Endocrinology and Metabolism | For Parents

What to Expect

New referrals returning patients are seen in the ambulatory care space at St. Louis Children's Hospital and in the St. Louis Children's Hospital Pediatric Subspecialty Offices Missouri Baptist Medical Center in west St. Louis County. Appointment times vary, but are generally on Monday afternoon, Tuesday morning or Wednesday morning at St. Louis Children's Hospital or on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday at Missouri Baptist Medical Center. All patients are evaluated by one of the attending physicians. In our capacity as a teaching hospital, some patients may be seen initially by an endocrinology fellow or pediatric resident in training, or by a medical student, prior to evaluation by the attending physician. Patients with diabetes mellitus may be seen by one of the Advanced Practice Nurses or Diabetes Nurse Educators in collaboration with one of the attending physicians. Our nutritionist/dietitian and social worker also are available during the office visits at St. Louis Children's Hospital.

Two weeks prior to a scheduled appointment, parents will be sent an informational packet which includes: a welcome letter, map to our facility, a brief patient history form to be completed by the parents or legal guardian(s) before coming to the office, a records release form to be sent to the patient's primary care physician and/or other care givers and an insurance insert to instruct on insurance pre-certification.

For new patients, the physician will obtain a complete medical history and perform a complete physical examination. Laboratory tests or x-rays are often obtained; the most common of these are listed below. However, until the evaluation is completed it is not possible to determine what tests, if any, will be needed. The physician also will collate information provided by the primary care or referring physician. This includes measurements of height and weight, and results of any laboratory tests and x-rays. The actual x-rays (or copies) also may be helpful. If this information is available at the time of the visit, it will facilitate the evaluation.

For follow-up or return visits, previous information obtained by us will be available. However, interval information from other health care providers may not be available to us unless you requested that it be sent. For follow-up visits for patients with diabetes mellitus, in most cases blood will be obtained for the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test before the visit with the doctor so that the result can be available before the end of the visit. Please arrive about 20 minutes early so that this can be done.

Some tests commonly performed on visits to the pediatric endocrinologist are:

• Thyroid Tests
• Complete Blood Count (CBC)
• Basic Metabolic Panel
• Bone Age X-Ray
• Hemoglobin A1c (for diabetic patients)

Appointments

Please contact us if you would like to make an appointment.

Two camps for diabetic patients are affiliated with the American Diabetes Association and St. Louis Children's Hospital. These camps take place in July and August. For more information, please contact the Diabetes Nurse Educator at the telephone number listed above or the American Diabetes Association at (314) 822-5490.