Frequent Questions
The Division of Adolescent Medicine and the Teen Health Center staff at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have compiled a list of questions and responses for parents and patients.
- How old do you have to be to come to the Teen Health Center?
Professionals at the Teen Health Center see patients between the ages of 12 and 21. However, Teen Health Center staff also see children younger than 12 if they have started puberty or for gynecologic consultation. - How do I make an appointment for my son or daughter?
New patient appointments are scheduled by calling 513-636-4681 and pressing "1". During that telephone call, the caller will be asked to provide basic demographic and insurance information.
If a community healthcare provider refers your teenager to the Teen Health Center, an authorization from the teen's health insurance may be needed. The referring health care provider most often requests that authorization from the health insurance. The teen's parent /g uardian then calls the Teen Health Center to make an appointment and the referral is faxed to the Teen Health Center, 513-636-7844, from the referring provider. - What if I want my teenager seen at one of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center outpatient service locations?
All appointments are scheduled through one central phone number, 513-636-4681. When calling, please ask for an appointment at one of the outpatient service locations.
It's important to understand that the health care providers at the satellites only provide consultative services and not primary health care. - What's the difference between consultative services and primary health care?
Specialists in Adolescent Medicine are experts in treating the medically and psychosocially complex health issues of teens beyond what is typically provided by a primary care provider. Consultative services are often requested for teens who have: - Complex medical or chronic illness
- Persistent fatigue
- Reproductive health issues
- Gynecologic concerns
- Drug or alcohol use
- Eating disorders
- Weight management issues
- Mood or behavioral problems
- School performance issues
After a teenager is seen for consultation, he / she returns to his / her primary care provider in the community for routine health care. The Teen Health Center staff then collaborate with the primary care provider until the consultative issue is resolved.
Primary health care is also known as general health care. All teenagers need to have a primary care provider who takes care of their annual or sports physicals, helps out if the teen gets an acute illness, makes sure that immunizations are up to date, and provides health promotion and support to the teen and family regarding the normal developmental milestones of adolescence. The professionals at the Teen Health Center provide primary health care at Cincinnati Children's main campus in Avondale.
My teenager has a very hard time learning in school. How do I get him / her evaluated?
School difficulties are not uncommon during the teenage years. There are often increasing academic demands at school as well as pressure from peers to spend more time away from home and homework engaged in social activities. Sorting out whether a decline in school performance is due to poor time management or a specific learning disorder can be tricky.
The Teen Health Center staff can assist in beginning the process of teasing out the true nature of school performance problems. The first thing to do is to make sure there are not any health-related problems that are interfering with the teen's ability to learn. Health-related problems include substance use, depression, family conflicts and somatic complaints such as headaches, stomach aches, chest pain, and fatigue. Once these issues are better understood, the health care team might refer the teenager for a comprehensive educational evaluation.
We recommend that families contact their teenagers' local school district to request a comprehensive evaluation. Often that request needs to be in writing. Follow up with the school if you do not receive a response in a reasonable amount of time.
Teenagers may also be referred to a psychologist or an educational specialist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center or in the community for cognitive and academic achievement testing. These tests will assist in determining if the teenager has a learning disability or ADHD or global learning difficulties which interfere with academic performance. Psychology staff can be contacted by calling 513-636-4336.
