UPMC Children’s Hosp. of Pittsburgh: Pediatric Care & Info

UPMC Children’s Emergency Department manages acute illness, worsening chronic disease and injuries of all severity levels. An attending-level pediatric emergency physician provides direct care and supervision around the clock.

Benedum Pediatric Trauma Program

The Benedum Pediatric Trauma Program provides the highest level of pediatric trauma care in western Pennsylvania.

Immediate specialty support includes:

• Pediatric trauma surgery.
• Neurosurgery.
• Orthopaedic surgery.
• Pediatric anesthesiology.
• Pediatric critical care.
• Radiology.
• Plastic surgery.
• ENT.
• Oral/maxillofacial surgery.
• Urology.
• Ophthalmology.
• Child Life and social work.

Best garage for the ER

Penn Garage, entered from 44th Street, is the primary parking location for outpatient families and Emergency Department visitors.

Need several appointments during one trip?

Existing patients who need help coordinating multiple visits can contact Navigation Services at 412-692-5687.

Heart services include

• Pediatric cardiology.
• Congenital heart disease.
• Fetal cardiology.
• Echocardiography and cardiac imaging.
• Cardiac catheterization.
• Electrophysiology.
• Congenital heart surgery.
• Heart failure.
• Heart transplantation.
• Adult congenital heart disease.

Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

UPMC Children’s current campus description lists a 33-bed Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.

Heart specialists work with pediatric cardiac intensivists, surgeons, pharmacists, nurses, respiratory therapists and social workers.

Neurology programs include

• Epilepsy.
• Headache disorders.
• Neuromuscular disease.
• Pediatric stroke.
• Neurogenetics.
• Neurofibromatosis.
• Tuberous sclerosis.
• Neurocritical care.
• Rare neurological disorders.

Neurosurgery treats

• Brain tumors.
• Hydrocephalus.
• Chiari malformation.
• Epilepsy requiring surgery.
• Neurovascular disorders.
• Spine disorders.
• Skull-base conditions.

UPMC Children’s provides multidisciplinary treatment for childhood cancers and hematologic disorders.

Programs include

• Leukemia.
• Lymphoma.
• Brain tumors / neuro-oncology.
• Solid tumors.
• Sickle cell disease.
• Bleeding and clotting disorders.
• Bone marrow / stem-cell transplantation.
• CAR T-cell therapy for selected patients.
• Clinical trials.
• Pediatric surgical oncology.

Current dedicated units

UPMC Children’s describes an inpatient hematology/oncology service with 11 general oncology beds and 6 bone-marrow-transplant beds.

Orthopaedic care includes

• Fractures.
• Orthopaedic trauma.
• Sports injuries.
• Hip disorders.
• Scoliosis and spine deformity.
• Limb-length differences.
• Hand and upper-extremity conditions.
• Congenital musculoskeletal conditions.

Orthopaedic Urgent Care

UPMC Children’s also operates Orthopaedic Urgent Care for eligible minor bone, muscle and joint injuries.

Main-campus Orthopaedic Urgent Care: 412-692-8410.

Surgical care includes

• General pediatric surgery.
• Thoracic surgery.
• Minimally invasive surgery.
• Robotic surgery.
• Trauma surgery.
• Surgical oncology.
• Colorectal surgery.
• Newborn congenital anomalies.
• Vascular access.
• Selected pediatric/adolescent gynecologic surgery.

Current operating-room capacity

The Lawrenceville campus lists 14 operating suites, including seven designed for advanced minimally invasive procedures.

UPMC Children’s has a long history in pediatric transplantation and provides organ, blood and marrow transplant services through the Hillman Center.

Level IV NICU

UPMC Children’s NICU is a combined medical-surgical Level IV unit for newborns with the most complex medical and surgical conditions, including infants who may require neonatal ECMO.

Outpatient rehabilitation

Physical, occupational and speech-language therapy appointments at the Lawrenceville campus can be scheduled at 412-692-5480.

Radiology phone menu

Before a sedated MRI

Follow the imaging team’s fasting instructions exactly. Sedation plans can change if a child becomes ill or if safety screening identifies a concern.

Radiology Family Nurse Line for MRI preparation: 412-692-9524.

Walk-ins are accepted. Families also can use UPMC Children’s Save My Spot feature for outpatient blood-draw services.

UPMC Children’s hospital pharmacists support inpatient medication care around the clock, while the public outpatient-pharmacy counter follows the hours above.

Why the ER bill varies

• Emergency evaluation complexity.
• Laboratory testing.
• X-ray, CT, MRI or ultrasound.
• Medication.
• Procedures.
• Trauma activation.
• Specialist consultation.
• Hospital admission.
• Surgery or intensive care.

Hospital and doctor bills can be separate

UPMC explains that patients may receive more than one bill for the same episode of care, including separate hospital/facility and physician professional charges.

Scheduled-service price estimate

The UPMC Price Estimator can calculate estimated patient responsibility using the child’s insurance benefits, procedure information and facility.

UPMC Children’s states that it participates with most major insurance plans. Current UPMC materials identify major insurers such as:

Before scheduled hospital care

• Call the insurance company.
• Report the planned admission or procedure.
• Confirm UPMC Children’s is in-network.
• Confirm the physician is in-network.
• Ask whether prior authorization is required.
• Ask whether a second opinion is required.
• Confirm deductible and coinsurance.

UPMC’s Financial Assistance Program can provide free or discounted medically necessary hospital and physician care to qualifying families.

Uninsured patients with income between 301% and 400% of the federal poverty level may have patient responsibility reduced to the applicable amount generally billed.

How to apply

UPMC asks applicants to allow approximately 2–3 weeks for processing and mailing.

The Lawrenceville campus has approximately 1,400 garage parking spaces.

Payment

Garage pay stations accept cash and credit cards. UPMC currently states that debit cards are not accepted at these pay stations.

Valet

Valet parking is available from the main driveway entrance on 45th Street when service is operating.

Accessibility

Accessible parking is available. Families who need additional assistance can ask the Welcome/Information Center or Public Safety.

Visitor identification

Visitors entering inpatient units and Same Day Surgery who are older than 18 must present valid photo identification and receive a hospital visitor badge.

Welcome/Information Center hours

Visitor badges are available at the Welcome/Information Center from 7 a.m.–10:30 p.m. daily. Off-hours badging is available through Emergency Department Patient Access.

Children visiting

Visitors between ages 2 and 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Current masking requirements can vary based on clinical conditions and respiratory-virus activity.

Acute-care rooms

Each acute-care room provides accommodations for two adults to stay with the child.

Critical-care units

Critical-care rooms generally provide one sleep space for a parent, guardian or designee.

Siblings

Siblings and other children are not permitted to remain overnight in the hospital.

Emergency lodging help

If a family unexpectedly needs overnight accommodations, ask staff to page a social worker through the hospital operator at 412-692-5325.

Send mailed requests to:

UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Health Information Management
4401 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224

What the authorization should specify

• Records requested.
• Treatment dates.
• Where the records should be sent.
• Electronic or paper format.
• Parent/guardian authorization when required.

Parent / guardian proxy access

Parents and legal guardians can request proxy access to a child’s account through MyUPMC or with help from the child’s UPMC care team.

Lemieux Sibling Center

The Lemieux Sibling Center in the main lobby supports siblings ages 3–12 who are toilet-trained.

Current hours: weekdays 8 a.m.–9 p.m.. Phone: 412-692-5343.

Children’s Safety Center

The Safety Center in the Family Resource Center is open Monday–Friday, noon–4 p.m..

Hospital school

Free educational support is available for eligible inpatients enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12 and for special-education inpatients through age 21.

Public Safety

Public Safety is staffed around the clock. Dispatcher: 412-692-5191.