Preparing for Your Child's Appointment

The first three items on this list are "musts" for everyone. The remaining items may or may not be necessary:

• Your child's social security number
• Insurance card — including the insurer's name and address and the policy number
• Cash, check, or major credit card — such as Visa, MasterCard, or American Express — to pay for services not covered by insurance
• Referral, if required by your insurance
• Name, address and phone number of your child's referring physician
• Your employer's (or your spouse's employer's) name, address and phone number — if you are covered by insurance provided by that employer
• Medical records, lab tests, X-rays, pathology slides or other tests if your child is coming here for a second opinion
• A list of all medications your child is taking, including prescribed, over-the-counter, herbal and supplemental medication
• Birth history
• A book or other activity to occupy your child in the waiting area

During a doctor's appointment, you may have a lot of questions and your child's doctor will answer them as clearly as possible. To help yourself remember all of this information, bring a pen and pad of paper to write down the answers to the following questions:

• What is my child's diagnosis?
• What is the recommended treatment?
• Are there any alternative treatment options that we should consider?

If your child is having surgery, the following questions may be helpful:

• What are the risks and benefits of the surgery?
• Is this a commonly performed surgery?
• How long is the recovery period?
• How will my child's pain be managed during and after surgery?
• Should I or my child donate blood to be used during the surgery?
• What sorts of preparations should we make before surgery? (i.e. taking certain medication, fasting or X-rays)
• What will my child need after surgery? Will he or she need home care, additional clinic visits or medication?

You may be asked to pay for services not covered by insurance, or your insurance may require a co-payment. Please bring cash, check, or a major credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express).

Just as each individual is different, so too are the vast number of health care plans. While not exclusive, our list of accepted insurance plans should give you some idea of the wide range of HMOs, PPOs and other health care plans with whom we contract. If you don't see your plan listed on our insurance plans page, or if you have any questions about payment, please contact us:

Phone: 1-888-824-0200

Email: UCMConnect@uchospitals.edu

Our child life specialists can help prepare you and your child emotionally for his or her appointment by using teaching dolls, books and medical equipment. If you would like this type of assistance, call the Child Life and Family Education Program at 773-702-6481.