Visiting the Pancreas Care Center

Pancreatic conditions are complex, and our team knows how important it is to provide each patient with personalized, coordinated care. When your child is referred to our center, a nurse coordinator becomes your family’s point person, and is available to answer your questions and discuss any concerns. Once your child becomes a patient at the Pancreas Care Center, our team of specialists meets frequently to discuss how your child is progressing and to identify ways to enhance care. As patients near adulthood, our social workers help them make a smooth transition to an adult care provider.

Before Your First Visit

Before your first visit, one of our nurses will call you to talk about your child’s medical history and past treatment, and ask what your goals are in coming to Cincinnati Children’s. There may also be a need to contact your child’s pediatrician and/or pediatric gastroenterologist to request prior test results including radiology studies.

After collecting as much background information as possible, the nurse will share it with the team in a meeting led by one of our physicians. If team members feel that they can offer your child helpful and therapeutic treatment options, the nurse will let you know and begin creating a schedule for your first visit. Our social worker also will help you make arrangements for your visit to Cincinnati Children’s. Our team members are available to answer any questions you may have.

If the team recommends that your child undergo additional tests prior to your first appointment at the Pancreas Care Center, the nurse will let you know.

Your First Visit

Your first visit to the Pancreas Care Center can last one or more days. It will include appointments with specialists, and also may involve diagnostic testing and/or therapeutic procedures, which will be scheduled as conveniently as possible for you and your child. Your child may need to spend the night at the hospital, especially if the team plans to perform a procedure such as an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

At the end of or shortly following your visit, our team will discuss findings with you and make treatment recommendations. Whenever possible, we encourage families to receive treatment close to home rather than returning to Cincinnati Children’s for future visits. However, there may be times where returning to Cincinnati Children’s will be helpful (such as for certain procedures). After your first visit, the team will communicate with your referring physician to summarize our findings and provide recommendations for short-term and long-term care of your child.