January 21, 2020

For the second consecutive year, Transplant Services at Texas Children’s was named the top pediatric transplant center in the US, performing a remarkable 106 solid organ transplants in 2019. That figure includes the highest volume of pediatric liver and lung transplants in the United States.

For the year, we performed:

  • 36 liver transplants
  • 14 lung transplants
  • 27 kidney transplants
  • 29 heart transplants

In addition to top notch volumes, the transplant team’s one-year survival data, as reported on the January 2020 Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) outcomes report, was better than the expectation in each of our four programs.

“Our numbers and outcomes data are a true testament to the magnitude and quality of our program,” said Dr. John Goss, medical director of Transplant Services. “I am extremely proud of and thankful for our team and their commitment to being the absolute best at what they do.”

Goss added that he also is appreciative of our donors whose generous and selfless decisions make transplants possible. “Without our donors, many of our patients would run out of options,” he said.

Transplant Services provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to care through all aspects of the transplant process, from initial referral to hospitalization and outpatient management. Our team of experts includes physicians and surgical advanced practice providers, transplant coordinators, pediatric ventricular assist device coordinators, perfusionists, child life specialists, dietitians, social workers, financial counselors, pharmacists, inpatient and outpatient nursing and support staff, Perioperative Services, physical and occupational therapists, Radiology, Pathology, our LifeGift partners, and many others.

Since its inception, Transplant Services has grown at a steady pace and is now one of the largest pediatric transplant programs in the nation with a total of more than 1,800 solid organ transplants performed. Our depth of skill and service enables us to offer world-class care for patients, from newborns to young adults, in need of heart, kidney, liver and lung transplants. That expertise has allowed us to successfully treat some cases that other national and international programs might consider untreatable.

Members of the Transplant Team are involved in academic research as well. That research is presented at many national and international conferences, and contributes to advancing the practice of pediatric transplant as a whole.

Transplant Services is accredited by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and is fully accredited by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

“Congratulations to everyone on our Transplant Services team,” said Texas Children’s Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Larry Hollier. “Everyone on this team does an amazing job at providing excellent care and support for our transplant patients and families.”

Learn more about Transplant Services at Texas Children’s.

January 20, 2020

It’s time to lace up your sneakers and hit the pavement! Texas Children’s Hospital and the Houston Marathon Foundation are teaming up again to host the West Campus Family Fun Run and The Woodlands Family Fun Run in April and May. Registration is open for both runs and spots are filling up fast. So, sign up today to guarantee a space for you and your family.

Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus

West Campus will host the eighth annual West Campus Family Fun Run at its campus on Saturday, April 4 with a 9 a.m. start time. The event will include both a 1K and 3K course. Following the run/walk, families can enjoy various activities until noon at the Family Fun Zone.

The entry fee for the run/walk is $8 per person. All attendees must register (even infants). Strollers, walkers and wheelchairs are welcome. Children may not participate unattended.

Registration for the West Campus Family Fun Run will close at 5 p.m. Monday, March 23. Click here to register and learn more about the upcoming event.

Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands

Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands will host its fourth annual Family Fun Run event on Saturday, May 2. The event will offer a 1-mile course and will begin at 9 a.m. Post-race activities will follow until 11 a.m. at the Family Fun Zone.

The entry fee for the run/walk is $8 per person. All attendees must register (even infants). Strollers, walkers and wheelchairs are welcome. Children may not participate unattended.

Registration for The Woodlands Family Fun Run will close at 5 p.m. Monday, April 20. Click here to register and learn more about the upcoming event.

Additional information

Participants – including those who need walkers and wheelchairs – are welcome at both Texas Children’s Family Fun Run events. There will not be prizes given to top finishers as all participants will receive an award for taking part in an event designed to educate and encourage Houston-area families to adopt active, healthy lifestyles. Families must participate together. Children are not allowed to run unsupervised or on their own. Please ensure all participants are registered, even small children in strollers. Once registered, plan to attend one of the Packet Pick-Ups in advance of the event to pick up your event T-shirts, bibs, goodie bags and more.

Good luck and happy running!

As we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Mr. Wallace’s latest blog post reminds us that King was a champion for the equal rights of ALL Americans. Read more

Patients with Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers got the surprise of a lifetime last week when Houston Astros players José Altuve, Joe Biagini, Dustin Garneau and Myles Straw, as well as Orbit, the team’s mascot, paid them a visit in The Zone and in some of their hospital rooms.

The visit was part of the Houston Astros Caravan, a yearly event that occurs prior to the onset of spring training to pump up fans for the upcoming season. Organized by the Astros Foundation, this year’s caravan kicked off January 13 and ended January 16 with stops in cities across Texas.

“We are delighted that Texas Children’s is one of our stops,” said Twila Carter, executive director of the foundation. “Our largest audience is kids and we are grateful to be able to provide them with an opportunity to have some fun.”

For more than an hour Altuve, Biagini, Garneau, Straw and Orbit hugged, high-fived, visited with and took selfies with patients and families awaiting treatment or appointments in the Cancer and Hematology Centers. The players also signed autographs and participated in arts and crafts with the children and families.

“My friend is going to flip out when I tell her I got Altuve’s autograph for her,” said Jane Lange as she watched the baseball player shoot pool with another patient. “She is going to be so happy!”

Shayne Pederson said the players’ visit to his son Brock’s hospital room in the Cancer Center was a much-needed distraction from what has been several days of surgeries and doctor’s appointments. The players spent about 15 minutes talking with Brock and his family. They also signed autographs and snapped several photos.

“I haven’t seen him (Brock) smile like that in a while,” said Amye Pederson, Brock’s mother. “This has been really awesome.”

Dr. Susan Blaney, director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, attended the event and said respites such as these are greatly appreciated.

“Our patients, families and staff work hard each and every day to combat cancer,” Blaney said. “Adding some fun to that hard work is always a bonus, and we are thankful that the Astros provided that opportunity.”

The Astros will start their new season March 26 at home against the Los Angeles Angels.

January 14, 2020

Rhonda Lanclos shares how spending time on enjoyable hobbies, like art, has helped enhance her health and well-being so she can better care for her patients and their families at Texas Children’s. Read more

January 13, 2020

Tellepsen, a local construction company, hosted their fourth annual Bikes4Smiles event during the Christmas holiday. Tellepsen presented bicycles to various deserving Texas Children’s patients. Every year the event expands and this year was no exception. Along with the Woodlands Campus and Texas Children’s Pediatrics East, patients at West Campus were in for a treat this year.

All events began with a formal introduction of the Tellepsen team and their relationship with our organization. In 2015, Tellepsen participated in a donation project that ultimately led to the birth of the Bikes4Smiles event. Tellepsen’s Bikes4Smiles project was born in 2016, raising approximately 265 bikes. Today, with Texas Children’s patients added to the list of recipients, the company has donated over a thousand bicycles in total. Construction Manager of Tellepsen, John Brock, has been an integral part in producing this event since the beginning, and says that Bikes4Smiles is the best way to wrap up his year.

“I am always so excited to put a smile on these kids’ faces,” Brock said. “The fact that we are able to do more and more every year and expand to other parts of Texas Children’s makes everything worth it.”

Santa Clause also arrived to greet and entertain patients and their families. In addition, helmets were provided to each child that received a bicycle. They were distributed as part of the Bike and Pedestrian Safety grant program, funded by the Texas Department of Transportation. This program is within Texas Children’s Center for Childhood Injury Prevention, and is the lead organization for Safe Kids Greater Houston Coalition.

All Texas Children’s locations did a great job identifying deserving families and coordinating with Tellepsen on the delivery and presentation of the bicycles. With this being the first year for the program at West Campus, child life specialists and leadership went above and beyond to make this a memorable moment for their patients.

“This has been so exciting! When The Woodlands campus said the Bikes4 Smiles program was expanding to West Campus, we were really excited to be able to offer that to families and patients,” Child Life Specialist Sarah Beasley stated. “Being able to call the families and tell them was the highlight for us because the parents were incredibly excited and thankful.”

Texas Children’s Pediatrics East staff were very particular when they selected the bike recipients. Many of the children chosen are either being raised by a single parent or other family members. According to the practice’s staff, socialization is limited for most of the children because of their family’s lack of resources, time and energy. Therefore, when the Bike4Smiles event came around, they knew this would be the perfect Christmas gift.

“We have found that the families are often on a fixed budget, making things like, a bike, less of a priority for them,” Texas Children’s Pediatrics East Practice Manager Kria Hardy said. “Being able to gift the bikes to the children will not only assist the grandparents in resources, but will also provide an outlet for the children and families. On behalf of the Texas Children’s Pediatrics East we greatly appreciate and thank Tellepsen for the opportunity to bless our families with bikes.”

As families arrived to the locations, patients and their siblings were measured for their helmets then escorted into a room filled with bicycles.

“I like bikes so much; I’m so excited,” Texas Children’s Pediatrics East patient Max Garcia exclaimed! “I’m so ready to get my bike, this is the best present ever.”

The Tellepsen team, along with parents and Texas Children’s employees gathered and glared with gleefulness as the children sped out of the rooms on their brand new wheels. This is just one of many events that illustrates the bond and commitment we receive consistently from our community partnerships.

“This event was amazing! It was great to hear from the patients themselves how this was their first, or only bicycle,” Assistant Vice President of Texas Children’s Pediatrics Sara Montenegro said. “It is clear that Tellepsen enjoys connecting with our patients and their families, and it is great that they are able to be here with us to enjoy this moment as well.”

Texas Children’s Health Plan has long been focused on improving its operations in many ways. At the top of the list is establishing and maintaining good relationships with our providers.

“When providers are happy, members are happy,” said Anna Mateja, vice president at The Health Plan. “It’s an understatement to say that we value providers. They are absolutely essential to the care of our members and families.”

So to that end, meeting the needs of nearly 12,000 physicians and specialists, has become high priority. Among efforts to address this priority was the recent establishment of the Strike Team, a team of four employees solely focused on trouble shooting and customer service.

“Our team ensures that concerns are addressed in a timely way, underlying issues are resolved and overall quality service is delivered to our providers,” said Jennifer Sima, senior decision support analyst who project manages for the group. Strike Team members are Nekia Grays, senior provider relations representative; Christopher Sam, senior claims examiner; Imani Phillips Spears, operations systems analyst II, and DaShawn Wilson, senior provider relations representative. The formation of this special team has required that these employees temporarily step out of their every day roles and take on this special task.

When first commissioned, the group was faced with a backlog of more than 3,043 issues. The combined effort of the Strike Team and multiple departments helped to reduce the targeted backlog to 390 within just a few months. Their work is ongoing and their value to The Health Plan increases each day.

Sima adds that she is incredibly proud of the Strike Team’s progress. She emphasizes that their success has come largely at the hands of collaboration and cooperation with normal operations; including provider relations, claims processing and member services. “The Strike Team is definitely part of our One Amazing Team.”

An overarching theme at The Health Plan is customer obsession. In an effort to become more customer obsessed, there are several projects taking place.

Just a few of these are:

  • The implementation of Epic Tapestry, a core claims processing system for managed care organizations that will provide integration across the Texas Children’s system and eliminate the need for multiple databases and duplication of many processes.
  • Streamlining the onboarding process for new providers which will make it easier and faster to join the Health Plan network.
  • A brand new claims processing dashboard project that provides real-time information on how we are managing claims.
  • Customer service training from the Patient Experience department for our Member Services and Provider Services call center employees.

For more information about the Strike Team’s work, please contact Jennifer Sima at jxsima@texaschildrens.org.