Quality Reports - Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Center

Time to Next Appointment

See Also...

Request an Appointment Family Accommodations Virtual Tours Refer a Patient Gastroenterology Program Our Specialists Research and Publications

Why we measure it - The time to next appointment actually is the time to the third next available appointment for new patients, which is a more accurate measure of how long a patient needs to wait before seeing a specialist of his or her choice for the first time.  

One of our service standards is the ability to make appointments within a reasonable length of time. We have set a length of two weeks as a goal for subspecialty clinic appointments. Urgent and emergent patients are seen the same day if needed.

What this means - We have made recent improvements and currently are meeting and exceeding our goal. It is important to us that our patient families have timely access to specialty care.

About the data - This data reflects a measure that is an industry standard and shows the number of weeks to schedule a new, non-urgent appointment.

Related dimensions of care:

What we're doing to provide the best care:

• Urgent and emergent patients are seen the same day if needed. Referring physicians can quickly access our specialists for consultation or transport 24 hours a day by calling our physician referral line at (800) 266-0366.
• Under the direction of our pediatric gastroenterology specialists, a team of nurse practitioners has expertise in caring children with constipation and reflux issues.
• 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 to provide care closer to where our patients live. Current locations include a second location in Milwaukee (16th Street Community Center), Neenah, Kenosha and Green Bay. 
• Since pediatric GI problems are so diverse, the GI Center has assembled several world-renowned pediatric experts to create the following subspecialty programs: 
  • Motility and Functional Bowel Disorders Program
  • Wal-Mart/Sam's Club Feeding, Swallowing and Nutrition Center
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program
  • NEW (Nutrition, Exercise and Weight Management) Kids^TM Program
  • CARE (Constipation and Reflux Evaluation) Program
  • Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Program
  • Bonnie Lynn Mechanic Celiac Disease Clinic
  • Liver Disease and Liver Transplant Programs
  • Eosinophilic Esophagitic Clinic
  • Nutrition Support Program

Patients/Families -

• Bring your insurance card with you to your appointment so we can accurately file your claim for you.
• If your insurance plan requires a referral, make sure your primary care physician gives proper authorization for your visit to Children's Hospital.
• Understand that Children's Hospital clinics are not typical doctor's offices and your insurance might apply hospital outpatient charges to your deductible or insurance co-payment.
• Be prepared to pay your co-payment at the time of your visit.
• If your child was seen in the hospital or clinic, you might receive more than one bill. Children's Hospital bills for clinic staff, supplies, medical records, etc. The Medical College of Wisconsin bills for the physicians' services. 
• Arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment so we can gather needed information from you before you see the doctor.

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