Referral Directory

Hospital Contact:

Penny Williams, R.N.

Key Contact:

Heather Hughes, R.N.

Phone numbers:

Physician Line
214-456-6400

Parent Line
214-456-6433

Description of services:

The Referral Care Center at Children's works with the referring physician to provide after-hours urgent care for patients with low to moderate acuity conditions. A pediatrician on the medical staff at the Referral Care Center will evaluate the patient and speak with the primary care physician regarding the assessment and plan. A summary also will be sent to the primary care physician via fax. Patients with high acuity or complex conditions requiring specialist care will be transferred to the main emergency center.

Hours of Operation

Weekdays – 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Phone lines open at 2 p.m.
Weekends – Noon to 11 p.m. Phone lines open at 11 a.m.
Note: Referral calls are taken one hour before the center opens. Beginning 30 minutes prior to closing, referral calls will be routed to the emergency center referral coordinator.

Procedures performed or problems diagnosed and treated:

Management a variety of urgent pediatric conditions. The most common include:

Vomiting/diarrhea/dehydration requiring IV fluid rehydration
Asthma and bronchiolitis necessitating aerosol treatments
Febrile illnesses resulting in rule-out sepsis work ups
Minor injuries requiring simple laceration repair

Patients requiring sedation are transferred to the ER for their procedures.

Information for referral sources:

Physicians must call Referral Care Center and refer the patient to be seen.

Please provide the following when calling to refer a patient:

Patient name and date of birth
Patient's chief complaint and reason for referral
Number where you can be reached by the pediatrician at the Referral Care Center for a follow-up report

First Call triage services will direct patients with non-emergent conditions to the Referral Care Center during its hours of operation.

Why Children's Medical Center?

The Children's Referral Care Center is the only Dallas area urgent care center integrated with a full-service pediatric hospital and emergency center.
The referral coordination process enhances continuity of care between the primary pediatrician and the patient.