Is there a benefit to having a transition period in which a patient continues following with their previous pediatric rheumatologist while establishing care with a new adult rheumatologist?

Several pediatric to adult care models exist. Some models involve transition clinics in which adult and pediatric providers are both present and care may overlap between the two providers. Others are primarily focused on the pediatric side in preparing adolescents and young adults for care in the ad...

Some patients do benefit from overlapping care between their pediatric and adult rheumatologists, but this can be problematic when insurance coverage does not allow this to happen. One of the biggest challenges for this transfer is the establishment of a working relationship with the new provider an...

This is an incredibly important topic. Studies show that pediatric patients with poor transitioning have worse outcomes.

Pre-planning is best, beginning even a few years before the transfer of care so that the patient can learn essential skills such as managing one's own meds, keeping up with prescr...