Board Certified Physicians Participating in the Docs for Tots’ “Well Moms, Well Tots” Program to Receive Credit for Quality and Practice Improvement Activities
NEW YORK– August 7, 2017 – The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has announced that Docs for Tots has joined ABMS’ Multi-Specialty Portfolio Program (Portfolio ProgramTM). Physicians who are Board Certified by one of the 21 of 24 ABMS Member Boards participating in the Portfolio Program can now earn Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Improvement in Medical Practice (Part IV) credit for their involvement in the “Well Moms, Well Tots” quality improvement program.
Docs for Tots is a pediatrician-led, nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve early childhood outcomes. The organization provides healthcare professionals working with our youngest children the tools and protocols needed to help their patients thrive. “Well Moms, Well Tots” is the newest Docs for Tots’ quality improvement initiative. The program engages providers and staff in Nassau County, New York’s safety net health system, to improve maternal depression screening, by promoting national and state guidelines as a best practice in healthy child development. As part of the ABMS Portfolio Program, “Well Moms, Well Tots” participating physicians will now receive credit for their participation in the initiative to improve initial perinatal or postpartum depression and interventional treatment.
“The goal of ‘Well Moms, Well Tots’ is to attain a 100 percent rate of screening for all pregnant and postpartum women served by partner practices,” said Elizabeth Isakson, MD, FAAP, Docs for Tots’ Executive Director. “The ability to offer MOC credit will help us engage even more physicians into this program, and will definitely help us meet this goal.”
Adds pediatric partner Suanne Kowal-Connelly, MD: “Health providers in Nassau County are so pleased to partner with Docs for Tots on this project. We are always looking to improve the health status of the community, especially for the underserved. Helping new moms achieve wellness translates into success for a community’s children. Offering MOC credit will encourage more participation in this great effort.”
The “Well Moms, Well Tots” program, while primarily focused on engaging Pediatricians, Obstetricians/Gynecologists and Family Physicians, encourages involvement of all members of the care team. The program’s standardized screenings and referral protocols are evidence-based and follow recommendations by several medical specialty societies including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and American Academy of Family Physicians.
“We are pleased to welcome the Docs for Tots program as a Portfolio Program sponsor. Physician engagement is essential to the long-term success of quality improvement initiatives,” stated David W. Price, MD, FAAFP, FACEHP, Executive Director of the Portfolio Program. “Docs for Tots’ participation in the Portfolio Program provides additional recognition of the valuable efforts these safety net physicians and their teams are undertaking to improve the care of vulnerable populations. The ‘Well Moms, Well Tots’ program will have a positive impact on the community for years to come.”
To date, the ABMS Portfolio Program has helped engage physicians in quality and practice improvement initiatives at hospitals and health systems across the country, with many showing improvement in care outcomes. Since its inception, more than 2,000 improvement efforts have been completed by Portfolio Program participants.
# # #
About ABMS
Established in 1933, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) continues to be the leading not-for-profit organization overseeing physician certification in the United States. ABMS establishes the standards its 24 Member Boards use to develop and implement educational and professional evaluation, assessment, and certification of physician specialists. More than 860,000 physicians are certified in one or more of the approved 37 specialties and 86 subspecialties offered by the ABMS Member Boards. For more information about ABMS, visit abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.
About Docs for Tots
Docs for Tots is a pediatrician-led nonprofit that envisions a future where all children have the quality early childhood experiences necessary to set them on a trajectory of healthy development and life-long success. Docs for Tots’ model is to assist and support those who work with young children and their families to magnify their impact. By providing technical assistance to those who serve young children and collaborating with key stakeholders, we seek to create collective and lasting impact for all children. For more information about Docs for Tots, visit www.docsfortots.org.
