How and when to make the switch from pediatric to adult healthcare
Young adulthood is a time of transition – whether you’re graduating high school or college, starting a new job, or moving to a new city. If you’ve been seeing a pediatrician or pediatric specialist, it’s also time to transfer your medical care to a provider who takes care of adult patients.
We make it easy for young adults within M Health Fairview Pediatrics to transition to M Health Fairview adult care providers, and we’re also here to help young people who are moving away and need to transfer their care out of state. Our goal is to ensure there are no gaps in treatment and that every young adult is empowered and able to access the medical care they need. So, where can you access adult primary and specialty care, and what can you do to prepare for the transition?
We asked Brandon Nathan, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist with M Health Fairview and associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, and Laurel Ries, MD, a family medicine and obstetrics doctor at M Health Fairview Clinic – Rice Street, about what young adults need to know.
When do I stop seeing a pediatrician for primary care?
Typically, young adults make the transition to an adult primary care provider between the ages of 18 and 21. Twenty-one is also the age when it’s recommended that women get their first pap smear, which screens for cervical cancer in young people, making it a natural time to start seeing an adult provider.
What services does primary care provide?
Primary care physicians can provide sexual and reproductive healthcare – including sexually-transmitted infection (STI) screenings and birth control – as well as mental healthcare. Ries encourages patients to think of their primary care clinic as their “medical home.”
“Primary care providers are always happy to help you navigate any additional care you may need as an adult,” said Ries. “We’re a great starting place.”
Which physicians can I go to for primary care?
Internal medicine, internal medicine/pediatrics, and family medicine physicians all provide primary care and, if you’ve been seeing a family medicine physician or an internal medicine/pediatrics doctor as a child, you can continue to meet with that provider as an adult. However, if you’ve been cared for by a pediatrician, you’ll need to make the switch. You can also meet with a nurse practitioner or physician assistant who takes care of adult patients for primary care.
When should I come for a wellness visit?
It’s recommended that adults come in for an annual wellness visit with a primary care physician. So, if you haven’t been seen by a doctor within the last year, go ahead and schedule an appointment.
“Annual visits are all about helping you stay healthy,” said Ries. “It’s a time for us to check your blood pressure, cholesterol, and more to keep you healthy and try to prevent serious illness down the line.”
Ries advises patients to sign up for MyChart, which alerts you when you’re overdue for an appointment or recommended screening. Patients can also manage their appointments, bills, and care using the M Health Fairview app. If you’re coming to M Health Fairview from another health system, call your previous clinic to get your health records transferred to your new M Health Fairview primary care clinic. This helps our physicians get a full understanding of your health journey and ensures your MyChart reminders are up to date.
We’re home to over 40 primary care clinics throughout Minnesota. View our locations here.
What happens if I’m seeing a pediatric specialist?
Our specialists work with young adults and their families to prepare for the transition to adult specialty care, educating young people on how to access care and connecting them with our extensive network of adult specialty providers.
“We often start preparing patients for the transition in early adolescence,” said Nathan, who provides diabetes care through our pediatric specialty clinics. “We educate them on the importance of self-management of their illness and ensure they have the necessary tools to continue successfully caring for themselves as adults.”
As with primary care, the timing for young adults transitioning to adult specialty care can vary based on their current medical needs, developmental maturation, and overall readiness to make the transition.
Why is it important to prepare for the transition?
Young adulthood is a time when many people may experience a gap in their healthcare. If you’re managing a chronic condition like diabetes without the appropriate support from your healthcare team, you’re more likely to experience complications – in part because of potential gaps in care. You’ll need to schedule and keep track of your own appointments, which is why it’s important for pediatric specialists to make sure you have all the tools you need to continue receiving care independently.
“We don’t want to put in a referral for an adult provider when the patient isn’t yet ready to make that transition – those patients can fall through the cracks if they don’t have the necessary tools to continue accessing care as an adult,” said Nathan. “We want young adults to take advantage of all the services available to them, be proactive in managing their condition, and thrive as an individual with a chronic illness.”
How do we ease the transition between pediatric and adult specialty care?
Nathan and a team of specialists with M Health Fairview Pediatrics have built a transition program for our system based on a framework established by Got Transition, a national resource for improving the transition from pediatric to adult medicine funded by The National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health. We’re currently piloting this program for young adults who are managing type 1 diabetes.
“We’re following the core principles of Got Transition, which are focused on educating teenagers and young adults on managing their condition independently,” said Nathan. “We also work with families to support them as they gradually hand over responsibility to their child.”
When a young adult is ready to transition, our pediatric specialists collaborate closely with M Health Fairview’s network of adult specialists.
“We can say to our patients, ‘We’ve discussed your clinical journey with your adult care team,’ so they don’t feel it’s a total restart with their adult specialist,” said Nathan. “We’ll also connect our specialty patients with an adult primary care provider when needed, as they are a critically important part of the care team.”
At M Health Fairview, we look forward to seeing young adults for all their care needs – from specialty to preventative care. We are driven by our mission to help all of our patients lead their best lives, by staying healthy for a lifetime.
Comprehensive, coordinated care for your child. M Health Fairview Pediatrics is home to 40+ primary care clinics, and a team of dedicated pediatric providers representing over 60 specialties. Learn more.
