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Residency-based program eases transition for adolescents with chronic, complex illnesses As many as 60 percent of patients with chronic or complex medical problems experience gaps in medical care, health insurance coverage or both during their transition from adolescence to adulthood. Th e UCLA Med-Peds Transition Care Program helps to prevent these patients from falling through the cracks by providing patient medical assessments and referrals to primary-care physicians and specialists who care for adult patients. Th e program also provides assistance in obtaining appropriate adult health insurance coverage, patient self-care education and connections to educational and vocational training resources in the community. Th e UCLA program is unique in that it is run by medical residents with faculty supervision. From left to right: Debra Lotstein, M.D., Ron Lopez, Monica Mau, M.D. “Information about insurance coverage or communitybased services is really important in the lives of our patients, but they’re not particulars most of us have traditionally learned about in medical school or in residency rotations,” explains Debra Lotstein, M.D., M.P.H., the program’s medical director. “It’s a newer part of the curriculum to have residents really understand the healthcare system.” During their four-year residency, each of the 16 medical residents trains under the supervision of three faculty members, who are board-certifi ed in both internal medicine and pediatrics. Th ey also work closely with a program coordinator and social workers from other pediatric services within UCLA Health System. Th e residents receive comprehensive training in treating a complex patient population, primarily aged 15 to 25 years, with either one major medical problem or with multiple chronic illnesses, which requires multidisciplinary services from many types of clinical and non-clinical providers and resources. “While it can be challenging to address patient care issues oft en considered outside the scope of medical care,” notes Dr. Lotstein, “it is also rewarding to see patients appreciate our support and to see residents get excited to learn more about the diff erent aspects of care.” PRS EXPANDS OUTREACH Our Physician Referral Service (PRS) program has expanded with the goal of making referrals from community physicians and referring medical groups simpler, trackable and more focused. Th ese changes became eff ective April 29 when the specifi c and geographically focused outreach liaison activity ceased in response to the need to pare costs, gain greater effi ciency and move to a longer term plan to improve the handling of referral relationships. Th e PRS nurses and referral coordinators are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and are trained to provide personalized help to referring physicians and patients in a timely manner. PRS is also available to address any questions regarding referring medical groups. Referring physicians can either: • Fax the patient referral information to (310) 301-5391 • Call (800) UCLA-888 (825-2888) • Email access@mednet.ucla.edu Our Marketing Department is available to assist in promoting new physicians or programs. Email darogers@mednet.ucla.edu or call (310) 794-8173. UCLA Monitors Swine Flu UCLA Health System is closely monitoring developments in the nationwide public health emergency involving swine infl uenza A, also known as H1N1. “We have implemented detection and treatment plans based on Centers for Disease (CDC) guidelines, we have sent out information on testing procedures and anti-viral therapy recommendations to our healthcare providers, and we are prepared to initiate measures to protect our staff and patients,” notes Tom Rosenthal, M.D., chief medical offi cer. If you develop fl u-like symptoms that include high fever, cough, runny nose, muscle aches and nausea/ vomiting, please contact your personal physician and do not come to work. Infl uenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing. 4
Helping children with autism continued from page 1 treatment from a multidisciplinary team of experts, including clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, nurses, social workers, recreational therapists and behavioral specialists. “Our program is unique in both the intensity and multidisciplinary nature of the treatment we off er,” says Tanya Paparella, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and co-director of ECPHP. “We collaborate in a very innovative way using the knowledge of each specialist, which is based on the most recent, validated research, and then we tailor our goals to the specifi c needs of each child.” Th e team treats approximately 100 children annually, working together with parents, teachers, community organizations and others to address acute functional or behavioral problems by developing a customized, shortterm intervention and a foundation for longterm monitoring, support and feedback. “We have children who come to us aft er struggling in general education classrooms, those who are not making progress in special education programs, and those who have not yet been diagnosed with an ASD,” explains Stephanny Image Gently improves pediatric CT imaging at UCLA New imaging protocols have been implemented at all UCLA radiology facilities to help reduce the risk of radiation exposure to children undergoing computed tomography (CT) scans, a benefi cial, often life-saving procedure. A CT scan uses X-rays to generate detailed, specialized images of a body structure and is often the gold standard for diagnosing many illnesses and injuries. “CT scans produce images of excellent quality with a very short time of radiation exposure to pediatric patients,” notes M. Ines Boechat, M.D., F.A.C.R., chief of pediatric imaging at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA and current president of the Society for Pediatric Radiology. UCLA adopted the guidelines from Image Gently, Stephanny Freeman, Ph.D., far left, Tanya Paparella, Ph.D., far right, with ECPHP team. Freeman, Ph.D., also a clinical psychologist and co-director of ECPHP. “As a team, we provide them with therapy within each developmental domain every weekday for approximately 10 to 12 weeks, which is critical to making a change in a child’s behavior.” Communication, which involves multiple daily meetings, rounds, phone calls, email, interactions with parents and visits to classrooms a campaign to raise awareness in the medical community about the opportunities to lower radiation dosages in the imaging of children. “Although there is no direct proof linking radiation exposure to cancer, evidence and other community locations relevant to the patients, is key to ensuring therapeutic consistency. Working together, the team is able to empower parents and other caregivers to make good decisions and provide the best ongoing support network for each child. Dr. Paparella says, “It’s all about our patients, and it is the creativity and commitment of our entire team that makes a diff erence in their lives.” shows that CT imaging of children does not require the same dosage of radiation as adults,” says Dr. Boechat. “The Image Gently protocols set forth guidelines of radiation dosages based on a child’s size and weight. By reducing radiation dosages, we hope to minimize a child’s risk. This is especially important for children who require many scans over the course of an illness.” Exposure to radiation has unique implications for children because children are more sensitive to radiation, and may be exposed to radiation from imaging over a longer period of time. Find other Health Tips for Parents on a variety of relevant topics at www.uclahealth.org/ healthtips 5
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Page 3: What is dance therapy? Dance/moveme

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