title: Federal policy supporting improvements in transitioning from pediatric to adult surgery services.
abstract: For children with complex medical conditions that require ongoing surgical intervention, planning for the transition from pediatric to adult surgical care is essential. Services that support healthcare transition from specialty pediatric practices into adult practices are often inadequate, and the healthcare policy process has been slow to respond to the call to action by both professional and patient organizations. However, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA), arguably the most significant healthcare reform legislation since the enactment of Medicaid and Medicare in the mid-1960s, includes several provisions with direct influence on access to care and quality for adolescents transitioning to adult surgical care. We present a brief background on the rationale for improving surgical transition plans, the challenges of enacting the plans, and the relevance of PPACA in shaping health policy change around transition to adult services.
authors.affiliation: Nationwide Children׳s Hospital, Columbus, OH; The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH. Electronic address: Kelly.Kelleher@nationwidechildrens.org.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kelleher
authors.affiliation: Nationwide Children׳s Hospital, Columbus, OH; The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH; Center for Surgical Outcomes Research, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH.
authors.forename: Katherine J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Deans
authors.affiliation: Nationwide Children׳s Hospital, Columbus, OH; The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH.
authors.forename: Deena J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Chisolm
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D060305:Transition to Adult Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Care transition; Medical home; PPACA; Surgery policy; The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010