Questions
and Answers
How
do I make an appointment for my adolescent?
To schedule an appointment in
the General Adolescent Clinic or one of the specialty clinics
at Children's
Hospital and Regional Medical Center you can call the central
appointment number (206) 987-2080 or (866) 987-2000, ext 72080
(toll free). For other clinic sites call
directly to the appointment scheduling numbers given for each
clinic (Clinics and Services). In
some cases you will require pre-authorization from your primary
care provider. In these cases the primary care provider should
request pre-authorization, and fill out a referral form.
Once
the referral form is faxed to our clinics, you can call to schedule
an appointment. Click
here for the referral form.
Which
clinic should I be seen in?
Most adolescent concerns can be
addressed in the General Adolescent Medicine Clinic at Children's
Hospital. However, our specialty consultative clinics at Children's
Hospital may be better equipped to address certain problems such
as chronic pain, headache, chronic fatigue, abuse evaluations
and gynecologic problems in children or young teens. The adolescent
clinic coordinator at (206) 987-6254 can assist you in determining
which clinic to be seen in.
What needs
to be done prior to the first appointment?
Depending on your insurance, you
may require referral from your primary care provider. Our Clinic
Coordinator can assist you with determining if this is necessary
prior to arriving for your appointment. We are a consultative
clinic. To provide the most comprehensive assessment possible
we often require outside records prior to scheduling an appointment.
Having these copies of records either sent from your teen's doctors
office or bringing them in person aids in our diagnostic evaluation
and prevents repetition of tests. Depending on the reason for
appointment, questionnaires may also be mailed to your home for
completion prior to the appointment.
What will
happen at the first appointment?
Our new intake appointments consist
of a full medical assessment with an adolescent faculty provider.
New patient appointments are typically 45 minutes to 1 hour in
duration. During that time, the provider will typically meet separately
with the adolescent and with the parents. The provider will take
a full medical history and perform a physical examination that
is focused on the reason for evaluation.
Please be sure that we have copies
of medical records, x-rays, or school documents that are relevant
for the question being evaluated prior to your first appointment.
Access to old records is particularly important if your teen has
a medical condition that has been going on a long time or if your
adolescent is being seen in our clinic for a second opinion. Depending
on the reason for evaluation, we also work with nutritionists,
psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational and physical therapists,
and social workers both at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical
Center and in the community. Referrals for these providers, when
needed, will typically occur during the first few visits.