How new pediatric programs take root and grow

<p>How do you take a good idea — like screening children to see if they're on a healthy developmental trajectory — and get that idea adopted by thousands of small separate pediatric practices spread across a state or the entire country?</p><p><br></p><p>The answer is collaboration and leadership.</p><p><a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01521"><br>Vermont Child Health Improvement Program</a> (VCHIP) is a pediatric program run by the University of Vermont to help pediatric providers, payers, and policy makers navigate the complex health care ecosystem. It’s also the latest subject for <em>Health Affairs’ </em>Leading to Health Series.</p><p>Leading to Health focuses on transforming health systems and is published with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.</p><p>In this episode, <em>Health Affairs</em> Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews journalist and Leading to Health author Rebecca Gale on what gives VCHIP a programmatic edge in implementing new health care programs — and how other states can consider and benefit from this approach.</p><p>Rebecca Gale is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in Health Affairs, The Washington Post, Slate, and The New York Times.</p>