Quality and Outcomes Reports - Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine

Tracheostomy/Home Ventilator Clinic Visit Volume

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

What this means - Advances in medical care allow children with complex breathing problems to be cared for at home. A core team of physicians and health professionals lead the largest Tracheostomy/Home Ventilator program in Wisconsin. A clinic is held twice per month and on average doctors see 35 new patients and 130 follow-up patients a year.

About the data - These data reflect the number of patient visits in our billing system under each clinic category from 2008-2011.

Related dimensions of care:

What we're doing to provide the best care:

• The Tracheostomy/Home Ventilator Program is part of Pulmonary Clinic and Sleep Center at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, which was ranked No. 19 by U.S. News & World Report (2011) and was rated No. 7 in the nation by the most recent Parents magazine survey (2008).
• Patients receive care from a dedicated team from the time of the tracheostomy surgery through long-term follow-up, including seeing their pediatric pulmonary physicians and pediatric otolaryngologist during the clinic visit.
• Each child is assigned an advanced practice nurse or nurse clinician who provides care coordination and case management services for the child and family.
• Families and caregivers participate in a comprehensive inpatient education program to prepare them to care for their child with a tracheostomy/home ventilator. The teaching materials are available in both English and Spanish.
• The care team is involved in outcomes research to improve the quality of care that the children receive. This includes evidence-based practice research on tracheal stoma care.
• Home care nurses receive ventilator training through "Care of the Child on a Ventilator," the certification course required by the State of Wisconsin for independent nurse providers. This course is taught by the advanced practice nurse and tracheostomy/home ventilator respiratory care practitioner.
• We have established relationships with school nurses and education specialists to facilitate the transition to school for children with tracheostomies/home ventilators.
• We offer the Family Accommodations Program to help make travel arrangements and coordinate appointments for families traveling to our center from a long distance.

Patients and families:

• If you cannot keep 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.

Referring physicians:

• Referring physicians can access our specialists for consultation or transport 24 hours a day. Call our physician referral line at (800) 266-0366.  
• 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
  • Pediatric Rounds
  • Webcasts
• Pocket Directory

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