Pedi-Flite improves outcomes and reduces costs for pediatric diabetic patients
2013-09-04
(Press-News.org) Memphis, Tenn. – Providing families with diabetic children access via pager to a transport team improves outcomes and efficiency, according to a recent study performed at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). The study, "Real-time Support of Pediatric Diabetes Self-care by a Transport Team," was reported online ahead of print in Diabetes Care, the world's leading journal for clinical diabetes research and published by the American Diabetes Association.
Brandi E. Franklin, PhD, assistant professor in the UTHSC College of Pharmacy, retrospectively analyzed pager use in pediatric diabetic patients who used the service from August 2009 to December 2012. Pedi-Flite — Le Bonheur's air and ground transport team — answered calls from families with diabetic patients in this new model akin to modern enhanced 911 services. Calls from families were routed to Pedi-Flite Transfer Center dispatchers, who are seasoned emergency medicine technicians trained in diabetes care by the Pediatric Endocrine Center of UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists (ULPS).
These investigators reported that although pager users were 2.75 times more likely to visit the emergency department (ED) for diabetic ketoacidosis or related illness, ED visits by pager users were less likely to lead to inpatient admissions. Moreover, those eventually admitted required a significantly shorter length of stay. More than half of all pages were resolved by Pedi-Flite dispatch without need for further referral to a physician. Researchers estimated that 439 ED visits and 115 admissions were avoided because of this novel system, saving over $760,000.
"This innovative, cost-effective approach reduces disparities in diabetes care and improves access for our patients," said Franklin. The study was conceived and led by Robert Ferry, Jr., MD, who holds the Le Bonheur Chair of Excellence in Endocrinology as chief of UTHSC's Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, in collaboration with Crile Crisler, Jr., MHA, administrative director of Patient Transport at Le Bonheur, and Meri Armour, MBA, president and CEO of Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.
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"Le Bonheur Pedi-Flite is proud to be a part of improving the available services for diabetic patients in our region" said Crisler. "Pedi-Flite enjoys the opportunity to partner with the endocrine service in attempts to reduce severity of diabetic-related illness and ensure that all patients needing help have a 'phone-a-friend' option, available to ensure the answers they need are never more than a phone call away."
Le Bonheur's endocrinology program is recognized by the American Diabetes Association and treats more than 980 children and adolescents with diabetes.
About Le Bonheur Children's Hospital
Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., treats more than 250,000 children each year in a 255-bed hospital that features state-of-the-art technology and family-friendly resources. Nationally recognized, Le Bonheur is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a Best Children's Hospital. Serving as a primary teaching affiliate for the University Tennessee Health Science Center, the hospital trains more pediatricians than any other hospital in the state. For more information, please call (901) 287-6030 or visit http://www.lebonheur.org. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/lebonheurchild or like us at Facebook at facebook.com/lebonheurchildrens.
About the University of Tennessee Health Science Center
As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. Offering a broad range of postgraduate and selected baccalaureate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy. UTHSC also educates and trains cohorts of medicine, pharmacy and/or allied health students — in addition to medical residents and fellows — at its major sites in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville. Founded in 1911, during its more than 100 years UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals in academic settings and health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit http://www.uthsc.edu.
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