Managing Chronic Disease

Texas Children's subsidizes health services needed by patients and families in the community

Texas Children’s Hospital recognizes that there are some clinical services provided that if not offered by the hospital, would either be unavailable in the community or fall to the responsibility of government or another not-for-profit organization to provide. In many cases, these services provide a significant financial loss to the organization, but provide a tremendous resource for children and their families. For this very reason, the hospital invests and continually supports these valuable clinical services to meet the needs of its community.

Subsidized health services include costs for services that are financially supported by the hospital. These clinical services are provided despite a negative margin because they are valued and needed by patients and families in the community as other providers do not provide these services, or the services would otherwise not be available to meet patient demand. Texas Children’s Hospital invested over $2.2 million in subsidized healthcare services in the following programs and services in 2012.

• Center for Childhood Obesity
• Mental Health Clinics
• Outpatient Renal Services - Services started in 1980 in response to community needs for chronic hemodialysis for children. Approximately 70 chronic patients are seen annually by pediatric nephrologists and hemodialized at the hospital or at home, to improve their health outcomes post-transplantation and maintain a child’s normalcy of school and activities with friends.
  
  In 2004, there were 51 in-center hemodialysis patients and 29 home patients (peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis). 

In addition to those mentioned above, the Mobile Clinic Program is another healthcare service subsidized by Texas Children's.