The Florida Department of Health’s Division of Children’s Medical Services is focused on increasing access to patient-centered medical homes and primary care for children and youth with special health care needs.

Research shows that a patient-centered medical home is the standard of care for all children and youth, particularly those with special needs. The model transforms how primary care is organized and delivered and focuses on quality care and improved outcomes. We support an approach to care to assist in providing comprehensive, high-quality primary care that is accessible, family-centered, continuous, coordinated, and compassionate.

The patient-centered medical home model of care ensures continuity of care. The same primary care clinician cares for the child from infancy through young adulthood, providing assistance and support to transition to adult care. The comprehensive, team-based approach for preventive, primary, and specialty care for the child and family improves accessibility, coordination of care, and quality outcomes.

Youth: Health Care Transition

Health care transition is the planned movement of youth, with or without special health care needs, from a pediatric model of health care to an adult model.

The goal of a planned health care transition is to maximize lifelong functioning and well-being for all youth, including those who have special health care needs and those who do not. This process includes ensuring that high-quality, developmentally appropriate health care services are available in an uninterrupted manner as the person moves from adolescence to adulthood.

The Title V Transition Program provides education, resources, and technical assistance to health and education providers, stakeholders, community partners, youth and family who are interested in how to successfully transition youth, with and without special health care needs, to adult life.  For more information see below:

Training

Technical Assistance

For more information, please contact CMSTitleVInformation@FLHealth.gov

Resources

Transition Templates

Provider Resources

Children’s Medical Services has partnered with the University of Central Florida’s Advancing Resources to Change Healthcare UCF-HealthARCH to:

  • Provide pediatric providers with hands-on support from National Committee on Quality Assurance NCQA PCMH Certified Content Experts (CCEs) on Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) practice transformation and recognition.
  • Provide on-going technical assistance and sustainability activities for practices having recently gone through practice transformation.
  • If you are a provider practice and interested in PCMH transformation, please complete this Readiness Assessment and to receive a follow up from HealthARCH.
  • Sample HealthARCH Letter of Acceptance and Terms of Agreement
General Resources