Please call your doctor's office or the clinic as far in advance as possible to schedule your child's appointments. This will make it easier to choose times that are most convenient for you. To find a clinic phone number, use Find a Doctor to search for pediatric doctors by specialty.

Be sure to register with OHSU after you have scheduled your first appointment. Registration helps each clinic correctly identify you and your medical information and entails collecting basic information from you and creating your medical record.

If your health plan restricts the clinics or child specialists you can use, be sure your plan has approved the pediatric health care you are requesting. This will help you avoid unexpected fees. 

Checklist of information you will need when making an appointment

Clinics need information to identify you, to locate your medical record and to reserve the appropriate amount of time for your appointment. We will ask you for the following information: 

• Your child's name

• Your child's date of birth or Social Security number (this helps ensure that your medical information is not confused with someone who has a similar name)

• Reason for the appointment (be as specific as possible so that we can reserve the right amount of time for your visit)

• Whether you want a particular pediatric specialist or health care provider for your child, or the first available appointment

Canceling an appointment

If you cannot keep your appointment, please call your pediatric doctor's office or clinic as soon as possible or no later than the day before. We realize that sometimes emergencies come up and your plans may change. However, giving us as much notice as possible helps us better serve you and our other patients. When you call, we will help you reschedule for another day and time. 

Preparing for your appointment

Although we will make most of the preparations for your appointment, there are a few things you must do: 

• Insurance/Medicaid/Medicare card: Please bring your insurance, Medicaid or Medicare card with you to your appointments. We will verify your coverage, so we can process your bill correctly.

• Co-payment or prepayment: If your health plan has a copayment or you have a pre-payment requirement, please bring your payment with you. We accept cash, personal checks, VISA debit cards, American Express, Discover, Mastercard and VISA.

• Medications list: Please bring a list of your current prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins or supplements, as well as a list of known drug allergies.

• Medical records and X-rays: If you are being referred to OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital from a non-OHSU clinic or doctor, please arrange for them to send your medical records and appropriate X-rays to us. For additional information, call Medical Correspondence at 503-494-8521.

• Notes about your health concerns: Some patients find it helpful to write a few notes about the symptoms they are experiencing and any other health concerns.