New referral guidelines are now available from Seattle Children’s Neurosciences Center, along with new resources to help manage patients with tic and headache in primary care.
The current wait time for new patients with non-urgent headache or tic is about 3 months. As Seattle Children’s continues its effort to improve access to specialty care for children who most need it, the headache and tic resources from Neurosciences are intended to help patients with these conditions find appropriate care with their primary physician and avoid the longer waits to see a specialist.
Please visit the Neurosciences “Refer a Patient” webpage. Read full post »
As announced last week in a special Provider News bulletin, Seattle Children’s has re-opened the operating rooms (ORs) on the hospital campus that were previously closed for installation of a new air handling system and in-room HEPA filtration systems in each OR. We are taking a thoughtful approach to rescheduling surgeries that were postponed due to the closure, including reviewing surgeries on a daily basis to assess urgency and priority.
For surgery referrals, please follow our normal referral process. Read full post »
Ocean Pharmacy Now Open 24 Hours
On Feb. 24, the hours of our Ocean Pharmacy expanded to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The goal of this expansion is to enhance the continuity of care patients receive at Seattle Children’s. Patient families can now avoid the hassle of finding a late-night pharmacy after being discharged from the Emergency Department. The expanded hours will also help improve daytime turnaround times for inpatient and surgery center discharges.
Ocean Pharmacy is not open to the general public. Read full post »
To help contain the spread of COVID-19 in our community, Seattle Children’s is canceling large group gatherings taking place at our facilities, including those with attendees from the community (e.g. CMEs, classes, conferences, PALS courses, etc.). Some Grand Rounds may be moved to WebEx rather than cancelled. Please check with event organizers if you have questions or need additional information. If you are registered for an event and it is moved to WebEx only, event organizers will notify you. Read full post »
Seattle Children’s is preparing for the 2019 novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). A Provider News special bulletin on Jan. 24 provided information about the plans we have in place for detection and prevention of the virus. To date, no Seattle Children’s patients have tested positive for 2019-nCoV.
Primary care providers (PCPs) who are caring for a patient with suspected 2019-nCoV should first contact Public Health-Seattle & King County. If, after discussing with Public Health, the decision is made to send the patient to Seattle Children’s, the PCP should first notify our Emergency Department (ED) Communications Center at 206-987-8899.
Visit Public Health-Seattle & King County’s website for a complete list of resources for families and healthcare professionals.
Read Seattle Children’s Jan. 24 bulletin on the coronavirus.
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Seattle Children’s is recruiting infants for a new study at Seattle Children’s. The WONDER research study uses technology and behavioral assessments to monitor and map social brain development. The study consists of five in-person study visits during the first three years of life at our research lab in Seattle. During visits, researchers record brain activity and eye movements while showing the child pictures and videos. They engage the child in play-based activities to assess different aspects of development, such as language and motor skills.
We are recruiting English-speaking families with infants under the age of 6 months to be part of one of three groups:
- Infants with an older sibling (whole or half) with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.
- Infants born with low birth weight – 3lbs., 15 oz. or less (1800 g).
- Infants born weighing more than 5 lbs., 5oz. (2500 g) with no known serious medical conditions and no first- or second-degree relatives with autism.
Read full post »
Seattle Children’s Endocrinology program has posted new algorithms for goiter, hypothyroid, obesity, short stature and vitamin D deficiency on its Refer a Patient page webpage, along with related resources for these conditions. The tools help PCPs know how and when to manage their patients’ endocrinology care in the primary care setting.
Seattle Children’s recently announced updated referral requirements for several specialties, including Endocrinology and Diabetes, Genetics and Gastroenterology, as well as a major change in the Diabetes intake and patient education protocol. Otherwise, healthy diabetes patients ages five and up will now be referred to a two-day outpatient education program rather than the previously prescribed two- to three-day inpatient hospital stay, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements. Details are available on our Endocrinology and Diabetes Refer a Patient page under “Patients newly diagnosed with diabetes.” Read full post »
Seattle Children’s has developed a new Musculoskeletal Infections Pathway. The purpose of the pathway is to develop and standardize an evidence-based approach for the evaluation and care of patients with musculoskeletal infections, including septic arthritis and osteomyelitis.
Pathway Recommendations:
- Order CBC with differential, CRP and ESR for all patients undergoing diagnostic evaluation for septic arthritis and/or osteomyelitis.
- Order two blood cultures (aerobic + anaerobic) for all patients undergoing diagnostic evaluation for septic arthritis and/or osteomyelitis with moderate/high likelihood of disease. Consider ordering two blood cultures (aerobic + anaerobic) for all patients undergoing diagnostic evaluation for osteomyelitis with low likelihood of disease. Blood cultures (aerobic + anaerobic) should be drawn prior to initiating antibiotics for patients with confirmed musculoskeletal infections.
- Order X-ray of the suspected involved bone(s)/joint(s) for all patients undergoing diagnostic evaluation for septic arthritis and/or osteomyelitis.
- Order ultrasound of the suspected involved joint(s) for all patients undergoing diagnostic evaluation for septic arthritis, particularly ultrasound of the hip in any patient at risk for septic arthritis of the hip joint.
- Empiric first-dose antibiotics for septic arthritis and/or osteomyelitis should include:
a) Nontoxic; low risk for MRSA: cefazolin 50 mg/kg IV × 1 (max dose: 2000 mg)
b) Nontoxic; cefazolin allergy or MRSA risk factors present: clindamycin 13.3 mg/kg IV × 1 (max dose: 600 mg)
c) Systemically/critically ill and MRSA not yet ruled out by culture: vancomycin 15 mg/kg IV × 1 (max dose: 2000 mg)
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Help prevent RSV pneumonia in healthy infants. Seattle Children’s is recruiting infants for a phase 3 clinical research study looking at an investigational medication (monoclonal antibody) for prevention of RSV lower respiratory tract infection. Infants may be eligible if they were born on or after May 1, 2019, reached gestational age of 35 weeks or later and are healthy with no known history of RSV infection or lung disease. Infants would be in the study for about one year and six months, and would come to the Seattle Children’s research center for at least six visits. Infants would be closely monitored for respiratory illness throughout the study.
The MELODY study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. It will include about 3,000 babies globally. Dr. Janet Englund of Seattle Children’s is the principal investigator.
If you would like to learn more about the study or have a patient who is interested, please contact IDResearch@seattlechildrens.org or call 206-884-1100.
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Seattle Children’s has released new referral guidelines for Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Genetics — specialty clinics with access challenges and longer wait times for new patient appointments. Each clinic is open to new referrals.
The new guidelines are designed to improve new patients’ timely access to specialty care while redirecting patients who do not require specialty care to their medical home and primary care provider (PCP), along with resources for PCPs to assist them in managing their patients’ care.
View the new referral guidelines on the “Refer a Patient” pages for:
View the printable PDF flyers summarizing the referral guidelines changes:
Referral guidelines for other specialty clinics will be updated and posted on their “Refer a Patient” webpages as they become available. Read full post »
