The Children’s Partnership and SPARC co-released Electronic Information Exchange: Elements that Matter for Children in Foster Care, an issue brief that lays out the case for investing in systems that enable electronic information exchange for children and youth in foster care, reviews existing efforts underway in states and communities, identifies specific elements that serve this population most effectively, and discusses steps that state advocates can take to establish an integrated electronic record of care for foster children and youth in their state.
The Children’s Partnership and SPARC will be hosting an webinar on Thursday, January 31st at 2:00pm EST. Speakers will include Beth Morrow, Director of Health IT Initiatives at The Children’s Partnership, author of the issue brief.
Young people in foster care have greater, more complex health care needs than other children and account for a disproportionate share of public health spending. Yet, despite this level of spending, most children in foster care receive less than the recommended care. This inadequate care is due, in part, to a lack of coordination across health, education, and other caregivers for children in foster care, who move often between families, placements, and schools. Electronic information exchange has the potential to improve care coordination for children, particularly those who have complex health and social needs.
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