Patient Impact

 

Caden, shown here at age 3, was born with gastroschisis, a birth defect in which the internal organs of the abdomen push outside the body through an opening in the abdomen wall. He spent the first six months of his life in the Children's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit recovering from the monthly surgeries required to help him heal. Today, Caden visits the GI Center routinely so doctors may evaluate his growth and development. Despite his medical complications, Caden continues to thrive.

Quality and Outcomes Reports - Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Center

Volume - Gastroenterology Procedures

Why we measure it - Research shows physicians and hospitals that treat a large number of patients tend to provide a higher level of care and have better outcomes for treatments and procedures.

What this means - Procedure volumes continue to increase, indicating more families are choosing our center for their child's care. 

About the data - The graph reflects the number of procedures performed by our specialists from 2008-2011.

Related dimensions of care:

What we're doing to provide the best care:

  • Children's Hospital of Wisconsin provides a dedicated endoscopy team consisting of nine endoscopy nurses and a full-time pediatric anesthesiologist.
  • We have the ability to provide complete endoscopic procedures in whatever setting is appropriate for the child's condition from outpatient surgery to the intensive care unit, or at the same time as other procedures such as surgery or radiology.
  • We are the first program in the area to offer wireless capsule endoscopy and we perform more than 75 of these procedures each year.
  • We offer a unique clinic in partnership with Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery for children with defecation problems following surgery for Hirschsprung's Disease and anorectal malformations.
  • Families traveling from long distances are encouraged to use our Family Accommodations Program to make travel arrangements and coordinate appointments. Children's Hospital has partnered with non-profit organizations like Ronald McDonald House and Kathy's House to offer comfortable, "home away from home" accommodations. Local hotel chains on our referral list also offer discounts for patient families.

Patients and families:

  • Take a preoperative tour of the special procedures area to help prepare for the procedure and hospital stay.
  • Follow all eating and drinking restrictions before and after your child's procedure.
  • Bring a full list of the medications your child is taking with you on the day of the procedure. Make sure to include the name of the medication, the dose/amount and how your child takes it (swallows a pill, drinks a liquid). This is important information to help us care for your child while he or she is in the hospital.
  • Bring the name, address, phone and fax numbers of your primary care and/or referring doctor so we can send detailed information about the surgery that is performed.

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 can 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.