What to Expect at Your First Appointment at the Celiac Disease Center

Whether you’re seeking a second opinion for a diagnosis of celiac disease, or you’re trying to make sense of your child’s symptoms, we’re here to help you take the next step. At the Cincinnati Children’s Celiac Disease Center, we can provide you with peace of mind and confirmation that your child’s treatment plan is appropriate.

Celiac disease causes families to make big changes, but with the right treatment and care, we can help you feel confident about a gluten-free diet.

Making an Appointment at the Celiac Disease Center

We want it to be easy for you to get the care your child needs. You can call us to self-refer to our program, or your child’s pediatrician, gastroenterologist or another provider can refer you. Contact us.

On the Day of Your Visit to the Celiac Disease Center

Arriving At Your Appointment
We’ll schedule your child’s appointment at one of several Cincinnati Children’s locations: our Burnet Campus, our Burnet Campus Medical Office Building, our Liberty Campus or our Mason Campus. View our locations.

Please arrive about 30 minutes ahead of your appointment time. This allows you 15 minutes to park and walk from the parking area to our clinic, and 15 minutes to check in at our front desk. If you are running late, please call us.

At Your Appointment
There are two reasons why you might be visiting the Celiac Disease Center for the first time.

• Second opinion—If your child has already been diagnosed with celiac disease, we will review all their lab tests and determine whether the current diagnosis and care plan are appropriate. A second opinion visit will take about an hour.
• Initial diagnosis—We will perform all necessary lab tests and review previous tests, if needed, to arrive at a diagnosis. This first visit will last about 30 minutes.

During your child’s visit to our center, they may see a pediatric gastroenterologist, a pediatric nurse, and a registered dietitian. During the appointment, we’ll review your child’s health history and complete a physical exam. We’ll review all test results when you meet with the doctor during this visit.

After Your Visit to the Celiac Disease Center

You will receive an “After Visit Summary” at the end of your appointment. It will include important details about next steps and any upcoming appointments. It also will include contact information for your child’s care team. We also send a copy of the summary to your pediatrician or other referring provider.

Your child’s physician may connect you with a psychologist, occupational therapist, social worker or other Celiac Disease Center team members to support your child and your family.

For a second opinion, we may request additional information from your child’s other provider for our pathologist to review. If we have newly diagnosed your child, we will likely schedule a follow-up visit in three to six months.