Your Child’s Appointment at the Comprehensive Bone Marrow Failure Center
All appointment requests made to the Pediatric Comprehensive Bone Marrow Failure Center (CBMFC) are reviewed by a nurse coordinator. If it is determined that your child should see a CBMFC provider, you will be contacted by a nurse coordinator. During this call, the nurse coordinator will collect information regarding your child’s medical background, diagnosis (if determined) and any previous testing.
The nurse coordinator will also review your child’s insurance information and confirm the need for referrals or pre-authorizations.
Scheduling your child’s appointment
After your intake call, scheduling your appointment is easy. The CBMFC offers flexible scheduling, and most patients can be seen relatively quickly.
Some children with bone marrow failure (BMF) require care from additional specialists, such as an endocrinologist or otolaryngologist. If you would like to schedule a second opinion appointment with a specialty provider at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the nurse coordinator will work with you to schedule these appointments on the same day as your visit to the CBMFC.
Before your child’s appointment
Your CBMFC provider will need to review your child’s medical information prior to the day of your appointment. This information varies, and our nurse coordinator will let you know what information you’ll need to gather ahead of time. These records can be faxed to our office at 267-426-9892. In order to optimize your visit, all requested information should be received by the CBMFC at least two days before your appointment.
Typically, your CBMFC provider will need to review:
- Your child’s complete medical record, which you will need to request from your child’s primary provider and current hematologist (if applicable)
- A list of any medications (over-the-counter and prescribed) that your child is currently taking
- Any notes from your child’s most recent clinic visit
- Lab results from the last 6-8 weeks if available
- Any genetic testing results if available
- Bone marrow biopsy results and copies of the biopsy slides for second opinion
- Pre-authorization for genetic testing
- Insurance approval and any referral paperwork
If you have any questions or require assistance gathering this information, please contact a CBMFC nurse at 267-426-9929 for help.
Your child’s appointment
On the day of your child’s appointment, please have your child dress in comfortable, loose-fitting clothing. This allows the physician to easily examine your child. Please bring the following to your appointment:
- Photo ID for check-in
- Insurance card
- Referral/pre-authorization paperwork
- Co-pay or co-insurance for the visit. If you have any questions, please call 1-800-664-7855 or visit the Billing and Insurance webpage.
- The name and phone number of your pharmacy
- A list of any questions you have so your child’s CBMFC provider can be sure to answer them
Your child’s appointment will include a physical examination and a thorough review of your child’s medical history, symptoms and previous lab results. Routine labs will be drawn, and we may recommend genetic testing.
A typical new patient appointment will last approximately 1.5-2 hours — longer if your child will need to see additional team members or specialists during their visit. Please plan accordingly.
At the end of your first visit, your physician will provide a detailed plan of care and recommendations for follow-up. A copy of the clinical visit will be sent to your child’s primary care physician and/or referring physician, to ensure your child’s care plan is well-coordinated and communicated. Genetic testing results will be available in 2-3 weeks and will need to be reviewed during a follow-up appointment.
Follow-up
Follow-up appointments will be scheduled as recommended by your provider. For long-distance families, telehealth follow-up visits are available.