CHILDREN'S CENTER
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Call the Children’s Center at (318) 813-2960 to request a referral packet. Complete referral packet with requested information and hand-deliver or mail to the below address. Once a completed packet is received and reviewed, an appointment letter will be sent.

Yes. A prescription from your child’s pediatrician or Primary Care Physician (PCP) is required. Referrals from physicians other than the PCP/pediatrician will not be accepted. The physician referral should be turned in with the referral packet or faxed to (318) 813-2989.

If any court action has been conducted regarding child custody, the LSU Health Shreveport Children’s Center requires a copy of the documentation. If the child resides with anyone other than the parent, the Children’s Center requires the legal documentation which provides permission to make educational, medical, and mental health decisions for the child. If this document does not exist, the parent is required to complete a release of information giving Children’s Center permission to discuss evaluation services. The parent will also need to complete the permission to evaluate document.

The LSU Health Shreveport Children’s Center accepts most major insurances as well as Medicaid. Depending on the service, some out of pocket expense may occur. Contact the billing department for billing questions.

Each team member scheduled to evaluate the child that day will spend from 1-2 hours with the child. During this time, meetings with parents/legal guardian or other appropriate people may be scheduled with other team members. It is very important that the family members plan to stay at the Children’s Center while the child is here.

Please call the Children's Center at (318) 813-2960 as soon as possible in the event of a cancellation or if you are going to be late. If your arrival time is more than 15 minutes late, your appointment may need to be rescheduled.

Some team members MAY provide verbal feedback about the child’s performance on the date of testing; however, other information is critical and an assessment team meeting or “staffing” for the child is done the following week where all team members bring their results, discuss issues, and make a team decision about recommendations. An opportunity for a follow-up conference to review the results/recommendations will be scheduled with the appropriate team members usually within 3 weeks following the completion of all evaluations.

The Children’s Center is generally considered a diagnostic or evaluation center and does not typically conduct ongoing therapeutic interventions. However, the faculty at the Children's Center provides some opportunities for individualized or group treatment for a limited number of children needing speech and language treatment. If a child is in need of counseling, therapy, or other psychological treatment, a list of options is provided on the “Learn More” tab. If the faculty cannot schedule a child for treatment, s/he will help the family with referrals to other community providers and facilities.

The Children's Center is located within the LSUHS-School of Allied Health Professions building, a four story building located at 1450 Claiborne Ave., Shreveport, LA 71103. Patient parking is located in front of the building at the Claiborne Ave. entrance. Look for an awning and a sign reading “Gordon H. Schuckers Rehabilitation Pavilion.” A map of the LSU Campus, directions, and pictures of the building can be found here.

A referral from the child’s pediatrician or Primary Care Physician (PCP) is required to initiate the evaluation process. Only a pediatrician/PCP referral will be accepted. The referring PCP should provide parent/legal guardian with a prescription/referral for evaluation services. Please include the type of evaluation desired as well as suspected diagnosis. If the PCP desires, a duplicate prescription/referral can also be faxed to (318) 813-2989. The patient will be required to complete and return an intake packet to be included with the prescription/referral. Families will be scheduled for evaluation when intake documentation (including referral/script) are complete.

Yes. The LSU Health Children’s Center accepts most major insurances as well as Medicaid. Depending on the service, some out of pocket expense may occur.

Typically the results of the evaluation are provided to the families via a written report. All diagnostic information and treatment recommendations are provided in the report. Families are encouraged by Children’s Center faculty to provide a copy of the evaluation report to the referring pediatrician and/or PCP. At present, the Children’s Center does not mail or fax reports to providers without a written request from the patient