We at SPGPCC understand how challenging it is to coordinate medical care for children with developmental disabilities and complex medical conditions. Telemedicine offers a simple solution to bringing high-quality medical care to children who have special needs and struggle to visit an in-person physician. From helping you manage your child’s flare-ups to augmenting in-home nursing services, we meet you and your child where you are.
For many children with special needs, in-person doctor visits are uncomfortable and overwhelming. We’re parents and caregivers ourselves, so we understand how challenging it is to see your child suffering. We also recognize the concerns you might have about the differences between telehealth vs. an in-person doctor visit.
Unlike other pediatric healthcare services, SPGPCC offers telehealth visits designed to serve children with developmental delays. The objective is to not only help treat your child’s immediate symptoms but develop a long-term plan to improve their wellbeing. We send an experienced two-person team to treat your child in less than 24 hours, but no more than 72 hours.
Here’s what to expect when your child becomes an SPGPCC patient:
Children with developmental delays often benefit from a diverse care team, and SPGPCC will connect you with the best pediatric specialists in Scottsdale and the surrounding areas.
Telehealth is tied to better outcomes for most young patients, but especially for children with disabilities. For some children, the process of going to the doctor’s office alone poses difficult and unnecessary obstacles. By working with SPGPCC, you can help your child develop a healthier and happier relationship with their pediatrician.
Here’s how telehealth can be a major advantage to children with complex conditions:
Coordinating medical care for your child can be challenging. If your child uses a mobility device, getting to and from the doctor’s office can be tough to coordinate and uncomfortable for your child, especially if you use public transportation. For children with special mental and behavioral needs, being exposed to a high volume of patients in a strange environment can be an anxiety trigger.
Taking the commute out of the equation can help your child feel more at ease during doctor visits. We also work with children living in long-term care facilities.
Being surrounded by the comforts of home can help children with special needs avoid meltdowns during a medical examination. Keeping your child calm is crucial to receiving an accurate diagnosis.
In some cases, the medical technician and your SPGPCC provider may also need to evaluate your home to make an accurate diagnosis. Pet dander, mold, cigarette smoke, or other environmental irritants may be responsible for your child’s chronic cough or allergies, for example.
SPGPCC empowers children with special needs and their families by explaining how medications may potentially interact, how a new medication may perform, what to expect during the medical examination, and more. If you have questions, we’re ready to answer.
The medical technician and your SPGPCC provider also welcome your child to ask questions to help them feel safe, heard, and relaxed. We find that hybrid healthcare fosters stronger relationships between provider and patient.
Telehealth services cannot supplement around-the-clock nursing care for children with special needs. However, you can schedule a visit with your child’s daytime and/or evening caregivers present. Your SPGPCC provider and the medical technician can use insights from your child’s respite healthcare team to develop a more comprehensive long-term wellness plan, including changing to new medications or adding additional medications.
Your SPGPCC provider may also instruct your child’s respite healthcare team how to administer basic therapeutic care, such as administering medication or checking their heartbeat.
The personal costs of caring for children with special needs and complex medical conditions can be overwhelming. Fortunately, telehealth may reduce some of these expenses.
More accurate and comprehensive medical examinations mean your child is less likely to be misdiagnosed. In addition, the SPGPCC team is trained to know the best medications and treatment options specifically for children with mild to severe disabilities and complex medical conditions.
You can make an appointment with your SPGPCC provider as soon as 24 hours, but no more than 72 hours. We also factor in the urgency and severity of your child’s symptoms to determine when your child is seen.
We streamlined our scheduling model to give SPGPCC patients a simple, stress-free experience. Here’s how it works:
Go to the SPGPCC website and complete our intake form. Click ‘Book Appointment Now’ and fill out your preferred form of contact, your child’s information, the reason for your visit, and click ‘Submit.’ You can also give our triage nurse a call at 480-629-8676.
Next, we conduct an over-the-phone assessment to determine if SPGPCC is a good fit and the best provider for your child. The triage nurse will take your child’s health history, including their allergies and current medication. Your SPGPCC provider will arrive within the hours of 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. (PST).
If we believe we don’t have the tools and resources to treat your child as effectively as possible, the triage nurse will tell you before you book your appointment.
Your SPGPCC provider will start the appointment by looking over your child’s current treatment plan and health history. You and your child will then have the opportunity to explain the reason for the appointment, as well as how your child’s condition may have changed since scheduling.
The medical technician will confer with the doctor to determine the testing your child needs. By the end of the visit, they may also offer a wellness action plan to reduce your child’s weight/blood pressure/allergic response/GERD/etc.
It helps to prepare a list of questions in advance for your SPGPCC provider and a clean treatment environment for the medical technician, especially if your child is receiving their first physical exam.
We try to help you forgo frequent and unnecessary visits to the doctor, urgent care, or the emergency room.
Mobile complex care offered by SPPCC is appropriate for routine ailments, including:
Treating routine conditions in the comfort of your home might keep your child from developing a more serious illness. However, mobile complex care cannot be used interchangeably with urgent care.
Going to urgent care is appropriate if your child:
Finally, there are some situations where your child needs to be seen by an in-person doctor as quickly as possible.
Going to the emergency room is a must if your child:
In many ways, SPGPCC follows the traditional model of a doctor’s visit. We send your prescriptions to your preferred pharmacy during or shortly after your child’s visit. We call in generic drugs to help you cut down on medical costs. We schedule follow-up visits if your SPGPCC provider confers with the medical technician and believes an additional visit (or more) is required.
If your child experiences unusual symptoms after starting a new medication, SPGPCC is here to help. We work with you to reschedule your child's follow-up appointment according to your schedule. If one of our triage nurses believes your child needs to see an emergency room healthcare provider, we advise you on the next best steps.
We at SPGPCC believe that no child has a medical condition or developmental delay impossible to treat. No matter your child's location, our team of expert pediatric healthcare providers are just a call away. We partner with other pediatric specialists in Scottsdale and the surrounding areas to help your child lead a more fulfilling, healthier life.
Give us a call at 480-629-8676 to learn more.
