Cook Children's Physician Network

Cook Children's Physician Network is the largest pediatric multi-specialty physician group in North Texas and has grown to include approximately 75 practice locations. CCPN employs approximately 500 physicians and surgeons, including 350 pediatric specialists and 150 primary care pediatricians. The Network also employs 320 advanced practice providers such as nurse practitioners, physician assistants and certified registered nurse anesthetists. These professionals are an integral part of the Cook Children's Health Care System (CCHCS) and help support the system's approximately 1.7 million annual patient encounters. Twenty-five of CCPN's board-certified pediatricians provide care in seven Neighborhood Clinics (NHC) located in economically disadvantaged areas within Tarrant County. Neighborhood Clinics' professional staff also includes two dentists and nine advanced practice providers. Neighborhood Clinics provide primary care services and serve as medical homes predominantly for children insured under government-funded programs such as the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicaid and Medicaid Managed Care plans. Cook Children's Physician Network is currently in the planning and development phases to add two additional Neighborhood Clinics in Tarrant County. In addition to numerous provider locations in Tarrant, Denton, Hood and Collin counties, CCPN has increased access to pediatric sub-specialty care through outreach in West Texas where specialty care is limited. Each month, numerous CCPN specialty physicians and surgeons travel to seven West Texas markets that lack the full spectrum of pediatric specialty care to serve patients close to their homes. The need for these outreach services in underserved markets is expected to grow as the physician shortage worsens over time. Virtual Health The pandemic rapidly accelerated the growth and patient adoption of virtual health services. These services greatly improved access to care and continue to be an integral part of how CCPN's physicians and providers care for children. Cook Children's Health Care System and CCPN have been developing and implementing telemedicine capabilities for several years, and defines this service as a live video and audio encounter with a patient/parent who is either in a remote CCPN clinic or simply accessing care from home. Patient families have access to 30 pediatric specialties via telemedicine: Cardiology Craniofacial/Plastics Endocrinology Gastroenterology Clinical Genetics Metabolic Genetics Hematology/Oncology Infectious Disease Neonatology Nephrology Neurology Epileptology Pain Management Palliative Care Pediatric Surgery Psychiatry Physical Medicine (PM&R) Pulmonary Psychology/Neuropsychology Rheumatology Urology CT Surgery Developmental Pediatrics Dermatology ENT Immunology Neurosurgery Orthopedics Sleep Medicine Wound Care Network providers hosted more than 60,000 visits via telemedicine in 2022. Telemedicine offers immediate care and patient monitoring, saving hours of travel for patient families. Cook Children's Physician Network telemedicine also supports school-based nurses in 15 local Independent School Districts (ISD), which includes 99 campuses. Expansion in the Prosper Market In FY22, CCPN developed a larger presence in Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Aubrey and Prosper, Texas. These markets now include 15 primary care locations with several more under development. In addition, CCPN has approximately 18 pediatric subspecialists working in the Prosper Medical Office Building located on the Cook Children's Medical Center-Prosper campus. When the medical center opens in December 2022, another 17 pediatric specialists will begin working in Prosper on a full-time basis. Physician Wellness Physician burnout has been a growing problem in the United States for the past decade. The COVID-19 pandemic made it worse, putting a significant strain on physician practices and medical providers everywhere. Health care has always been a 24/7 business, but the profession's typical seasonality-where months of high demand are followed by a lull-is a thing of the past since the pandemic. As a result, many providers are weary under the weight of a serious lack of work-life balance and burnout. This year, to help ease the strain, CCPN developed the Office of Physician Well-being-a physician wellness program led by one pediatric specialist and one primary care pediatrician. Their role is to identify the activities that contribute to burnout and determine practical solutions to address those issues. Top Docs Each year, D Magazine highlights the region's best physicians as chosen by their peers. Votes are tallied and sorted by the editorial staff, and the remaining votes are vetted by an anonymous panel of esteemed doctors. Sixteen Cook Children's doctors were named to D Magazine's list of 2022 Best Doctors and Pediatric Specialists.