Transitioning to Adult Care
Congratulations on becoming an adult! We have enjoyed caring for you and watching you grow.
By law you are an adult at the age of 18 years. As an adult your health information is confidential and cannot be shared without your consent. Some young adults still choose to have their parents/caregivers involved in their medical care. If you chose to do this, we have a consent to have others communicate with us about your care. Please visit our front desk to fill this out. For young adults who are unable to consent we will need a legal document that describes the person’s decision making needs.
As an adult, the model of health care changes. In a pediatric model, parents/caregivers make most of the choices. In an adult model you make your own choices. We encourage you to be in charge of your own health care! This includes creating your own patient portal, making your own appointments and attending these appointments on your own. It’s important to know the following:
- past medical history
- medications and doses
- allergies
- immunizations
- family history
- the names of your primary physicians as well as any specialists you see
We encourage you to transition to an adult health care provider between the ages of 18-21 years. If needed, we can help you transition to an adult doctor. Our policy is to see you until your 22nd birthday. As long as you are up to date on your well exams we will continue to see you in clinic.
After turning 22 we can no longer see you in clinic and cannot refill your medications. Please let us know when you have found an adult provider and we will transfer your records to your new clinic.
Below are some resources to help make this transition easier!