Endocrinology Resources for Physicians
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is home to one of the leading pediatric endocrinology programs in Georgia Our team of pediatric-trained endocrinologists evaluates and treats children and teens who have a broad range of endocrine disorders.
Common Conditions Treated
- Adrenal disorders (e.g., adrenal insufficiency)
- Bone disorders
- Calcium disorders, including hypercalcemia and hypocalcemia
- Cholesterol disorders
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Cushing syndrome
- Delayed, absent or early puberty
- Diabetes insipidus
- Disorders of the anterior pituitary gland
- Disorders of sex development
- Growth disorders
- Gynecomastia in males
- Hirsutism in females
- Hypoglycemia
- Prader-Willi syndrome
- Prolactin disorders
- Rickets
- Short stature
- Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH)
- Thyroid nodules
- Thyroid disorders, including hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism
- Turner syndrome
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
How to Refer a Patient to Children’s Endocrinology
Please reference our endocrinology referral guidelines below before referring a patient for consultation. To refer a patient to Children’s Endocrinology, use one of the following methods:
- Online referral form: Complete and submit our secure online form.
- Print and fax: Download our form and fax it to 404-785-9111.
- accessCHOA: This free, secure, web-based electronic health record system provides physicians the ability to electronically submit referrals to Children’s specialists.
Make sure all required documentation is included. Specific documentation is required for the following diagnoses:
- Congenital hypothyroidism and congenital adrenal hyperplasia: Units of measurement for all lab results
- Precocious puberty: Documented physical exam to include tanner staging.
Below are guidelines to follow when referring a patient for a consultation with Children’s Endocrinology. These are meant to be general recommendations. If you have specific questions, call 404-785-DOCS (3627) and ask to speak with the on-call endocrinologist.
Urgent referrals If you feel your patient needs to be seen as soon as possible, note “urgent” on your referral. All referrals marked “urgent” are triaged to help make sure patients are seen in a timely fashion. If you wish to speak to the on-call endocrinologist, call 404-785-DOCS (3627).
Generally, conditions that may warrant an urgent initial outpatient visit include, but are not limited to:
- New Type 1 or 2 diabetes.
- Congenital hypothyroidism (neonate).
- Goiter or palpable nodule, if clinical findings include asymmetric gland, increasing size or discomfort, abnormal thyroid biopsy.
- Abnormal height velocity or crossing percentiles and associated with severe headaches and/or blurry vision.
- Hypoglycemia and failure to thrive.
There are several conditions we see that may not warrant an urgent evaluation given the available resources. These may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Short stature (current height less than 3rd percentile for age or crossing percentiles on repeated growth measurements)
- Precocious puberty >7 years of age
- Delayed puberty
- Non-palpable nodule on thyroid (seen on ultrasound)
- Possible hypothyroidism with TSH
For non-urgent medical requests, we offer e-consult via accessCHOA.
E-consult offers physicians the opportunity to receive timely guidance on lower-complexity and data-oriented clinical questions that may not require an in-person evaluation. One of our specialists will typically respond within three business days. Patient family consent is required.
We require growth curves for all referred patients prior to scheduling.
Note, it is very important to provide a visual line graph, ideally for both height and weight, although both are not required. Multiple points are preferred, if available. If you have only seen the patient once, we will accept graphs with single points.
Office notes are crucial in helping us determine the intricacies of your patient’s case.
- We require office notes beyond just the reason for referral.
- Whether you refer to them as Clinical Notes, History of Present Illness (HPI), Interval History or Notes, we need notes that the provider took during the last visit that explain the child’s case and chief concern for referral.
- A short “reason for referral” is not sufficient.
Contact Us 404-785-DOCS (3627)