Angel Guard Products, Inc., made it official in March that it has discontinued its Angel Ride Infant Car Bed. The announcement confirmed the fears of regular customers, who had noted with concern that the product was unavailable for the past several months.
Topic: Child Passenger Safety in the Healthcare Setting
Canada Weighs in Against Routine CR Screening of Preterm Infants
Based on a review of research related to the infant car seat challenge (ICSC), the Canadian Paediatric Society (CaPS, Canada’s version of the American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP) has issued a revised position statement. It now says that insufficient evidence exists to recommend routine use of the ICSC as part of discharge procedures for preterm infants.
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Debate in the NICU Continues: What’s a CPST to Think When Doctors Disagree?
As readers know, I am not a doctor. Occasionally, though, as CPSTs we must consider certain medical conditions that influence the safety or children as vehicle passengers. Fortunately, there’s no need for CPSTs to hold a medical degree; simply follow the advice of doctors regarding the relevant symptoms of a diagnosis and how they might influence a child’s safety (either in a crash or during normal riding). To guide us, we are fortunate to have peer-reviewed scientific studies and policy statements from the medical community.
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Good News for Hospitals: Guidelines for CPS-Related Discharge Policies Available
Hospitals can now access free, expert guidance for developing discharge policies related to CPS. In March, the Hospital CPS Discharge Policy Planning Group, an expert working group convened by NHTSA, released a report titled “Hospital Discharge Recommendations for Safe Transportation of Children.” The purpose of this project, which came about after years of collaboration by multiple organizations and contributors, is to encourage hospitals to address CPS in their discharge policies. It defines “child patient” as any from birth to age 19, including but not limited to those with special healthcare needs.
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EMS Child Transport Recommendations Published
NHTSA and the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) community have taken a step forward by completing a long-awaited set of EMS best practices for transporting children in ground ambulances. A draft was issued in mid-2010, as reported in July/August 2010 issue of SRN, and was followed by a public meeting later that year. The final report varies little from the draft.
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Car Seat/Car Bed Challenges Get Billing Codes
Excerpt from Safe Ride News, Nov/Dec 2011.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has been successful in its effort to get CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes assigned to car seat/car bed challenge procedures (also known as angle tolerance tests). This is an important accomplishment because medical services with an assigned CPT code can be submitted by the practitioner for insurance reimbursement. This means that these procedures are likely to become more routine and widespread for at-risk infants.
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