Airway and Esophageal Center

Refer a Patient

How to Refer a Patient

We treat children with tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), esophageal atresia (EA) and airway stenosis. Patients experiencing difficulty feeding who don’t have these conditions should be referred to our Pediatric Feeding Program.

All referrals are reviewed by an Otolaryngology triage nurse and may be redirected to another specialty or subspecialty clinic if there is a more appropriate place to see them. Please provide as much detail as possible about the patient’s condition and diagnosis to assist us in the triaging and scheduling process.

If you are unsure about whether to refer your patient, please call our Clinical Intake Nurses at 206-987-2080, option 4. To locate or expedite a referral, call the Clinical Intake Coordinators at 206-987-2080, option 2.

Patients must have a referral in order to schedule an appointment.

Appointment availability

Updated November 2023.

We are accepting new referrals and typically see new patients within 2 to 3 months.

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:

  • Service/specialty clinic requested – Airway and Esophageal Center
  • 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 (images can be uploaded to PowerShare)
    • 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
  • If an interpreter is needed
  • Any known barriers to performing a successful telehealth (video) visit with the family
  • Previous endoscopy reports, VFSS reports, radiology reports and audiograms
  • Biopsy results

Please note:

  • Patients who have not been seen by our department in the last 3 years will need a new referral.
  • We see new patients through age 20. If your patient is 21 or older, we ask that you refer them to an otolaryngology provider for adults.
  • If the Airway and Esophageal Center is not the right choice for your patient, we will redirect your referral to the appropriate group, usually Otolaryngology.

Submit a referral

If imaging studies (CT, MRI, X-rays) have been done, please upload to PowerShare. 

Please call our Clinical Intake Nurses if you need assistance: 206-987-2080, option 1.

Provider-to-provider communication

  • For urgent clinical questions, defined as a clinical question that requires immediate attention due to its potential impact on patient health or safety but is not life-threatening, call our Provider-to-Provider line at 206-987-7777 or 877-985-4637 (toll-free) to speak to our on-call Otolaryngology provider.
  • If you are directing or transporting a patient to the Emergency Department or Urgent Care, please call Mission Control at 206-987-8899 or 866-987-8899 (toll-free).
  • For non-urgent clinical questions, please consider submitting an eConsult. (Providers outside the state of Washington do not have access to eConsults and may call the Provider-to-Provider line and indicate they have a non-urgent clinical question for our on-call otolaryngologist.)
  • For co-management questions related to an existing problem for a shared patient, please send an InBasket message via EpicCare Link.
  • If you would like to have one of our Otolaryngology team members provide in-person or virtual education with your clinic, please contact our Physician Relations team to coordinate.

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

Meet the Airway and Esophageal Center team.

We see patients at Seattle Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center.

What Your Patients Can Expect

  • We will call your patient to schedule appointments as they become available.
  • The wait for appointments is 2 to 3 months.
  • We see patients at Seattle Children’s clinic in Bellevue.

Resources for Families

See airway and esophageal resources for patients and families.

Resources for Providers