Seattle Children’s is increasing in-person appointments and is ready to see your patients. To partner with and support PCPs, we are continuing to update our referral guidelines and resources including many new algorithms to help assess and manage patients’ conditions. Learn more.

Our Capacity

  • ALL Seattle Children’s locations are open for in-person appointments, with just two exceptions: Outpatient Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Clinic at Overlake and South Sound Cardiology (SSC) in Centralia are still temporarily closed (SSC Federal Way, Silverdale and Tacoma are open).
  • We are returning to normal ambulatory volumes. We expect to be back to 80+% of our normal ambulatory volumes by the end of June and hope to further expand capacity in the following months.
  • Our Urgent Cares are open and have capacity, both for appointments and COVID-19 testing. Patients can schedule an appointment online or just walk in.
  • We are encouraging families to get the care they need, either in-person or through telehealth appointments. We are proactively contacting families to schedule new and follow-up visits, but also encourage families to contact us to schedule since we often are unable to reach them.

What Families Can Expect

  • We are calling patient families to schedule surgeries, procedures and appointments that were previously cancelled due to COVID-19 and/or improvements to our operating rooms.
  • We are triaging ambulatory appointment requests to ensure timely care for children with the most pressing needs. For details, see our COVID-19 FAQs under “Changes to ambulatory clinics, services and scheduling.”
  • We have robust safety measures in place to keep patients, families and our workforce safe from exposure to COVID-19 while at our sites of care. Families can expect changes when visiting our locations, including:
    • Pre-appointment: We provide information via phone call and text to let families know what to expect when they arrive and the extra safety measures in place for COVID-19.
    • Visitor limits at all locations:
      • 1 parent or caregiver only (no siblings, etc.): all clinic appointments, surgery center, Urgent Care, Emergency Department, research appointments.
      • 2 parents or caregivers only (no siblings, etc.): for patients who are staying inpatient. Parents and caregivers must follow guidelines for staying in their child’s room, wear masks, practice physical distancing and monitor for signs of illness.
    • Symptom screening upon arrival: All patients and families are asked screening questions at facility entrances and their temperatures are taken. Based on their responses, we may conduct further screening, test the patient for COVID-19 and/or isolate them. Some patients are proactively tested prior to their clinic appointment or inpatient admission.
    • Mandatory COVID-19 testing before all surgeries and procedures: If a patient tests positive for COVID-19, their attending surgeon and our Infection Prevention specialist will made a determination about next steps.
    • Universal masks on everyone: Everyone including patients 2+ years old, families and visitors are required to wear a mask at all times. We will provide one if needed.
    • Social distancing: We have signage and instructions for social distancing at areas of our hospital and clinics where people might congregate. Places like our family lounges and waiting rooms are being restructured to allow people to keep physical distance of at least 6 feet.
    • Daily screening for our workforce: We are screening all of our staff upon entry for signs of illness. If an employee is found to have signs of illness, they are referred to COVID-19 testing and asked to follow our standard work restriction policy as it applies to them.
  • Please direct families to seattlechildrens.org/covid to stay up-to-date.

Expanded Telehealth Services

  • We have significantly ramped up our telehealth capabilities. Almost all specialties are now seeing patients via telehealth, when it is clinically appropriate.
  • We offer interpreter services for patients who need assistance scheduling or attending their telehealth appointments.
  • We updated our New Appointment Request Form (PDF) to ask PCPs to note if there are any known barriers to performing a successful telehealth visit.
  • If a family prefers an in-person or phone visit, we accommodate their request depending on their clinical needs and also, in the case of in-person visits, our capacity for in-person appointments.
  • We are now asking families to access their telehealth appointment using MyChart. This will allow us to protect patient privacy and lets families cancel/request appointments and complete pre-appointment paperwork at home.
    • We are helping families to get signed up and navigate the process.
    • If a family declines to use MyChart or is unable to do so, there is an alternative process for them to access their telehealth visit.

Importance of Getting Timely Care

Like you, we are letting families know the importance of accessing health care for their child so they are not at risk for more severe complications. This includes well-child visits and vaccinations, scheduling specialist appointments, and taking their child to the Emergency Department or Urgent Care without delay when needed. We appreciate your partnership in reinforcing these messages.

Thank You

We know this has been a challenging time for our community. We are grateful for your collaboration as we all work together to adapt to providing care to patients and families during a pandemic.

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