Rehabilitation Medicine
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
The Primary Children's Hospital Rehab Medicine Clinic is a pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic comprised of an integrated group of physicians who care for children with disabilities and chronic complex diagnoses. We promote the health, well-being and quality of life for children with functional limitations related to congenital or acquired conditions, in a team-based model of value-driven healthcare. We take a multidisciplinary approach to care, treating patients while working collaboratively with other specialties including but not limited to orthopedics, neurosurgery, neurology, behavioral health, and the Shriners Gait Lab. We treat all children with physical differences/disabilities with the goal of improving their function, independence, and health.
Most of our referrals come from physical or occupational therapists and primary care physicians, as well as specialty services such as orthopedics, neurology, and neurosurgery.
What to Expect
Before your Visit
Please make sure you have provided the needed documentation to your insurance before scheduling. Some insurances require a referral from another provider, others do not. Primary Children’s takes most insurance plans but it’s always best to check with your insurance before scheduling.
We feel parent and patient concerns are very important. We’d like you to write your most pressing questions down and bring them to your appointment, so we make sure we answer them. We ask a lot of questions and sometimes we can get distracted from other concerns you may have. Writing them down makes certain we can review and address them with you.
It’s also very important to review your child’s current needs as far as medications, equipment, therapies and any letters you may need. Getting medications refilled, equipment and therapy needs addressed is a great use of appointment time.
Some procedures like a baclofen pump refill have special instructions to follow before the appointment like applying some numbing cream over the injection site an hour prior to the appointment. For most follow ups and evaluations come ready with questions and any items that need attention.
Take stock of your child’s current needs before your appointment. Do you need to refill any medications? Do you have any equipment needs or need a new order for occupational/physical/speech or other therapies? Do you need us to write any letters about medical necessity to gain insurance coverage?
During your visit it’s important we answer all your questions and address all your concerns. Make sure you have your list of questions in hand when we come into the room.
After your visit if you have any issues we want to know how we can help! Please call our clinic if you are having problems or questions. We also want to know the fun and good things that are happening in your child’s life. Did your child accomplish a goal or do something wonderful? We want to know! We may feature your child on our patient stories section (with parental consent)
Your Appointment
Our patients have a sky-high view of Salt Lake City while they wait for their appointment time in the newly built Eccles Outpatient Building. Our team of medical assistants will help get basic measurements like height and weight before leading you to the treatment rooms. When your nurse and doctor visit you in the treatment room, we may ask to see your child walk, we may move your child’s arms and legs to check how tight or loose their muscles are. We ask a lot of questions! Head to toe we want to know all about your child and how they are doing. It’s always helpful to bring a list of questions you and your child may have as those questions are very important to us and we do not want to forget to address them.
If your child has a procedure scheduled like injections in clinic or a baclofen pump refill, we do our very best to keep your child feeling safe and at ease. We have Child Life Specialists available to help your child through sometimes painful procedures. We even have some nurses and doctors that will sing to your child! We recommend you bring a comfort item with your child to procedures like a special blanket, toy or sometimes a favorite movie on an iPad. If you don’t have an iPad that’s ok, our Child Life Specialists have extras they can loan for your appointment. If your child does not tolerate procedures in clinic, we also have the option to do these procedures under anesthesia in our Children’s Procedure Center.
When your visit is over, we will go over any education and make recommendations for your next follow-up. We print out an after-visit summary when needed to make sure all instructions we gave are with you when you leave.
How do I contact my care team?
-Emergent issues that demand immediate attention (like baclofen withdrawal) call our clinic 801-662-5888, select the option to schedule an appointment and ask the scheduler to please page the Rehab Nursing Team. Someone will return your call ASAP.
-For non urgent medical questions call our clinic 801-662-5888 and select the prompt to “ask a medical question” email at pcrehabmedicinema@imail.org or contact us through MyHealth app our medical assistant team will answer your question or find the right person who can. (if you’d like to sign up for the MyHealth app ask the medical assistant in your next appointment, it’s easy!)
-For prescription refills We prefer to manage your medications inside appointment time, make sure you check all your child’s medications and see if they need to be refilled before visiting us. Outside of appointment times please allow 72hrs for all prescription refills. Call the clinic at 801-662-5888 and select “ask a medical question” and speak with or leave a voicemail for our medical assistant teams. All controlled substances require paper prescriptions so please specify if you’d like those mailed or you’d prefer to pick them up.
-Letters of medical necessity (LOMN) Call the clinic 801-662-5888 and select “ask a medical question” and speak with or leave a message for our medical assistants, email them at pcrehabmedicinema@imail.org or contact us through the MyHealth app (if you’d like to sign up for the MyHealth app ask the medical assistant in your next appointment, it’s easy!). Letters of medical necessity can be complicated and time consuming. Please have all the details you require ready. For example if your insurance requires an LOMN for wheelchair repair ask your insurance company what specific details they need in that letter, then relay that information to us. Please allow at least two weeks for all LOMNs.
-Forms and paperwork requiring physician signature You can fax 801-662-5880 or email forms to pcrehabmedicinema@imail.org or contact us through the MyHealth app (if you’d like to sign up for the MyHealth app ask the medical assistant in your next appointment, it’s easy!)