Headache Center improves access
Cincinnati Children’s has continued to reduce the time to schedule a new visit to the Cincinnati Children’s Headache Center from between three and six months down to two or three weeks. This has been accomplished by increasing the number of new patient appointments by approximately 35 percent per week.
Initial visits on Tuesdays at Burnet Campus feature a multidisciplinary team that includes a neurologist who specializes and is certified by the United Council of Neurological Specialist in headache medicine, a pain psychologist, a registered nurse educator, and a licensed social.
For patients and families unable to attend the multidisciplinary Headache Center, the headache specialty neurologists also have new visits appointments at the Burnet Campus, Mason Campus and Green Township.
Multidisciplinary care has been demonstrated to have very positive, sustained outcomes and may be especially useful for children who are struggling to cope with their headaches. “If you are referring a complex patient with psycho-social needs, it’s best to send them to Burnet Campus,” says Jessica Weberding, CNP, one of the Headache Center’s three nurse practitioners.
For young adults (age 18-26) the Headache Center has developed a unique young adult headache program that is also multidisciplinary based and located at the Liberty Campus.
As the opportunities for new patient evaluations have been increased, the capacity for follow-up visits has also been expanded. Additionally, these follow-up visits have been created to increase availability at a wider variety of locations, including Burnet Campus, Mason, Eastgate, Anderson, Northern Kentucky and Green Township.
Nurse practitioners also oversee acute-care infusions for patients with migraine that can’t be managed at home, Monday through Thursday, from 8 am to 4:30 pm, at Burnet Campus. “Coming to the center for an infusion means patients can avoid a trip to the ED,” says Weberding.
Other services include a dedicated inpatient service at the Burnet Campus and a post-traumatic headache program at Green Township.
Through this wide variety of opportunities, Cincinnati Children’s aims to meet the needs and improve outcomes for nearly all pediatric, adolescent and young adult patients with episodic or chronic headaches.
