Refer a Patient
If you are unsure about whether to refer your patient, or which Seattle Children’s clinic to refer to, please call our Clinical Intake Nurses at 206-987-2080, option 1.
Appointment availability
Updated July 2023.
We are accepting new referrals. A referral is required. Wait times for new patient visits are as follows:
- Seattle (hospital): 6 months
- North Clinic in Everett: 5 months
- Bellevue Clinic: 6 months
- South Clinic in Federal Way and Olympia Clinic: No availability. We will no longer see new patients at these sites beginning in January 2023, and all of our new visit appointments have been filled.
All new visits must be in person but return visits may be through telehealth.
Referral requirements
Please submit a referral that is complete. This helps us schedule your patient’s appointment in a timely manner and ensure their first visit is smooth and productive.
Please include:
- Reason for referral: what is the clinical question for the specialist?
- 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 (legal name and chosen name, if different), 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 clinic location, if applicable
- If an interpreter is needed
- Any known barriers to performing a successful telehealth (video) visit with the family
- Therapy reports (OT, PT, Speech) and early intervention notes
- Questionnaires (M-CHAT, Ages and Stages, Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scale, and other applicable rating scales and/or questionnaires)
- School records or notes, IEP or testing results, developmental assessments
- Brain imaging reports
Please note:
- The Neurodevelopmental program is separate from Neuropsychology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine. Please call our Clinical Intake Nurses at 206-987-2080, Option 1, if you are unsure where to refer a patient.
- Neurodevelopmental does not see patients for the following conditions as a primary issue:
- Autism: please refer your patient to Seattle Children’s Autism Center or the University of Washington Autism Center or the Child Development Clinic at the University of Washington.
- Behavior concerns: please refer your patient to Seattle Children’s Psychiatry and Behavioral health if insurance requirements are met, or to your local behavioral health organization that have contracts with the state to provide mental and behavioral health support to families (see list by county in WA). You may also call the Partnership Access Line (PAL) for help finding a local provider or refer your patient’s family directly to the free Washington Mental Health Referral Service for Children and Teens.
- Learning disabilities: A family should talk to their local school district for guidance, before getting a medical referral. If there is concern for ADHD, consider referring your patient to Seattle Children’s PEARL Clinic within our Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine program (note: PEARL Clinic has some insurance restrictions).
- Sexual abuse or sexual aggression: call the King County Sexual Assault Center at 888-998-6423 or Harborview’s Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress at 206-744-1600.
- Abuse, trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): call Harborview’s Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress at 206-744-1600.
- We see new patients age 17 and younger.
- Patients who have not been seen by our department in the last 3 years will need a new referral.
- If you would like to discuss your patient’s diagnosis or treatment to help you decide whether and how to refer them, call our Provider-to-Provider Line at 206-987-7777.
Submit a referral
New Appointment Request Form (PDF) (DOC)
Step-by-step guide to submitting a referral
Pease call our Clinical Intake Nurses if you need assistance: 206-987-2080, option 1.
We’re committed to partnering with you
If we evaluate your patient and determine they do not have a condition that requires ongoing evaluation and management in a specialty setting, we will return them to you with an appropriate plan of care. Our goal for many patients is to diagnose and treat them, help them stabilize, then return these patients to their primary care provider (or a community provider) for ongoing management, with further consultation by us as needed.
We offer resources to support referring providers in caring for patients who have conditions that we do not see. Learn more in Resources for Providers below.
We are always available to answer questions and support your care of your patients.
- Diagnosis and treatment options: call 206-987-7777 (Provider-to-Provider Line)
- 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)
- Questions about scheduling and referrals, including locating or expediting a referral: call 206-987-2080 (Clinical Intake Nurses)
Learn more about managing your patients at Seattle Children's, including viewing your patient’s records.
Meet the Neurodevelopmental team.
We see patients at our hospital in Seattle; our clinics in Bellevue, Everett, Federal Way, Olympia; and outreach clinics in Yakima, WA and Juneau and Fairbanks, AK. See our locations.
What Your Patients Can Expect
- Once we receive your referral, your patient may call to make an appointment.
- Your patient’s first appointment is likely to last 60 to 90 minutes; we welcome parents to bring snacks and distraction devices, if needed.
- At their first visit, your patient may be seen by either a physician or an advanced practice provider.
- The first visit will often include a visit with a clinic social worker, who will have the important role of identifying resources that may be beneficial for the family. Some families are reluctant to meet with a social worker, due to stigma or other reasons, but our social workers are a vital part of our care team.
- The family may leave their first visit without a diagnosis. Additional visits are often required to prepare a diagnosis and treatment plan.
- Families often feel overwhelmed before they visit us. First appointments are most productive when families consider beforehand what is important to them, and bring a list of questions and concerns to discuss about their child’s development.
- Wait times are currently up to 6 months for new appointments, and vary by clinic location. Families may be seen sooner if they are willing and able to travel to a clinic that is farther away.
- Families may call 206-987-2210 to ask to be added to a cancellation list.
- We review openings and the patient referral queue daily.
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Resources and research for families
- Washington’s Mental Health Referral Service for Children and Teens is a free service that connects families with mental health providers in their local area who fit their child’s mental health needs.
- Patients may visit Neurodevelopmental’s resources for patient and families.
- There is a wealth of resources on our Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
- A to Z resource list for families by Samuel Zinner, MD (Seattle Children’s/UW)
Resources for Providers
- Samuel Zinner, MD (Seattle Children’s/UW) has compiled a comprehensive list of UWSOM Developmental/Behavioral Pediatric Resources that supports providers’ professional training and clinical care of youth and their families.
- School advocacy resources
- Office of Education Ombudsman (https://oeo.wa.gov/en)
- Partnership Access Line (PAL) offers mental health consultation for questions such as diagnostic clarification, medication adjustment or treatment planning
To suggest additional resources from Seattle Children’s that would be useful to primary care providers, please email us.