ADHD Provider Tool Kit

What is it?

Texas Children’s Health Plan is pleased to announce the unveiling of the ADHD Provider Toolkit. This online resource went live in mid-November. The ADHD Provider Toolkit is a go-to site for a wide range of relevant material to assist clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients with ADHD and their families. The goal is to provide information sources for the primary care provider who frequently sees patients with this diagnosis, thereby making evidence-based practices and tools available on the desktops of busy practitioners.

Evaluation and Diagnosis

To assist with diagnosis, current DSM-5 criteria are listed in the Provider Toolkit. Additional diagnostic tools include links to open source ADHD rating scales, which can be used to obtain specific symptom information from parents and school personnel. These ratings scales help quantify symptoms and demonstrate symptom presence in more than one setting. They are not only useful in the assessment phase, but when used in follow up, are also helpful in monitoring ongoing treatment efficacy. ADHD may present differently in different age groups, so the Toolkit includes information to focus assessment for patients in various age groups. This section also contains information on common co-occurring diagnoses, including other disruptive behaviors and learning disabilities.

Treatment Planning

The numbers of evidenced-based treatments for ADHD continues to grow. The Toolkit discusses the various options available to providers, Although stimulants remain the pharmacologic treatment of choice, new formulations of and delivery technology for this class of medication continue to add to the options. Medication algorithms provide guidance for medication choice, titration, and augmentation if initial steps do not bring an optimal response. For children under the age of 6, behavioral therapies are often an effective initial intervention.

Resources for Families and Patients

The Toolkit also gives information on additional resources and management strategies available to patients and their families. Information in this section includes Texas Children’s Health Plan’s ADHD Self-Management Tool that clinicians can complete with families to monitor treatment effect and address treatment barriers. Specific smart phone apps that are helpful to patients to with ADHD assist with organization and help with reminders for important tasks are listed. Links to additional online information are included as well as contact information for local ADHD family support organizations and resources.

How Do I Find It?

The ADHD Provider Toolkit is available online to participating providers through the Texas Children’s Health Plan Provider Portal. This is where the most up-to-date version of the Toolkit will be housed. It can also be made available by contacting Texas Children’s Health Plan Provider Relations at 832-828-1008 or toll-free at 1-800-731-8527. In an effort to make the ADHD Provider Toolkit a clinically useful resource for our providers and members, Texas Children’s Health Plan welcomes provider feedback and comments.