Transition to Adult Care — Outpatient Specialty Care and Primary Care

Patients Ready to Transition to Adult Care

Healthcare transition is the process of changing from a pediatric to an adult model of healthcare. The goal of transition is to optimize health and assist youth in reaching their full potential. To achieve this goal requires an organized transition process to support youth in acquiring independent healthcare skills, preparing for an adult model of care, and transferring to new providers without disruption in care.

Aligned with the AAP/AAFP/ACP Clinical Report on Transition, Got Transition/the Center for Health Care Transition Improvement recommends the following timeline for transitioning youth from pediatric to adult healthcare settings, both in primary and specialty care:

Patient Age and Provider Key Steps
Patient Age	Provider Key Steps
Age 12	Educate youth and family about adult transition policy
Age 14	Initiate healthcare transition planning
Age 16	Prepare youth and parents for adult model of care and discuss transfer
Age 18	Transition to adult models of care
Age 18-22	Transfer care to adult medical home and/or specialists with transfer package
Age 23-26	Integrate young adults into care

This timeline was originally developed in 2009 and has been reviewed by over 50 pediatric and adult health care professionals and youth and family experts.¹

Pediatrics, July 2011, VOLUME 128 / ISSUE 1, From the American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Report Supporting the Health Care Transition From Adolescence to Adulthood in the Medical Home

©2024 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.
Use of this site is subject to the Terms of Use.

The clinical pathways are based upon publicly available medical evidence and/or a consensus of medical practitioners at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (“CHOP”) and are current at the time of publication. These clinical pathways are intended to be a guide for practitioners and may need to be adapted for each specific patient based on the practitioner’s professional judgment, consideration of any unique circumstances, the needs of each patient and their family, and/or the availability of various resources at the health care institution where the patient is located.

Accordingly, these clinical pathways are not intended to constitute medical advice or treatment, or to create a doctor-patient relationship between/among The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (“CHOP”), its physicians and the individual patients in question. CHOP does not represent or warrant that the clinical pathways are in every respect accurate or complete, or that one or more of them apply to a particular patient or medical condition. CHOP is not responsible for any errors or omissions in the clinical pathways, or for any outcomes a patient might experience where a clinician consulted one or more such pathways in connection with providing care for that patient.