Children’s Hospital Anschutz: Pediatric Care & Info

The hospital is adjacent to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado School of Medicine and UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. Many Children’s Colorado specialists are faculty members of the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Go to emergency care for problems such as

• Severe asthma or breathing difficulty despite treatment.
• Head injury with vomiting, confusion or reduced alertness.
• Severe abdominal pain.
• Seizure that does not stop.
• Severe cut with excessive bleeding.
• Severe allergic reaction.
• Major burns.
• Suspected poisoning.
• Serious trauma or multiple injuries.

What happens in the ER?

Trauma services cover the full care pathway

• Pre-hospital coordination.
• Emergency stabilization.
• Pediatric diagnostic imaging.
• Trauma surgery.
• Orthopedic trauma.
• Neurosurgical trauma.
• Pediatric intensive care.
• Acute inpatient treatment.
• Rehabilitation.
• Injury-prevention education.

Examples of injuries treated include brain injuries, head injuries, broken bones, burns, pelvic injuries and serious animal or human bites.

Programs include

• Congenital heart disease.
• Cardiac catheterization.
• Electrophysiology.
• Fetal cardiology.
• Cardiac MRI and CT.
• Congenital-heart surgery.
• Cardiac intensive care.
• Cardiomyopathy and heart failure.
• Heart transplantation.
• Pulmonary hypertension.
• Adult congenital-heart disease.

The Anschutz Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders provides pediatric hematology, oncology, blood and marrow transplant, cellular therapy and multidisciplinary cancer services.

Examples of conditions treated

• Leukemia.
• Lymphoma.
• Brain and spinal-cord tumors.
• Bone cancers.
• Solid tumors.
• Sickle-cell disease.
• Bleeding and clotting disorders.
• Bone-marrow failure syndromes.
• Immunodeficiency requiring transplant-related care.

Neurosurgery treats conditions including

• Hydrocephalus.
• Epilepsy and seizures.
• Brain and spinal-cord tumors.
• Spina bifida.
• Neurovascular disorders.
• Spasticity.
• Craniofacial/skull disorders.
• Traumatic brain and spine injuries.

The neurosurgery program also uses advanced technologies including the ROSA surgical-assistance platform for selected neurological procedures.

The Department of Pediatric Surgery performs both routine and highly complex operations and collaborates with cardiac, neonatal, oncology, trauma, urology, ENT, orthopedic, neurosurgical and intensive-care teams.

Programs and procedures can include

• Appendectomy.
• Hernia repair.
• Neonatal surgery.
• Fetal surgery.
• Thoracic surgery.
• Colorectal surgery.
• Pediatric oncology surgery.
• Trauma surgery.
• Minimally invasive surgery.
• Robotic-assisted procedures.

Children’s Colorado describes the Anschutz PICU as the largest pediatric intensive care unit in the Rocky Mountain region.

Reasons for PICU care can include

• Severe respiratory failure.
• Sepsis.
• Major trauma.
• Organ failure.
• Complex postoperative care.
• Neurological emergencies.
• High-risk chronic disease complications.

Level IV resources include

• 24/7 pediatric medical and surgical subspecialists.
• Complex neonatal surgery.
• Pediatric anesthesiology.
• Advanced respiratory support.
• Neurocritical care.
• ECMO and other advanced support when appropriate.
• On-site fetal and pediatric specialists.
• Regional neonatal transport coordination.

The Anschutz NICU accepts critically ill infants from Colorado and other states and can care for babies with extremely rare or medically complex conditions.

The Anschutz campus has an unusually integrated setup for a children’s hospital: the Colorado Fetal Care Center can provide prenatal diagnosis, fetal treatment, maternal-fetal care, delivery and immediate access to neonatal and pediatric subspecialists under the same pediatric-care system.

Fetal services can include

• Advanced fetal ultrasound.
• Fetal MRI.
• Fetal echocardiography.
• Genetic evaluation.
• Fetoscopic treatment.
• Open fetal surgery.
• High-risk delivery.
• Immediate Level IV NICU care.
• Immediate cardiac intensive care when needed.

Advanced pediatric imaging can include

• X-ray.
• Ultrasound.
• MRI.
• CT.
• Nuclear medicine.
• Cardiac imaging.
• Fetal imaging.
• Image-guided procedures.

Pharmacy holiday closures

The hospital currently lists closures on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Long-stay RV parking

RV parking may be available for families of inpatients staying at least five days. Call Parking and Access Control at 720-777-9775.

Current inpatient visitor rules

• Hospitalized patients may have up to 10 people on their approved visitor list.
• Up to four approved visitors may generally be on the unit at one time.
• Parents/legal guardians and the patient’s spouse/partner can visit 24/7.
• Most other visitors, including siblings, visit during 10am–8pm hours.
• Only two visitors may remain on site overnight.
• Unit-specific clinical or infection-control restrictions can override these general limits.

Gift Shop

The gift shop is on the first floor on the east side of the Boettcher Atrium. Phone: 720-777-6316.

Mon–Thu: 9am–4pm
Friday: 9am–3pm
Evening/weekend availability depends on volunteers.

Family Resource Center includes

• Business center.
• Kitchen and dining area.
• Laundry.
• Shower room.
• Relaxation room with massage chair.
• Private respite rooms on a first-come basis.
• Lodging help.
• Transportation assistance.
• Food, clothing and toiletry support when available.
• MyChart activation help.
• Community-resource referrals.

Welcome Program

The Welcome Program focuses on families who live more than 60 miles away or have not previously visited the Anschutz campus.

Creative Play Center

Children’s Colorado works with many major health insurance plans and national transplant networks. However, not every plan from an insurer is accepted.

Major participating plan families include

2026 Exchange plans that include Children’s Colorado

• Anthem HMO Mountain Enhanced / Mountain Enhanced Standard.
• Denver Health Elevate / Elevate Colorado Option.
• Kaiser Permanente KP Select.
• Kaiser Permanente KP CO HMO.
• Kaiser Permanente KP Colorado Option.
• Selected Rocky Mountain Health Plans products.
• Select Health Value / Value Colorado Option.

Current published average self-pay ER facility charges

Examples of current average self-pay inpatient charges at Anschutz

Payment options

• MyChart.
• MyChart Guest Pay.
• Telephone payment.
• Check or money order by mail.
• Payment plan after the visit/bill is generated.

Automatic monthly payment plans can be set up through MyChart or by calling Patient Financial Services.

Anyone can ask for financial-assistance screening. If a child does not have insurance, Children’s Colorado says its Financial Counseling team will automatically reach out to discuss available options.

Programs can include

• Government assistance.
• Hospital financial assistance.
• Hospital Discounted Care.
• Medicaid application help.
• CHP+ assistance.
• Flexible payment arrangements.

Many payment plans are six months or less, although longer arrangements may be considered case by case.

Adolescent confidentiality

• Patient signature is required at age 13+ for certain reproductive-health, HIV/AIDS or drug/alcohol records.
• Patient signature is required at age 12+ for behavioral-health or psychiatric-care information.