Multidisciplinary Pediatric Aerodigestive Clinic (MPAC)

Program overview

The aerodigestive tract is not well understood. It is made up of the combined organs and tissues of the respiratory tract and the upper part of the digestive tract. This includes the lips, mouth, tongue, nose, throat, vocal cords, and part of the esophagus and windpipe. Because of this, treating diseases that affect these areas can be very complicated.

The first concern is figuring out who should be seeing your child. Depending on the diagnosis and symptoms, your child may need to see a gastroenterologist for stomach complaints, a pulmonary provider for lung problems, an ear, nose and throat (ENT) provider for airway considerations, or a pediatric surgeon. In most cases, it will be some combination of these specialists who will work with your child.

In addition, your child may see other professional staff, including those in social work, speech and language pathology, nutrition, respiratory therapy and nursing. Especially during the early phases of treatment, it is likely that your child would need to have tests done at different areas throughout the hospital.

The Multidisciplinary Pediatric Aerodigestive Center (MPAC) brings these different people and specialists together under one roof. This close collaboration among specialists creates advantages for your family:

• One appointment, at one location, will let you see all the necessary doctors and care providers.

• Your child should undergo anesthesia only once for evaluation, instead of multiple times for each specialty.

• All specialists share a single patient record and develop a collaborative treatment plan.

• We can maintain unsurpassed continuity of care throughout the entire duration of treatment.

We never forget your child is unique

The care team at Children’s Health understands that your child is unique. We evaluate the individual needs of each child, including a thorough review of his or her medical history and symptoms. We use that information to develop a personalized care plan that coordinates all needed visits, tests and necessary surgeries. The needs of your child and your family are always considered the top priority at MPAC.

What to expect

• Your physician will refer your child to our center and our referral coordinator will contact you.

• The nurse practitioner or physician assistant will call you to get background information, coordinate a plan for your visit and identify what needs to be addressed at your appointment.

• We will then contact your insurance company to make sure the evaluation is covered by your insurance plan. Once we receive approval from your insurance company, you will be contacted to schedule your visit.

The Multidisciplinary Pediatric Aerodigestive Clinic (MPAC) at Children’s Health℠ is designed exclusively for children with complex airway and swallowing disorders. These diseases quite often require care from many different specialties and subspecialties including gastroenterologists (GI), pulmonologists and otolaryngologists (ENT). Coordinating multiple providers can be complicated, but the program serves to keep everyone on the same page and up-to-date on what is happening.

Closer collaboration among specialties means better care for your child

If your child has complex aerodigestive health issues, the care needed typically involves a wide variety of specialties and procedures. At MPAC, everything you need is housed together under one roof for your convenience. One appointment at one location gives you access to all the doctors, care providers and technology your child needs to get the best care possible.

Additionally, MPAC specialists consult with outside otolaryngologists, gastroenterologists and pulmonologists to develop a comprehensive evaluation and treatment plan for your child that can be administered locally.