Going Home

When your child's treatment is complete, they will be discharged from the medical center. We know you are eager to get home, so we will try to speed along the process.

We want to make sure that all paperwork is taken care of properly. By planning ahead, we hope to make going home an easy adjustment for you and your child.

You need to plan for your transportation home at the time of admission. If you need help getting home, please let your nurses know.

As you are leaving, make sure you are following child passenger safety laws. Texas law requires that all children ride in federally approved car seats or booster seats made for their weight and height, until they are 8 years old or taller than 4 feet 9 inches. In addition, all passengers (including adults) above this age/height must use a seat belt, regardless of where they sit in the vehicle (TRC 545.412 / 9-1-2009). Children should always ride in the back seat. If you need assistance locating a car seat, please ask your nurse.

Discharge

When your child is being discharged, you may receive additional care instructions, prescriptions, and referrals for additional medical services and/or equipment. You may also need to schedule a follow-up appointment. If you have any questions, please ask before you leave or call your doctor's office and we'll help in any way we can.

On-site retail pharmacy

For your convenience, prescriptions can be filled at our retail pharmacy located on the first floor of the Cook Children's Medical Center. Let your doctor or nurse know you'd like to have your prescription filled in our pharmacy so it will be ready for pick up when you leave. In some cases, the prescription can be delivered to your room. Ask your doctor or nurse for assistance.

Our pharmacy offers compounding, flavor-blended medications, over-the-counter medicines and medication check-ups. It is important to always give medicine to your child exactly as prescribed by your doctor.

For more information, visit our pharmacy.

Home health

In some cases, your child may need services or equipment at home. Cook Children's Home Health offers the following services:

Medical equipment
Nursing
Orthotics and prosthetics, including cranial helmets
Pharmacy
Rehabilitation

If your child is going to receive care at home, your case manager or social worker with give you the name and telephone number of the agencies that will be taking care of your child.

Please visit Cook Children's Home Health for more information.

Teach Back

Before you go home we'll give you a surgery discharge teaching sheet. We'll explain:

What you need to know about taking care of your child after surgery.
What you need to do (for example, if your child runs a fever, throws up, has pain, etc.).
Why doing this is important.

We have a special way of teaching our patients and families at Cook Children's. We call it Teach Back. Everyone needs help understanding health information. You aren't alone if you find things confusing at times. Please, always ask questions and tell us if you don't understand our answers. Teach Back includes the following:

Sometimes we may ask you to pretend you are home and that we are a family member or neighbor.
We'll ask you to show us or tell us how to care for your child at home after surgery
For example: "What should I do if my child has fever?"

Teach Back helps us make sure that we are teaching this information in a way that makes sense.

Billing

Cook Children's will bill your insurance company, if applicable, for your child's surgery.

You'll also be billed separately by one or more physicians who care for your child. This might include radiologists, pathologists, anesthesiologists or surgeons.

For any questions relating to your account or to request an itemized statement, please visit our billing and insurance page or call Patient Accounting at 682-885-4432. For families outside area codes 817 or 682, the toll free number is 1-888-852-6635.

If you have questions about your insurance, please read your insurance card, policy or other material from your insurance provider to find a phone number to call for information. If your employer provides insurance, you may also call your employer's benefits office for assistance.

We encourage you to be involved in your child's care. You know your child best and we encourage you to share your past experiences and what works best for your child. We want you and your child to be as comfortable as possible, so please let us know if there is anything we can do to help make your experience more comfortable.