Heart Center

Refer a Patient

For our most current wait times by specialty and location, see our Access Dashboard.

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How to Refer a Patient

The Heart Center welcomes your referral. The information below will help ensure a smooth referral process for you and your patient. If after reviewing this information you still have questions, or if you need help locating or expediting a referral, please call:

  • Seattle region, Bellevue area, Northwest Washington: 206-987-2080 (Clinical Intake Nurse Line for main hospital campus)
  • South Puget Sound and Olympic Peninsula (Centralia, Olympia, Silverdale, South Clinic in Federal Way and Tacoma): 253-272-1812
  • Eastern Washington:
  • Wenatchee and North Central Washington: 509-662-9266
  • Alaska: 907-339-1945
  • Montana

Request a second opinion or more information about cardiac surgery.

Appointment availability

Updated April 2023.

Urgent cardiology referrals will be seen within 5 days. Nonurgent cardiology referrals to our main campus location are typically scheduled within a few weeks. Wait times for nonurgent clinic visits in our regional sites vary from a few days to a few weeks.

Referral requirements

A referral is required for an appointment to be scheduled and to assure communication to the referring provider after the visit occurs. Please submit a referral containing all the documentation below to ensure quicker and accurate referral processing and scheduling.

Please include:

  • Service/specialty clinic requested
  • Reason for referral: what is the clinical question for the specialist?
    • If you are referring for testing only, such as an ECG or echocardiogram, please note it on the referral, i.e., write “ECG Only” or “Echo Only”
  • If the referral is urgent (see within 4 weeks) or routine (next available)
  • ICD-10 diagnosis – required
  • Visit type:
    • New patient consult, transfer of care, second opinion or return visit/ongoing care
  • ALL relevant clinical documents
    • Clinic notes
    • Medication history
    • Growth charts/curves
    • Lab reports
    • Imaging and diagnostic reports
    • Previous specialty evaluations
  • Patient’s full name, DOB, sex, address, guardian contact information and insurance
  • Referring provider’s name, phone, fax and the referral coordinator’s email address so that we may contact you if additional information is needed
  • Preferred Heart Center location (see “Where to send your referral” below)
  • If an interpreter is needed
  • Any known barriers to performing a successful telehealth (video) visit with the family

Imaging and diagnostic reports: No pre-referral workup is required for most conditions. However, if you have already done testing such as an ECG, Holter monitor or echocardiogram, please include this information as well as relevant clinic notes with your referral.

Please note:

  • We see patients up to age 21. However, at this time, referrals for Cardiogenetics for patients 18 and older are being forwarded to UW Medicine Heart Institute.
  • Patients need a new referral if they have not been seen by the Heart Center in the last 2 years, except for patients we have asked to follow up in 3 to 5 years.
  • Heart murmur referrals: Please consider sharing the heart murmur information for families found on our website. It may offer reassurance before the family’s visit.
  • Hypertension referrals will be directed to Nephrology.
  • Hyperlipidemia referrals will be directed to Endocrinology.
  • Concussion referrals will be directed to our Sports Concussion Program, Neurology or Rehab Medicine unless there is a concern about a cardiac issue being present.
  • Referrals for syncope/presyncope (fainting/dizziness) may be redirected by our intake nurses to neurology or otolaryngology. Our decision trees are below. Resources to assist PCPs managing syncope and dizziness are found below in “Resources for Providers.”

ECG (EKG) and Echocardiogram

  • ECG (EKG)
    • Ordering a test: Submit a NARF (new appointment request form) clearly stating “ECG only” along with diagnosis or indication. There is no facility fee.
    • Interpretation: We offer ECG interpretation to community providers in Washington, Alaska and Montana, which includes a reading of the ECG but not guidance on management of the patient. Learn more.
  •  Echocardiogram
    • Ordering a test: Submit a NARF (new appointment request form) clearly stating “Echocardiogram only” along with diagnosis or indication. There is no facility fee.
    • Ordering a fetal echocardiogram: Use the Fetal Care Appointment Request Form (PDF) (DOC) and see the referral guidelines for our Fetal Diagnosis Program.
    • Interpretation: We offer tele-echo interpretations to facilities in Washington, Alaska and Montana. Learn more.

Where to send your referral

  • Washington – Seattle region, Bellevue, Northwest Washington: Refer to the Seattle Children’s Heart Center at the main hospital campus.
      • Fax: 206-985-3121.
  • Washington – Other regions:
    • South Puget Sound and Olympic Peninsula (Centralia, Olympia, Silverdale, South Clinic and Tacoma): Refer to Seattle Children’s South Sound Cardiology at Cedar Medical Center in Tacoma.
      • Fax: 253-682-1455.
    • Tri-Cities, Walla Walla: Refer to the Seattle Children’s Tri-Cities Clinic.
      • Fax: 509-375-9059 or 206-985-3207.
    • Yakima: Refer to Yakima Children’s Village
      • Fax: 509-574-6935
    • Wenatchee and North Central Washington: Refer to Seattle Children’s Wenatchee Clinic.
      • Fax: 509-662-9284.
  • Alaska: Please use the Alaska-specific referral form (PDF, DOC) and refer your patient to Pediatric Cardiology of Alaska (PCA) in Anchorage. PCA is part of the Seattle Children’s Heart Center.
      • Fax: 907-339-1994.
  • Montana:
    • Great Falls, Helena and Havre: Refer to the Seattle Children’s Heart Center Great Falls clinic.
      • Fax: 406-452-5262
    • Bozeman: Refer to the Seattle Children’s Heart Center Bozeman  clinic.
      • Fax: 460-414-4595
  • All other locations: Refer to the Seattle Children’s Heart Center at the main hospital campus.
      • Fax: 206-987-3829

We’re committed to partnering with you

Seattle Children’s is always available to answer questions and support your care of your patients.

  • To discuss whether your patient needs to be seen the same or next day, or for diagnosis and treatment options, call the on-call cardiologist on the Provider-to-Provider Line: 206-987-7777.
  • For clinical support of inpatient infants and children with cardiac needs at Evergreen Hospital Medical Center, Overlake Medical Center, Providence Regional Medical Center-Everett or University of Washington Medical Center, call our Puget Sound Regional Cardiology Consult Service at 206-987-5760.
  • Referring or transporting a patient to our Emergency Department or Urgent Care: call 206-987-8899 or toll free 866-987-8899 (ED Communications Center).

Learn more about managing your patients at Seattle Children's, including viewing your patient’s records.

Meet the Heart Center Team.

Seattle Children’s cardiologists see patients in multiple locations covering nearly a million square miles, from Montana to the Arctic Circle. See our Heart Center locations.

What Your Patients Can Expect

  • Please let the family know to call us to schedule an appointment. The family should call the Heart Center location the referral has been sent to. Once a referral is processed, the schedulers will contact the family via text to call and schedule the appointment.
  • If the referral is urgent, they should call right away to schedule the appointment. For nonurgent appointments, please allow 48 hours for us to process the referral.
  • Initial visits and most follow-up cardiology appointments are a minimum of 40 minutes. Initial appointments include vital signs and an ECG. If an echocardiogram is required as part of the evaluation, it will add at least another hour to the visit.

Resources for Providers

We receive many referrals for the conditions below, which often can be managed in primary care. Following are resources to help community providers manage these conditions and know when to refer for specialty care.

To suggest additional resources from Seattle Children’s that would be useful to primary care providers, please email us.

Request a second opinion for your patient or ask a question about Cardiac Surgery at Seattle Children's

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