Transitioning Newborns from NICU to Home: Family Information Packet | Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)

Transitioning Newborns from NICU to Home: Family Information Packet | Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)

Transitioning Newborns from NICU to Home: Family Information Packet

02/17/2014 11:10 AM EST

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Related MedlinePlus Page: Premature Babies

• Publication # 12(14)-0054-EF

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Transitioning Newborns from NICU to Home: Family Information Packet

Appendix A. Family Information Packet

Contents

Getting Care

• Tips for Finding a Pediatrician.
• Tips About Health Insurance.

Understanding Signs and Symptoms of Illness

• Signs and Symptoms of Illness.
• Crying.
• Colic.

Medicines and Immunizations

• Medication Safety.
• Giving Your Baby Oral Medicines.
• Preventing Infection.
• Premature Babies Immunization Schedule.

Managing Breathing Problems

• How Can I Manage My Child's Breathing Problems at Home?
• Crib Safety.
• Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD).
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

Newborn Feeding

• Bottle Feeding.
• Breastfeeding Your Baby.
• Gastrostomy Tube (G Tube or Button).

Getting Care

Tips for Finding a Pediatrician

• Your family will need to visit a pediatrician within the first week after leaving the hospital.
• Plan ahead to avoid the pressure and frustration of finding a pediatrician right before your baby is discharged from the hospital.
• Ask your Health Coach or social worker if you need help finding a doctor for your baby.
• Decide whether the pediatrician's office needs to be close to your home, job, or day care.
• Call the pediatrician's office to ask if they accept your current health insurance and if they are accepting new patients.
• Ask the pediatrician's office what your co-payment and responsibilities are.
• Ask the pediatrician's office which doctor your baby will see at every visit.
• Ask the pediatrician's office if a doctor is on-call 24 hours a day for emergencies.

Return to Appendix Contents

Tips About Health Insurance

Your baby will need to visit the doctor regularly after birth.

You have only 30 days to add your newborn to your insurance plan. Call your current insurance company as soon as possible to add your newborn.

Ask your social worker if you qualify for Medicaid, and apply while your baby is still in the hospital.

Ask about Children's Medicaid (CHIP), Project Medical Home, and other low-cost health care benefits if you do not qualify for Medicaid.

Return to Appendix Contents

Current as of December 2013

Internet Citation: Transitioning Newborns from NICU to Home: Family Information Packet: Appendix A. Family Information Packet. December 2013. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/systems/hospital/nicu_toolkit/nicu-packet-apa.html