Memorial Hermann Children’s Hosp.: Pediatric Care & Info

Memorial Hermann reports that the Children’s Emergency Center manages illnesses and injuries ranging from relatively minor pediatric conditions to major trauma. The center is supported by pediatric specialty and critical-care services when children need surgery, intensive care, neonatal care or transfer from another hospital.

The Children’s Pediatric and Neonatal Transport Team is also available 24 hours a day for qualifying transfers from hospitals and clinics. The referring-provider Transfer Center numbers published by Memorial Hermann are 713-704-2500 or 713-704-5433.

The hospital is also designated as a Level I Children’s Surgery Center and operates a Level IV NICU. Memorial Hermann’s FY25 material lists nationally recognized pediatric programs in cardiology/heart surgery, gastroenterology/GI surgery, neonatology, neurology/neurosurgery and orthopedics.

High-use appointment numbers

Pediatric cardiology — Children’s Heart Institute

The TMC Pediatric Cardiology Clinic is at 6410 Fannin St., Suite 370. The main appointment line is 713-486-6755.

Memorial Hermann’s pediatric specialist directory has also listed TMC cardiologists including Dilachew Adebo, Avichal Aggarwal, Vidhya Annavajjhala, Gurur Biliciler-Denktas, Matthew Brown, Fatemat Hassan, Muhammad Khan, Rami Kharouf, Kiran Mallula, Mohammed Numan, Adriana Prada Ruiz, Santosh Uppu, Elizabeth Wang-Giuffre and Li Xiong. Because medical-staff rosters can change, availability should be confirmed through the clinic rather than treating an older roster as a permanent schedule.

Pediatric neurology — Children’s Neuroscience Center

Most of the TMC neurology profiles below use 6410 Fannin St., Suite 500.

Pediatric surgery

UT Physicians Pediatric Surgery at the Texas Medical Center is at 6410 Fannin St., Suite 950. Memorial Hermann physician profiles for current surgeons at that clinic publish weekday office hours of 8 a.m.-5 p.m. for the location.

Memorial Hermann’s pediatric specialist directory has also listed Mary Austin, MD; Charles Cox Jr., MD; Danielle Hsu, MD; Akemi Kawaguchi, MD; Kevin Lally, MD; and Allison Speer, MD with the TMC pediatric surgery service. Use the same 832-325-7234 scheduling route to verify current staff and each surgeon’s appointment day.

General pediatrics

Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Children’s Memorial Hermann operates a 118-bed Level IV NICU. Level IV represents the highest neonatal care level in Texas and supports critically ill and very premature newborns who may need complex medical, surgical or subspecialty treatment.

Pediatric Intensive Care

Pediatric critical-care teams manage children with severe illness, trauma, postoperative needs and multisystem disease. Hospital inpatient guidance also describes advanced support such as ECMO for selected critically ill newborns and children.

NICU access and visitor requirements

• A picture ID is required for anyone entering the NICU, including parents.
• The NICU has published nursing shift-report periods from 6:45-7:15 a.m. and 6:45-7:15 p.m.
• Parents/guardians control approved visitors according to unit policy.
• NICU visitor restrictions can become stricter during respiratory/flu seasons.
• Families should not visit when ill or after relevant contagious-disease exposure.

Important inpatient numbers

What the official surgery guide tells parents to bring

• Insurance or Medicaid card.
• Driver’s license or other photo identification.
• A clean comfort item for the child, such as a stuffed animal or blanket.
• Any special bottle, cup, diet or formula the child needs.
• Special medical equipment and emergency accessories if the child uses devices such as CPAP/BiPAP, a tracheostomy or ventilator.

Arrival time

The official surgery brochure tells families to plan to arrive approximately 1½ to 2 hours before surgery unless the physician gives different instructions. A nurse calls before surgery with the most current arrival and procedure information.

Food and drink instructions

When parents should call before surgery

The hospital asks families to alert the surgery team about recent contagious disease, respiratory illness, premature infants who may need observation, recent significant illness, or children who use specialized medical equipment. The published contact for these questions is 713-704-1383.

Pediatric inpatient care is family-centered, but visiting practices vary by unit and can change temporarily because of infection-control concerns, patient condition or intensive-care procedures.

Can a parent stay overnight?

Yes. Children’s Memorial Hermann states that parents or guardians are welcome to stay overnight with their child. One adult may sleep on the patient-room window seat, and a limited number of parent sleep rooms may be available after 5 p.m. depending on availability.

Ronald McDonald House inside the hospital

A 14-bedroom Ronald McDonald House is located inside Children’s Memorial Hermann. Seven rooms serve PICU families and seven serve NICU families. The space includes family living areas, laundry facilities, a kitchenette, internet access and other amenities.

The hospital describes daytime rest rooms and overnight sleeping rooms that are assigned through the unit based on availability. Overnight rooms are coordinated through the child’s nurse.

Visitor infection precautions

• Wash or sanitize hands before entering and after leaving the child’s room.
• Do not visit if you are ill.
• Do not enter another patient’s room.
• Tell staff about significant contagious-disease exposure when relevant.
• Follow unit-specific masking, isolation and infection-control instructions.

Published parking rates on the Children’s patient page

Hospital valet hours

• Monday-Friday: 5 a.m.-9 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

Memorial Hermann Parking Services: 713-704-2027.
Texas Medical Center Parking Services: 713-749-0501.

Why ER fees vary

A pediatric Emergency Center bill can involve multiple components depending on what the child needs. These may include:

• Emergency department facility charges.
• Emergency physician professional services.
• Laboratory testing.
• X-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI or other imaging.
• Medication and IV therapy.
• Procedures or sedation.
• Specialist consultation.
• Surgery or anesthesia.
• Observation or inpatient admission.
• PICU/NICU care if required.

How to get a planned-service estimate

Memorial Hermann lists 832-658-6455 for information about scheduled procedures and pre-service estimates. The health system also publishes hospital price-transparency information and machine-readable standard-charge data.

A child’s insurance plan should be checked against both the hospital facility and the individual physician or physician group. A doctor can participate differently from the hospital, and individual insurance products under the same insurer name can have different networks.

Before scheduled care

1. Give the clinic the exact insurance plan from the card.
2. Ask whether the physician is in-network.
3. Ask whether Children’s Memorial Hermann is in-network for the planned service.
4. Confirm whether prior authorization is needed.
5. Request a pre-service estimate for higher-cost procedures.

For detailed hospital charges, ask Patient Business Services for an itemized statement. It can help families compare billed services with insurance explanations of benefits.

Memorial Hermann has a Financial Assistance Program for eligible patients who cannot fully pay qualifying hospital expenses. Free applications are available online, through hospital registration areas and by phone.

Application documents may include

• Completed financial-assistance application.
• Income documentation.
• Recent tax information.
• Employer/pay documentation.
• Bank or other financial records when requested.

Completed applications can be sent according to Memorial Hermann’s current application instructions. Hospital financial counselors can also help patients understand the process.

Medical-record request

Parents or legal guardians requesting a child’s records should use Memorial Hermann’s Release of Information process. Authorization and identity documentation may be needed depending on the records requested and the person requesting them.

My Memorial Hermann / MyChart

Memorial Hermann’s digital account can provide access to eligible health information. Activation codes may be obtained through a clinic, after registration or by contacting the patient portal support line.

Child Life and Expressive Therapies

Children’s Memorial Hermann’s Child Life team helps children and families understand hospitalization, procedures and treatment in age-appropriate ways. Services can include therapeutic play, emotional support, procedure preparation, distraction, developmental activities and support for siblings.

Child Life phone: 713-704-3553.

Activity rooms are available on pediatric floors 8, 9 and 10. Children who cannot leave their rooms because of medical or isolation needs may receive appropriate activities at bedside.

Language assistance

Interpreter services are available upon request. Families who need spoken-language interpretation or communication assistance should tell registration staff or their child’s nurse.

Concierge help

The Texas Medical Center Concierge assists with campus navigation, local hotels, restaurants and other visitor questions. Call 713-704-1007.

Chaplain and spiritual services

Chaplaincy services: 713-704-4160. The campus includes the Mirtha G. Dunn Interfaith Chapel, Sterling Prayer & Meditation Room and a Muslim prayer space.