BCBSTX, Texas Pediatric Society offer trainings for providers, improving health outcomes for Texas women, children

RICHARDSON, Texas, March 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and the Texas Pediatric Society are partnering to enhance maternal and infant health in Texas. Through BCBSTX's Special Beginnings initiative, they will offer training and resources to primary care providers and pediatricians.

Supported by a BCBSTX grant, TPS is launching an advisory committee for the new Clinical Series Program to develop pediatric healthcare resources for maternal and infant health, including videos and webinars. In 2024, the program will focus on postpartum depression screenings and infant care after Neonatal Intensive Care Unit stays.

"We look forward to developing this Clinical Series Program with TPS to equip providers who are also invested in improving outcomes for Texas moms and babies with the extra support they need all across the state," said Dr. Mark Chassay, BCBSTX VP and chief medical officer.

Each focus area will include a 3-to-6-month Project ECHO® training, a collaborative medical education and care management model. Participants can engage in virtual communities to discuss cases with specialists, creating continuous learning and peer support.

"Due to pediatric subspecialist shortages, primary care pediatricians are expected to manage more complex needs and conditions. In order to manage these cases, primary care pediatricians need access to specialized resources, education and support," said Dr. Alice Gong, President of the Texas Pediatric Society. "The Clinical Series Program we are developing with BCBSTX will focus on empowering and equipping primary care pediatricians with the tools they need in today's environment."

Texas providers can find these resources at https://txpeds.org/. To learn more, visit the BCBSTX Newsroom.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) — the only statewide, customer-owned health insurer in Texas — is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with more than 140,000 physicians and health care practitioners, and 520 hospitals to serve more than 7 million members in all 254 counties. BCBSTX is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) (which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Texas, Illinois, Montana, Oklahoma and New Mexico). Health Care Service Corporation is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

About Texas Pediatric Society

The Texas Pediatric Society (TPS), the Texas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is the premier state professional nonprofit organization of over 4,800 Texas pediatricians, physician pediatric subspecialists, and medical students. TPS believes that the most important resource of the State of Texas is its children and pledges its efforts to promote their health and welfare.

SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas