April 2024 Pediatrics Newsletter

“If you don’t like something, change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.”

Referrals: In order to schedule an appointment, we require the following from a referring physician:

• A SIGNED order requesting a “Modified Barium Swallow Study” or a “Swallow Function Study.” The physicians can write their own or find one on our website under the ‘Pediatrics’ tab.
• Demographic sheet with insurance information
• Their latest clinical notes to provide a thorough history

These documents can be faxed to 888-920-1201 or emailed to info@diagnostex.us.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions regarding this process.

Reminder: We are in-network with Cook Children’s Health Plan

Tube Weaning Clinic

Historically, TSHA has not offered a wide variety of courses on the last day of the conference. However, this year was not that case, and I am so thankful I decided to attend that last day. One of the courses I attended was titled “Interprofessional Approach to Tube Weaning in the Pediatric Population: Challenges and Successes.” As an SLP that directly works with patients attempting to GT wean, it has always been a challenge for me to know where to refer them to. I have a group of dietitians that I love and trust to help families, but the road block generally comes when the dietician, treating SLP, and/or Gastroenterologist are not in agreement. This often leads to prolonged tube feeding and prolonged feeding therapy.

This presentation was given by Allison Brown, M.S. CCC-SLP, BCS-S and Dr. Derek Ngai, two of the providers that started the Tube Weaning Clinic at Children’s Health. I was so enthusiastic and hopeful for the services they are providing for children and filling a much-needed gap in patient care. They work closely with not only the family, but also the patient when the child is old enough to comprehend GT removal. They portrayed compassion, care, and a zealous desire to provide quality care within their clinic, all in a short 60-minute presentation. I am blessed to have made this connection with Allison and hope this becomes a valuable resource for someone else reading this newsletter! She has written the following excerpt below to introduce their clinic to you all.

The Tube Weaning clinic at Children’s Health is a specialized outpatient program for tube fed pediatric patients who are ready to transition from their feeding tubes. Our dedicated outpatient team, including speech language pathologist Allison Brown, dietitian Caroline Miller, and pediatric gastroenterologists Drs. Derek Ngai, Meghana Sathe, and Adam Russman, specializes in an interdisciplinary approach that integrates nutrition, speech/feeding therapy, and gastroenterological expertise at every visit. We collaborate with families to create a controlled and safe environment at home for success. Since our inception in late 2020, our program has successfully weaned 34 patients from their feeding tubes. Our commitment to collaborative, comprehensive care improves our young patients' health and well-being, setting a benchmark for pediatric health services.

Typical candidates for our program often have good oral skills and can consistently eat some of their calories by mouth. We also often see children who may have the appropriate oral skills but lack the motivation to eat. If you believe you have excellent candidates, you may send referrals to the Children’s Health Gastroenterology Clinic with a special attention to the Tube Weaning program. Referrals may be faxed to 214-456-8006.

Allison has been gracious to share her contact information with you all. If you have any questions or want to learn more about their clinic, you may email her at Allison.brown@childrens.com.

Ampcare

Have you heard about AmpCare and want to become a certified user? They offer In-person certification courses, as well as a hybrid option. They have the following dates available for certification:

• Hybrid & Zoom: April 24th – 25th from 3-5pm. Must attend both days.

Visit swallowtherapy.com for more information!

Are you an Ampcare Certified User working with pediatrics and looking for support? I know a few therapists that are happy to discuss cases (HIPAA compliant) and offer any guidance or support. Please let me know and I am happy to pass along your contact information to them.

In addition, there is now a Facebook group for Certified Users working with pediatrics. If you are not a part of that group and would like to be, please reach out to the Ampcare team in order to be added to the group. The goal is to create a network of users to share knowledge and ask questions!

In-Services

Do you have a team of therapists that would like to learn more about Modified Barium Swallow Studies? I would love to prepare a presentation for your team, complete with videos, to educate them on deficits and how that applies to the therapy they are implementing each week. Please reach out if that is something you are interested in.

Contribution

Do you have an interesting topic that you would like to share in a newsletter, whether it be a research article you have read or a patient you have treated? Email me if you are interested!

I, and the rest of the DiagnosTEX staff, look forward to helping you serve your patients and ensure a safe diet for ALL children.