Quality and Outcomes Reports - Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Center

Time to Next Appointment

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. Urgent and emergent patients are seen the same day if needed.

What this means - We continuously look at our time to next appointment and develop strategies to ensure patients can schedule an appointment in a timeframe that supports the medical nature of the child's needs. We recently established a new process where referring providers can contact the Gastroenterology Center, the patient's symptoms will be assessed and an appointment can be scheduled that same day or the next day as needed. If the patient's medical status is not urgent, the referring provider will receive care guidelines from a gastroenterologist as to any testing or treatment that could be done while the patient waits for an appointment. We know that every parent wants their child to feel better quickly and it is important to us that our patient families have timely access to specialty care. Whether it be a direct visit in our clinic or through guidance with the patient's referring provider, children have access to the appropriate care they need.

About the data - These data reflect a measure that is an industry standard and shows the number of days to schedule a new, non-urgent appointment.

Related dimensions of care:

What we're doing to provide the best care:

Patient and families:

  • Contact Central Scheduling to start your child's visit arrangements. Have the name, address, and phone and fax numbers of your primary care and/or referring doctor available when you call.
  • 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 of Wisconsin.
  • 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.

Referring physicians:

  • Referring physicians can access our specialists for consultation or transport 24 hours a day by calling our physician referral line at (800) 266-0366.
  • As appointments are scheduled, the Gastroenterology Center will contact you to arrange transfer of any pertinent patient documentation, including test results and growth charts. 
  • Please contact Deb Wallner, Gastroenterology nurse manager or Pamela Fraser, Gastroenterology program director with any questions or concerns about the GI Service. They may be reached at (414) 266-2971.
  • Health care providers from outside of our southeastern Wisconsin service area are encouraged to use our web-based
    e-Consult service. This service is available for non-urgent patient cases only and gives providers access to our specialists to review patient cases, obtain medical advice or second opinions, and receive care recommendations for rare symptoms and illnesses.
    e-Consult is not to be used by the general public, parents/guardians or families.
  • Care guidelines for medical professionals
  • Educational materials
  • Pocket Directory

If you have questions about this information, email us or call (414) 266-6556.