Telehealth Appointments

Shriners Children's Care Everywhere connects patients and providers virtually.

The primary mission of Shriners Children’s is to help children who need specialized medical care – wherever they may live. With today’s communication capabilities, including telehealth, it is now much easier than ever before to provide care closer to home.

Shriners Children’s Care Everywhere is available for select appointment types at Shriners Children’s, allowing more patients, regardless of their location, to receive the world-class care provided by Shriners Children’s – making it simpler and more convenient for children and families.

What is telehealth at Shriners Children’s?

Care Everywhere telehealth visits, also called telemedicine or video visits, are online appointments where you connect with your child’s medical team, face-to face, using your phone, tablet or computer.

Depending on your Shriners Children’s location, some telehealth visits can occur from home, with proper connectivity, while others may take place at an affiliate location, such as another provider’s office.

Telehealth appointments meet many needs of a patient, although in some cases, an in-person visit may be required.

How can I schedule a telehealth visit at Shriners Children’s?

Speak with a member of your Shriners Children’s care team to learn more about the telehealth services available, and to see whether they are an option for your child.

Telehealth is not always available at each location, and even if it is available, virtual visits may not be appropriate for every appointment type or medical need.

What visits work best as telehealth appointments?

Follow-ups, first appointments and consultations can often take place as telehealth visits. In addition, some ancillary services, such as nutrition, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, behavioral health and some Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS) visits, can also be provided via telehealth.

Telehealth is best used when travel is a burden, during flu/RSV season to minimize exposure to illness, or when parental workload makes it a challenge to get away.

How do telehealth visits work?

Telehealth visits are fast, easy and convenient. Instructions are sent to you by email or text. When it’s time for your appointment, click the link provided to be connected with your doctor.

Watch the video below to see how easy it is to have a telehealth visit with Shriners Children’s:

What do I need to connect from home?

Telehealth visits require an internet connection. Most people use cellular data or internet access, but some families may get a better connection using an ethernet cable plugged into their computer.

You can connect with:

• Computer/laptop with camera
• Smartphone with camera
• Tablet with camera

To ensure best connectivity:

• Ensure the latest software updates have been installed on your device.
• Close out any open programs on your device before starting visit.
• Be as close to router as possible for best connection.
• Don’t use a public internet connection.

*Chromebooks cannot be used to connect, as they are not compatible with the telehealth software platform.

What are the benefits of telehealth?

Telehealth brings care closest to where the patient is, allowing Shiners Children’s to care for more kids in more places.

Helping everyone connect easier and more efficiently, telehealth results in less disruption to daily life routines. For example, the patient can remain at school and connect from the school nurse’s office, each of the parents can connect from work, and the provider can connect from their Shriners Children’s location.

With telehealth, no one needs to leave home, school or work for a single appointment, reducing the associated travel costs and overall burden on the patient family.

My child is an international patient. Can we use telehealth?

Telehealth is used for many international patient appointments, including initial screenings and follow-up appointments, to reduce travel burdens and costs.

To learn more, including the protocols in place with Global Patient Service, please discuss with a Shriners Children’s team member.

I have a telehealth appointment scheduled. Now what?

Can telehealth help with transition of care?

At Shriners Children’s, we care about our patients and their well-being, now and in the future. We are committed to helping our patients and families make a smooth transition from pediatric to adult healthcare services, and do our best to help make this transition as easy and seamless as possible.

When it is time to transition to adult care, our team will work with your child to prepare them for this change. Adding virtual visits via telehealth to this transition program allows for providers, patients and families to make visual connections during the handoffs of care to ease the transition process, calm fears of the unknowns and make the provider transfers more personal. It also improves timing since no travel is needed.

As an outside medical provider, can I schedule a telehealth call with a Shriners Children’s provider?

Telehealth is an excellent way to connect providers to each other for consultation.

Every type of provider order for a visit has the option of it being a telehealth appointment. The decision to use lies with each provider.