Learn more about STAR

STAR patient handouts address each of the STAR behavioral goals. They can be shared with patients at well child visits and used as tools to help guide the conversation at obesity follow-up visits. Provision of physical activity and nutrition educational materials meets the HEDIS criteria for counseling for nutrition and physical activity.

General

Patient Materials

STAR patient handouts address each of the STAR behavioral goals. They can be shared with patients at well child visits and used as tools to help guide the conversation at obesity follow-up visits. Provision of physical activity and nutrition educational materials meets the HEDIS criteria for counseling for nutrition and physical activity.

Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Tools for Clinicians

Participating clinical practices use a modified EHR that includes a BestPractice® alert deployed to pediatricians at the time of a well child care visit with a child between the ages of 6-13 years with a BMI≥95th percentile. Medical assistants measure height and weight and enter the values into the EHR which automatically calculates BMI. The alert triggers a new window that pops up in front of the screen on which the clinician is working, to identify children with a BMI≥95th percentile.
Image of a BestPractice® alert deployed to pediatricians in an electronic health record at the time of a well child care visit with a child between the ages of 6-13 years with a BMI≥95th percentile.

The alert contains links to the CDC growth charts, existing childhood obesity CER evidence, and a pre-populated SmartSet® standardized well child visit template specific for obesity. This SmartSet® includes:

  • Place and instructions for documentation and coding of BMI percentile and diagnosis of obesity (ICD-9 Diagnosis Code V85.54)
  • Documentation of nutrition and physical activity counseling (ICD-9 V65.3 and ICD-9 V65.41)
  • Documentation of referrals for weight management programs or follow-up
  • Documentation of orders for obesity-related laboratory studies if appropriate (e.g. fasting lipid profile and glucose)
  • Links to printable patient education information and to this website for additional obesity-related educational materials.

Clinician Newsletters

These newsletters were sent to clinicians to highlight the STAR targeted behavior goals. Each newsletter includes a section on facts and/or statistics regarding one of the targeted behaviors, current research highlighting the behavior, talking points for how to talk about the behavior with families, and more. The final newsletter (10-2-1-0 Overview) offered a summary of all the primary STAR behaviors.

Training Tools

Expert Recommendations

The following are the basis of the obesity management recommendations used in the STAR Study:

Tools for Obesity Follow Up Visits

  • Motivational Interviewing Video clips:

Traditional Counseling Style

 

Motivational Interviewing