Rady Children’s Hospital gender affirming care: contact, pediatric appointment steps, records, referrals, support, and family information
Rady Children’s Hospital gender affirming care information can be confusing because families may need clinic contact details, referral guidance, crisis resources, insurance steps, MyChart access, and current service-status confirmation at the same time.
Use this patient-focused guide to find the official Rady Children’s contacts, understand what to ask before scheduling, prepare for a pediatric specialty visit, request records, use MyChart, and find urgent mental-health support if a child or teen is in crisis.
Use this number first for Center for Gender Affirming Care and Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine routing.
Suite 450, San Diego, CA 92123, listed for Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine outpatient clinic.
Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego general line for hospital routing and main-campus questions.
Use Health Information / Release of Information for medical-record copy requests.
Use MyChart support for portal access, messages, test results, appointments, and medical-record requests.
For imminent danger, call 911. For crisis support, use 988 or San Diego Access & Crisis Line at 1-888-724-7240.
Overview: what families are usually trying to confirm
Families searching this topic are usually not looking for a generic hospital overview. They need current contact details, appointment rules, privacy expectations, crisis support, and a clear route to pediatric specialty care.
Rady Children’s official Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine resources list the Center for Gender Affirming Care phone number as 858-966-8493. Rady’s Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine location page lists the outpatient clinic at 7910 Frost Street, Suite 450, San Diego, CA 92123.
Because gender-affirming care services for minors have been the subject of legal and public-status changes, families should not assume that every service listed in older pages, provider biographies, PDFs, or third-party directories is currently available for new patients. Call first and ask direct, specific questions.
Rady Children’s gender affirming care contact directory
Use the right contact based on whether you need scheduling, medical records, portal access, billing, crisis help, or patient experience support.
| Need | Contact | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Center for Gender Affirming Care / Adolescent Medicine | 858-966-8493 | Scheduling status, referral requirements, clinic location, visit preparation, and current service availability. |
| Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine fax | 858-966-8188 | Provider referrals, outside records, authorizations, and documents requested by clinic staff. |
| Rady Children’s main hospital | 858-576-1700 | General routing, campus questions, hospital department transfers, and main switchboard help. |
| Customer Service / Referrals | 800-788-9029 or 858-966-4096 | Initial access questions, referral routing, pediatric resource navigation, and out-of-area family questions. |
| Medical Records / Release of Information | 858-966-5904 / Fax 858-966-8527 | Records requests, authorization forms, old chart copies, care-transfer records, and formal release questions. |
| MyChart support | 877-902-4278 / mychart@rchsd.org | Portal login, messages, results, appointment scheduling, proxy access, and medical-record requests through MyChart. |
| Patient Experience | 858-966-4950 / refsvc@rchsd.org | Care access concerns, experience feedback, communication problems, and escalation when a family cannot get clear routing. |
| Billing questions | 858-966-4912 | Hospital billing, estimates, balances, insurance questions, and account issues. |
How to check current appointment and service status
Gender-affirming care availability may change due to staffing, policy, legal actions, referrals, geography, insurance, age, or program capacity.
How to request an appointment or clinic guidance
Use this step-by-step process to avoid delays, missing records, or referral problems.
Referrals, authorizations, and primary care coordination
Many pediatric specialty visits require a referral or insurance authorization. Requirements vary by plan and network.
| Situation | Who may need to act | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Child has a Rady-affiliated pediatrician | Primary care doctor or Rady Children’s Health Network | “Can you submit a referral or guidance request for Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine / gender-affirming care?” |
| Family has HMO or managed-care insurance | Primary care doctor and insurance plan | “Is prior authorization required before Rady can schedule the visit?” |
| Family has PPO insurance | Clinic scheduling and insurance benefits team | “Does Rady require a referral even if my insurance does not?” |
| Family is outside San Diego / Imperial region | Rady referral center, clinic, insurance, and current provider | “Are out-of-area patients being scheduled, referred elsewhere, or placed on a review process?” |
| Current patient needs continuity | Clinic, current provider, medical records, and care team | “What is the continuity plan, next appointment date, medication plan, and emergency contact if symptoms worsen?” |
| Family needs another provider | Rady care team, insurer, pediatrician, and community navigator | “Can you provide referral options, records transfer, and a bridge plan while we locate care?” |
Questions to ask before a pediatric gender-affirming care visit
Families should get clear answers before the first appointment, especially when access rules may be changing.
Service availability
Ask which services are currently available, which are paused, and whether referrals are being accepted for new or returning patients.
Age and consent
Ask what parent, guardian, youth assent, consent, court, or documentation rules apply to the specific visit type.
Care team
Ask whether the visit involves adolescent medicine, endocrinology, gynecology, behavioral health, social work, primary care, or outside providers.
Insurance
Ask whether evaluation, labs, follow-up, medication management, mental-health support, or referrals are covered by your plan.
Records
Ask what outside records, school forms, mental-health notes, medication lists, lab results, or previous treatment history should be sent before the visit.
Safety plan
If your child has depression, anxiety, self-harm thoughts, bullying, or unsafe home/school issues, ask for crisis and mental-health routing immediately.
How to prepare for the appointment
Good preparation helps the care team understand the child’s medical, emotional, family, and school context.
| Bring or prepare | Why it matters | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance card and ID | Needed for check-in, billing, and authorization. | Ask whether both parent/guardian and patient identification are needed. |
| Referral and authorization | Some plans will not cover specialty visits without authorization. | Confirm Rady received it before the appointment date. |
| Medication and supplement list | Important for safety, interactions, and care planning. | Include dose, frequency, prescriber, and pharmacy. |
| Mental-health support history | The care team may need to understand therapy, diagnoses, hospitalizations, safety plans, or school stress. | Bring therapist contact information if the family wants coordinated care. |
| Outside medical records | Prior labs, growth charts, specialist notes, and relevant diagnoses may affect the visit. | Send records before the appointment when possible. |
| Name and pronoun preferences | Helps staff communicate respectfully while matching legal records correctly. | Ask how chosen name, legal name, and insurance name appear in the chart and portal. |
| Questions list | Visits can feel emotional and time-limited. | Write down your top concerns, safety questions, school needs, and follow-up expectations. |
Care topics families may discuss with the team
This section is informational. It does not say a specific treatment is available, appropriate, or currently scheduled at Rady. Confirm directly with the clinic.
Initial assessment
Families may discuss the child’s goals, medical history, mental-health history, family support, school context, and current concerns.
Primary care coordination
Pediatricians may help with referrals, immunizations, general wellness, safety screening, and routine adolescent health needs.
Mental-health support
Care may include therapy referrals, safety planning, family support, community resources, and crisis routing when needed.
Reproductive health
Adolescent medicine or gynecology may help with menstrual concerns, contraception, STI testing, pregnancy prevention, or related referrals.
Records and school documents
Families may need letters, medication lists, visit summaries, immunization records, school accommodations, or care-coordination paperwork.
Care transitions
If services are limited or a patient is aging out, ask about adult-care referrals, records transfer, medication continuity, and follow-up timing.
Mental health and social support resources listed by Rady
Rady’s Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine resources page lists crisis support and community support options. Some are emergency resources and others are ongoing support resources.
| Resource | Contact | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Rady Children’s Behavioral Health Urgent Care | 858-966-5484 4305 University Ave., Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92105 |
Urgent behavioral-health concerns when a child or teen needs prompt local assessment. |
| San Diego County Emergency Screening Unit | 619-876-4502 4309 3rd Ave., San Diego, CA 92103 |
Emergency psychiatric assistance for children and adolescents under age 18. |
| San Diego County Access & Crisis Line | 1-888-724-7240 | 24/7 crisis support and Mobile Crisis Response Team access. |
| Trevor Project Lifeline | 1-866-488-7386 Text START to 678-678 |
24/7 crisis support for LGBTQ youth by phone, text, or chat. |
| TransFamily Support Services | 858-304-0085 | Family coaching, healthcare and insurance navigation, legal support, school support, and gender-affirming therapist navigation. |
| Hillcrest Youth Center | 619-497-2920 | Safe gathering space and youth social-service resources. |
| North County LGBTQ Resource Center | 760-994-1690 | Support resources in North County, including gender-affirming therapist information listed by Rady. |
What to do in a crisis
Use emergency support immediately if a child or teen may harm themselves or someone else, is unsafe, or is experiencing a psychiatric emergency.
MyChart access for appointments, messages, results, and records
Rady says current patients can use MyChart to communicate with the clinical team and access portions of the child’s medical record.
Portal support
Call 877-902-4278 or email mychart@rchsd.org for MyChart help.
Messaging
Rady instructs current patients to log into MyChart, go to Messages, and click “Ask a Question” to contact the care team.
Records request
Rady’s Medical Records page says records can be requested through MyChart when available.
Proxy access
Parents or guardians may need proxy access. Rules may vary by age, privacy law, and adolescent confidentiality requirements.
Medical records, letters, and care-transfer documents
Use Rady’s Health Information Department / Release of Information for formal records requests.
Insurance, billing, estimates, and financial assistance
Gender-related specialty care, mental-health support, labs, visits, prescriptions, and referrals may be handled differently by different insurance plans.
| Question | Who to ask | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Is the visit covered? | Insurance plan and Rady scheduling | Specialty visit coverage, referral requirement, prior authorization, copay, deductible, and network status. |
| Are labs or medications covered? | Insurance plan, pharmacy benefits, and prescribing clinician | Lab location, medication formulary, prior authorization, refill rules, and pharmacy choice. |
| Can I get an estimate? | Rady billing / MyChart estimate tools | Visit estimate, facility charges, professional charges, lab charges, and out-of-pocket estimate. |
| What if we cannot pay? | Financial Assistance / billing support | Eligibility, application documents, payment plan, charity care, and whether assistance applies to the service. |
| What if care is denied? | Insurance plan, provider office, patient advocacy, and legal/benefits support if needed | Denial reason, appeal deadline, medical-necessity letter, records needed, and alternative covered providers. |
Privacy, parent access, adolescent confidentiality, and respectful communication
Gender-related pediatric care can involve sensitive medical, behavioral-health, family, school, and legal information.
Legal name and chosen name
Ask how the chart, wristband, portal, insurance claim, school letter, and billing statement will display legal name and chosen name.
Pronouns
Families can ask staff how pronouns are documented and shared with the care team to support respectful communication.
Parent or guardian access
Proxy access may vary by age, California privacy rules, adolescent confidentiality, service type, and chart category.
School and community letters
Ask whether letters, forms, or recommendations require a separate appointment, signed release, or mental-health documentation.
Records release
Only release records to people or organizations that are authorized in writing, especially when sensitive information is involved.
Safety planning
If the child faces bullying, family conflict, harassment, self-harm, or unsafe housing, ask for a mental-health and social-work safety plan.
Location, map, parking, and visit logistics
Confirm the appointment location before arrival because specialty clinics, hospital departments, and administrative offices may be in different buildings.
Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine Outpatient Clinic
Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego
7910 Frost Street, Suite 450
San Diego, CA 92123
Phone: 858-966-8493
Fax: 858-966-8188
Useful Rady Children’s links for families
Use official pages for final instructions because program status, forms, contacts, and clinic rules may change.
| Official page | Use it for | After opening |
|---|---|---|
| Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine Resources | Center for Gender Affirming Care phone number, crisis resources, and community support resources. | Call the listed center number and verify current appointment availability. |
| Adolescent Medicine Locations | Clinic address, phone, fax, and Rady location details. | Confirm whether your visit is at Frost Street, main campus, telemedicine, or another clinic. |
| Rady Contact Us | Main hospital, referrals, medical records, patient experience, international services, and billing contacts. | Use the correct department rather than calling a general line repeatedly. |
| Medical Records | MyChart record requests, authorization forms, mailing address, fax, email, and ROI requirements. | Prepare patient details and specific record types before submitting the request. |
| MyChart Contact | MyChart phone, email, and portal-support routing. | Use for portal access, login problems, messaging, and parent/guardian access issues. |
| Health Information Exchanges | Care Everywhere, San Diego Health Connect, immunization registry, and health information exchange guidance. | Use when transferring care or helping providers access outside records. |
Official-source checklist for this Rady Children’s guide
This page is based on Rady’s official contact, Adolescent Medicine, MyChart, Medical Records, and support-resource pages, plus publicly reported legal-status context. Verify again before scheduling care.
Rady Children’s gender affirming care FAQs
Common questions families ask about contact details, pediatric specialty care, referrals, current availability, MyChart, medical records, crisis support, insurance, privacy, and clinic location.