Your Child's Visit

Use the information below to prepare your child for his or her visit to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh:

  • Pre-registration for MyUPMC users – we now offer families a faster check-in process with pre-registration. You’ll receive emails and text messages prompting families to complete pre-registration.
  • Waitlist – we now offer waitlist options for patients and families who would like to be seen sooner by their doctor or advanced practice provider and care team.
  • Preparing for outpatient surgery — find information about admissions, pre-admission tours, what to bring, and other helpful resources for preparing for outpatient surgery.
  • Preparing for inpatient surgery — knowing what to expect during an overnight or prolonged hospital stay may help make the experience less stressful for you and your child.
  • Standard charges — review the Charge Description Master (CDM) File of standard charges for services at UPMC Children's Hospital.
  • Admissions and insurance — review the information about referrals, insurance authorizations, and admissions procedures.
  • Finding your way around UPMC Children's Hospital — use this information to find your way around UPMC Children's Hospital.
  • Video series for parents — a video series to help parents and families better understand their child's hospitalization.
  • Patient procedures — view and download procedure sheets to help prepare a child for surgery or a diagnostic procedure.
  • Schedule online — book in-person and video visits online with many UPMC Children's pediatric specialists.     

Communications Assistance

Support is offered for patients or family members who are hearing-impaired or non-English-speaking, including:

  • Foreign language interpreters
  • Sign language interpreters
  • Listening devices
  • TDD/TTY devices
  • Deaf Talk (video-conferencing equipment providing sign language and foreign language interpreting)

For more information, contact Clinical Social Work at 692-5255 or call the hospital operators at 692-5325 to have the social worker on call paged.

Adaptive Care Program

UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Adaptive Care Team (ACT) is a complimentary program, dedicated to improving the care and experience for our patients with developmental and behavioral challenges, including but not limited to autism spectrum disorder. We utilize an Adaptive Care Plan to inform our doctors, nurses, and staff about the unique needs of your child in the healthcare setting. We promise to promote safe, sensitive, and individualized care.

Is the Adaptive Care program right for my child?

To participate, your child should be:

  • 3 years or older.
  • Diagnosed with or being evaluated for a developmental disability or behavioral condition.
  • Demonstrating a difficult time coping and cooperating in the healthcare setting.

What is an Adaptive Care Plan?

An Adaptive Care plan is individualized to your child through an informal assessment process. One of our team members will collect information, from you the caregiver, including your child’s preferred communication style, sensory differences, and past healthcare experiences. This information is documented within your child’s electronic medical record. Through a collaborative approach with caregivers, we can increase coping, cooperation and decrease stress during a potentially difficult time.

Enrolling in the Adaptive Care Program

If you feel your child will benefit from an Adaptive Care Plan, please email CHPadaptivecare@chp.edu and one of our team members will reach out to you as soon as possible.

Additional Resources

Find more information that will help you plan your visit to Children's Hospital.