Quality Reports - Herma Heart Center

Subspecialty Clinic Volumes

Why we measure it - We continue to develop subspecialty clinics to meet the needs of our diverse patients. Seeing similar patients on the same day helps organize the clinic and improve efficiency, which leads to lower wait times for patients.

What this means - To improve patient flow and case management in the Herma Heart Center clinic, we created many specialty clinics. Most subspecialty clinics were started in the last year or two and, therefore, have lower volumes than those that have existed longer. Including those represented in the graph above, the list includes: Fetal Concerns, Preventive Cardiology, Cardiac Transplants/Heart Failure, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Marfan Syndrome and Related Connective Tissue Disorders, Adult Congenital Heart Disease, Pulmonary Hypertension, Developmental/Behavioral and Electrophysiology/Pacemaker.

About the data - This data reflects the number of patient visits in our billing system under each clinic category in years 2004-2007.

Related dimensions of care:

What we're doing to provide the best care:

• The Herma Heart Center clinics and diagnostics area is moving to the new tower of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin due for completion in 2009. Patients and families have been involved in the design of the new facility to incorporate their needs. This new area will have 16 clinic exam rooms, seven echo scanning rooms with a sedation staging area, three exercise/stress labs and a sunny waiting area.
• We offer outreach clinics to reduce the number of trips many families need to make to our Milwaukee hospital location. Our specialists travel to or are located in several cities throughout Wisconsin and northern Illinois to provide care closer to where our patients live. Current locations include a second location in Milwaukee (Greenway Clinic), Sheboygan, Neenah, Racine, Kenosha, Wis., and Gurnee, Ill.

Patients/Families:

In order for us to see the large number of patients who seek our care:

• If you cannot make a scheduled appointment, please call Central Scheduling at (877) 607-5280 or (414) 607-5280 as soon as possible to reschedule so another child can be seen.
• Arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment so we can gather needed information from you before you see the doctor.
• Check with your insurance provider before your visit to see if a referral is needed to see a specialist at Children's Hospital.
• Bring the name, address, phone and fax numbers of your primary care and/or referring doctor so we can update them appropriately on your care.
• Bring a full list of the medications your child is taking including over-the-counter medicines such as vitamins and supplements.

Referring physicians:

• Fill out and fax a referral form prior to sending the patient to Children's Hospital for outpatient ancillary services or a specialty clinic visit. 
• Forward any pertinent patient documentation, including test results, to the specialty physician's office prior to the patient's visit. 

If you have questions about this data or information, e-mail us or call (414) 266-6726.