Medical professionals and public health officials across the United States are expressing concern about the growing rise of youth behavioral health visits in our nation’s hospitals. While alarming, this trend should come as no surprise given the ongoing youth mental health crisis that the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated.

Since early 2020, many pediatric practices have been forced to juggle increased patient demand against new safety precautions and a reduction in the number of people they have on staff. The COVID pandemic has been a significant stressor on the pediatric community, with one survey finding that 60% of pediatricians were experiencing at least one dimension of burnout.

Revenue cycle management is too significant to hand over to just anyone. You need a safe, trusted partner and expert who communicates well and produces results.

Recent legislation allows children to take mental health days off from public school, but not all states are on board. See where your state stands, and how you can advocate to include mental health selfcare as a legitimate reason for missed school days.

Learning to communicate with patients online has been a central hallmark of the COVID-19 pandemic for pediatric practices. However, evaluating whether your practice is succeeding in this area can be a challenge. The scope of communication in healthcare varies, and there’s no one standard metric that providers can use to measure their progress.

Many young children and teens struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, organizations like Duck Cup Memorial Fund are stepping into the fray to bring more awareness to this issue. Sara Jutz, the Executive Director of Duck Cup Memorial Fund, recently spoke on the PediaTricks podcast to share more information about how their organization is working to meet this moment, and make mental health and suicide prevention a much easier subject to speak about openly. 

Rich Szabo, MD, joined the PediaTricks Podcast to discuss "Pediatric Mental Health - Seeing the Whole Child” to address the ongoing mental health crisis, what may be exacerbating these issues for our kids, and how OP’s tools can help.

Social media can be polarizing, but there are many benefits that can be gained from using it as a patient engagement tool in your practice. Having open lines of communication with patients and their families is an important step for practice success, and social media can play a significant role in making this happen.

Some of the best summer activities can also help children decompress from a stressful school year, which can help improve troubling mental health symptoms. As social distancing measures are now relaxed, and more activities become available, children may need some encouragement to step outside of their comfort zone and get more engaged in a world that may still feel overwhelming. You should be ready to listen to their concerns and work with them to find activities that feel both fun and safe.

It’s no surprise that pediatric mental health issues have skyrocketed to unrivaled levels as children have been forced to navigate the challenges that have come with the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Desperate for ways to address this growing concern, healthcare professionals across the United States are coming together to share ideas about programs, policies, and best practices that will positively impact the mental health of youth and adolescents in the US.