Barron Frazier, MD, medical director of the Emergency Department at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, was recognized for his work to improve pediatric emergency care. (Photo by Erin O. Smith)
Every parent hopes they’ll never need to bring their child into a pediatric emergency department. But if they must, they want their child treated by a physician who is precise, engaged and effortlessly thoughtful. They would find each of those traits in Barron Frazier, MD, assistant professor of Clinical Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine.
Frazier combines a gentleness when seeing families in their most vulnerable moments with a dedication to mentorship and a list of practical and measurable initiatives that improve outcomes for each child in his care.
Part of the Vanderbilt Health Credo reads, “We continuously evaluate and improve our performance.” As the medical director of the Emergency Department at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Frazier takes this element of the Credo above and beyond, earning him recognition as a Vanderbilt Health Winter 2026 Credo Award winner.
Frazier said one of his mentors helped him understand that “there’s actually a way to improve things, and it’s not just making pamphlets and assuming that care is better. … We can measure our change and ensure that we are being very intentional, analytical and methodical about how we go about improving processes and systems.”
Jessica Hayes, MD, a third-year fellow in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Frazier’s mentee, nominated him for a Credo Award. Her submission listed several of his specific and measurable initiatives to improve pediatric emergency care, including reducing chest X-rays in bronchiolitis, improving clinician documentation accuracy, improving evidence-based screening for non-accidental trauma, and standardizing sedation in intubated patients.
“Dr. Frazier consistently finds ways to scale impact while ensuring sustainability,” Hayes said. “He is unwavering in his commitment to quality care for all populations.”
As a current fellow, Hayes appreciates that her mentor’s tendency to take initiative to solve problems began during his own fellowship, when he led efforts to optimize billing and documentation practices within the pediatric emergency department, partnering with coding and compliance teams to improve accuracy, reduce missed charges and ensure appropriate reimbursement — ultimately increasing revenue capture without adding clinical burden.
“We look at the literature to inform our practice,” said Frazier. “We use the ‘Model for Improvement’ (framework) to move the needle and think about the reliability of the improvements we make. … Sometimes you have to change the system and make the right option the easiest one.”
Each improvement, no matter the scale, is emblematic of Frazier’s ambition to ensure his teams aren’t settling for suboptimal results.
“His focus on the patient and improving their care and access to care is completely undeniable,” said Drew Flowers, associate director of Telehealth for Vanderbilt Health. “The work he’s done to try to improve that is fantastic.”
Telehealth is among the areas where Frazier saw an opportunity to make adjustments that improve patient outcomes without increasing clinical burden. Through the creation of the Rapid Emergency Aftercare by Telehealth (REACT) program, pediatric emergency clinicians can interface digitally with patients who have made a recent visit to the emergency department to ensure their follow-up needs are met while reducing the family’s burden of time and money spent at the hospital.
“We physically can’t be everywhere, but we should be accessible to families beyond brick-and-mortar locations,” Frazier said.
Whether he’s working on improvements to clinical operations or counseling a family on healing in their most challenging hour, it’s clear from hearing Frazier’s perspective on all things related to health care that he has the hallmark blend of intelligence and compassion required of a physician leader.
“Barron is one of the kindest and most caring and gentle souls,” said Hayes. “I model my practice after him because I think he treats everyone with respect.”
View Barron Frazier’s Credo Award video.
If you are a VUMC employee, you can nominate a colleague for an Elevate Credo Award, C. Wright Pinson Leader Award, or Team Award. Visit the Elevate website to fill out a nomination form. Employees demonstrate credo behaviors when: They make those they serve the highest priority; respect privacy and confidentiality; communicate effectively; conduct themselves professionally; have a sense of ownership; and are committed to their colleagues. Elevate award nominations are accepted year-round. If a nomination is received after the cutoff for an award selection period, the nomination will be considered for the next period. VUMC VOICE will post stories on each of the award winners in the weeks following their announcement.
