Utah Valley Pediatrics Builds Upon Commitment to Quality Care Through Involvement With UPIQ

One way Utah Valley Pediatrics continues to provide personalized, quality care is through involvement with the Utah Pediatric Partnership to Improve Healthcare Quality (UPIQ). UPIQ is a joint effort by organizations and individuals interested in improving all aspects of patient care.

Many of our pediatricians attend frequent learning collaboratives hosted by UPIQ that have covered topics as varied as fluoride use, developmental screening and emotional screening for postpartum depression. These collaboratives not only cover the latest research on best practices, but also practical advice on how to implement these practices.

UVP is also involved with UPIQ’s Medical Home project. The project is not a building or location, but an approach to comprehensive primary care. This approach collaborates with the family and the patient to make sure all the medical and non-medical needs of a patient are met. The project focuses primarily on children with special needs.

Dr. Gordon Glade in our American Fork office was one of the project’s early pioneers. The project has grown quickly and now at least one pediatrician in each of our offices has implemented the project in their practice.

Dr. Conner has implemented the project in the American Fork Office by designating a care coordinator and a parent advocate for her participating patients. The parent advocate calls parents every three months to find out how the patients are doing with their health, schooling and in general. In addition, the team creates care plans for the patients and distributes a newsletter. Recently, they held a luncheon seminar covering how to be an advocate for your child in the school system.

“I have a special interest in taking care of children with special needs,” said Dr. Conner. “Initiating the medical home approach seemed like the best possible way to take care of these children.”

However, Dr. Conner stresses that it is important for all parents to know that they can ask their pediatrician about all aspects of their children’s lives, whether or not their children have special needs.