide appropriate pre-natal dental bags to give to patients that will include appropriate oral

health information and information regarding how to make appointments.

ANTICIPATORY GUIDANCE

Anticipatory guidance involves the process of providing developmentally- appropriate, practical and

helpful information about children’s health to prepare parents and care givers for the milestones to be

expected in their child’s development. Oral hygiene counseling should involve both the parent and the

patient. Initially, oral health and hygiene is the responsibility of the parent. As the child develops, these

responsibilities will be taken on by both the parent and the child. The health care professional should

counsel the parent and child appropriately, moving more towards a child centered approach once the

child demonstrates the understanding and ability to perform personal hygiene techniques. The efficacy

of oral health practices at home should be monitored at every visit, being sure to address the

consistency of daily preventive activities and behaviors.

Anticipatory Guidance for Oral Health varies slightly depending on the audience (Pregnant Women,

Parents, and Caregivers of Infants / Toddler). This guidance can be broken down into 6 categories:

Take home message for caregivers

Oral health and hygiene

Oral Development

Fluoride Adequacy

Oral Habits

Diet and Nutrition

Implementation at Chicago Family Health Center

Chicago Family Health Center’s Dental Plan will foster an increased focus surrounding participatory

guidance especially as related to prenatal, infant and child oral health.

Anticipatory Guidance for Oral Health has been added as a required quality measure for

providers to discuss with patients (6 months and older).

Performance Improvement Coordinator will review guidance requirements with providers,

including where and how to appropriately document in NexGen.

Goal: 90% of providers attend this meeting

Moving forward, providers will be held accountable for completion of oral health anticipatory

guidance, proper electronic documentation and encouragement of CFHC dental service

scheduling.

Quarterly reports will be generated and peer-physician auditing will be conducted to determine

if providers are adhering to proper oral health anticipatory guidance requirements for patients

with a targeted focus on prenatal and infant/ child population.

Compliance Goal:

Quarter 1 60% of Participatory Guidance

Requirements are discussed at

medical visit

80% of Providers in

compliance at this level



medical visit

80% of Providers in




medical visit

80% of Providers in




medical visit

80% of Providers in


ENVIRONMENT

In order to really target and appeal to a youthful dental population the dental operatory, medical exam

rooms and waiting rooms should provide a kid- friendly environment, that is welcoming and engages

their senses.

CFHC Dental Operatory

Appropriate oral health signage will be posted in all pediatric operatory Monthly checks will be made to be sure signs are still in place and are in good condition

CFHC Medical Exam Rooms

Appropriate oral health signage will be posted in all pediatric exam rooms and pre-natal exam

rooms.

Monthly checks will be made to be sure signs are still in place and are in good condition

CFHC Dental Waiting Room

Kid friendly books, games, and activities should be provided for kids and families while they wait

for their appointments

COMMUNICATIONS, OUTREACH AND EDUCATION

Tactics

Media Relations

1. A press release highlighting our Children’s Dental Operatories now servicing all five sites will

be written and distributed; targeting neighborhood monthly newspapers, local dailies and

professional dental publications journals and magazines.

2. Op-eds from our CEO and Dental Director will be written in timely response to articles

posted referring to the Medicaid changes in dental care and to disseminate the CFHC

message/stance of dental health.

Social Media

1. Facebook: Post weekly dental health articles and images on the CFHC Facebook Wall

2. Twitter: Tweet links to dental health articles, information about our new initiatives and

events

Newsletter Partnerships

1. Concise articles will be written and shared with local community organizations in all five of

our service area sites to print in their constituent newsletters.

Signage

1. Wall signage will be developed to place in our medical exam rooms highlighting our dental

services

2. Wall signage will also be purchased or developed to post in partnering HeadStart classrooms

in all five service areas.

Dental Awareness Event

We will host an annual community awareness event for National Children’s Health Awareness

month at all five of our sites of which the resident dentist will conduct a parent workshop for

dental health of infants, toddlers and children.

TIMELINE

April 2012: CFHC Dental Plan approval by Dental Director, CEO and CMO

Anticipatory Guidance for Oral Health added as a required quality measure for providers

to discuss with patients (6 months and older).

Signage will be updated in all pediatric and pre-natal exam rooms

Initiate research regarding headstarts, schools and pre-schools to target in each of 5

CFHC service areas, begin scheduling meetings with principals/ staff and try to schedule

presentations for the Spring/ Summer

Observe Lindsey from Erie at one of her presentations

Begin to development of CFHC Oral Health Presentation curriculum

May 2012: Presentation at All-Staff meeting outlining the new dental plan and the need for a site-

wide CFHC effort outlining roles, responsibilities and expectations

Performance Improvement Coordinator will review guidance requirements with

providers, including where and how to appropriately document in NexGen.

Discuss Dental Plan with TIP Managers- make sure they have dental bags

Lucy will generate a dental brochure for outreach events, dental bags, and CFHC general

use

Distribute CFHC Dental Newsletter

Check Signage

Continue fostering partnerships among local schools, youth programs and summer

camps

Begin Oral Health Presentations (Goal: 3)

June 2012: Follow-up with TIP Managers- make sure they have enough dental bags


Check Signage

July 2012: Follow-up with TIP Managers- make sure they have enough dental bags


Check Signage

August 2012: Follow-up with TIP Managers- make sure they have enough dental bags

CFHC Community Open House- All 5 sites


Check Signage

September 2012: Follow-up with TIP Managers- make sure they have enough dental bags

Quarterly reports will be generated and peer-physician auditing will be conducted to

determine if providers are adhering to proper oral health anticipatory guidance

requirements

Dental Plan update in First Friday


Check Signage

October 2012: Follow-up with TIP Managers- make sure they have enough dental bags


Check Signage

November 2012: Follow-up with TIP Managers- make sure they have enough dental bags

Semi-Annual Provider Lunch and Learn to discuss Dental Plan updates, outcomes and

goals


Check Signage

December 2012: Follow-up with TIP Managers- make sure they have enough dental bags

Quarterly reports will be generated and peer-physician auditing will be conducted to

determine if providers are adhering to proper oral health anticipatory guidance

requirements

Dental Plan update in First Friday


Check Signage

Chicago Family Health Center Dental Communications Plan

Documents

Transcript of Chicago Family Health Center Dental Communications Plan