before your visit

From forms to cost estimates, here is everything you need to prepare for your child’s appointment at Dayton Children’s.

what to expect – day of appointment

confirm the location

Our providers see patients in various locations. Please confirm the location and know how long it will take you to get there. View our locations to get directions and view our hospital map to navigate our main campus. For help with directions, call 937-641-3000.

arrive early

Give yourself enough time to park and check in before your child’s appointment time. Usually the clinic or department where your child has an appointment will let you know how early you need to arrive. This arrival time is very important so that there is enough time to treat all the children with appointments.

If you are more than 15 minutes late for an appointment, the clinic may have to push your appointment sometime during or at the end of clinic hours, whenever the patient flow allows. The patient also will have the option of rescheduling instead.

what to bring

Insurance card
Patient’s social security number
Completed forms: For more information, use our pre-appointment checklist.
List of medications: Please include the dosage or bring the bottle(s) with you.
X-rays or other test results: If your child’s doctor did not send the test results ahead of time, please bring them to your appointment.
Comfort items: Please bring a few items from home that might make your child feel more comfortable such as a favorite toy or book. A snack and a change of clothes may be helpful if you will be at your appointment or the hospital for a long time.

patient forms

Save time by reviewing and completing some of your needed forms before your appointment. Additional forms may be needed for your child, but most of our general forms can be found here.

keeping your child safe

Your child’s safety is our top priority. We have many systems in place to protect patients and families while receiving care at Dayton Children’s. Here’s how we can work together to ensure a safe and comfortable stay.

update medication list

Before your visit, update your child’s medication list. If there is no time, bring the medicine with you. Medication lists should include:

Any medication and food allergies
Why your child is taking the medicine (cold, allergies, etc.)
How much your child is taking (dosage or strength)
How your child is taking it (pill, liquid, oral, injection)
Who prescribed the medicine
Any over-the-counter medicine your child is taking (Tylenol, cold syrup, vitamins and herbals)
Any dietary supplements (Pediasure, Ensure)
Let us know about any allergies to latex (balloons, gloves) or dyes.

follow preadmission instructions

Read all the information provided to you about your child’s condition.
Complete any preadmission testing and make sure results are sent to your doctor.
Ask that test results be explained to you so you can help make informed decisions about your child’s care.
Does your child need to stop eating before a test or procedure? If so, when?
Can your child continue to take his or her medicines?

communicate during your child’s stay

Give the nurse or doctor an updated copy of your child’s medication list.
Provide copies of all preadmission test results and any other appropriate paperwork.
Ask the nurse or doctor what you should expect during your child’s hospitalization.
Ask if your child can speak with another child who is undergoing the same treatment or procedure.
If your child needs a blood transfusion, make sure you get information about the transfusion process and understand possible reactions.

check to make sure we check IDs

Make sure the nurse checks your child’s hospital identification band before giving your child any medicine or performing any procedure.

Every child has specific and different needs. To make sure the special care your child needs is provided to your child only, we check your child’s wristband every time we do something. Please be patient if we check your child’s wristband while he or she is asleep.
Also, if we forget, please remind us!
Tell your nurse right away if anyone removes the identification band from your child’s arm/leg and help remind us to replace it.

help prevent falls

Be certain that bed rails and crib rails are up to keep your child from falling. Our cribs and mattresses are higher than what you might have at home.
Remind your child there is no running in the hospital.
Make sure your child is wearing slippers or shoes when not in her bed or crib. This will help prevent falls or infection. Everyone should wear slippers or shoes in the hospital.
Please keep your child’s room free of clutter that could cause someone to slip or trip.
When using wagons, wheelchairs, stroller and infant swings, please make sure your child is properly secured. Also, only adults should be moving a child in a wagon or stroller.

acceptable electronics

Patients who are admitted and connected to monitoring equipment, or who are being treated with invasive equipment, can be at an increased risk of electrical shock. Please follow these guidelines for patient-owned electrical equipment/devices that are being utilized within a 6-foot perimeter around the bed.

Acceptable items include:

Cell phones, smart phones, iPods or other music players with headphones; iPads or other Android tablets, reading devices, such as a Kindle or Nook; laptop computers and hand-held gaming devices
Items that are made of plastic or have a plastic case
Items operated by a battery or power pack
Electronics with a three-prong plug

Unacceptable items include:

Items such like Christmas lights, lamps, curling irons, hair dryers, boom box, fans, toasters, crock pots, coffee makers
Electronics with two-prong cords
Items with a detachable cord that plugs directly into an outlet

other safety tips

If a nurse comes to hang an IV bag or give medication, ask what it is and what it is for.
If the medication looks different from what your child received before (different color or liquid instead of a pill), then ask the nurse to double-check.
If your child is moved to another room, make sure all important information is reconfirmed with the new nurses and/or doctors.
Make sure all care providers on each shift are aware of your child’s special needs.

your rights and responsibilities

It’s important to understand your rights and responsibilities in healthcare. Learn more below. Please note, while “your child” is used throughout this page, these rights and responsibilities apply if you are a parent, patient or if you are the legal guardian of the patient.

What are my rights as a parent, patient or legal guardian?

To get the best care possible. Race, religion, sex, age, disability, cultural status or national origin will not affect the quality of care.
To be treated with courtesy and respect at all times. Personal values, cultural and spiritual beliefs will be respected as long as they don’t interfere with the well-being of others or the medical care planned. If needed, the hospital can help you or your child with resources to meet psychosocial and spiritual needs.
To have personal privacy and confidentiality within the limits of the law.
To have safe care and surroundings as much as possible.
To have pain relief, including a quick response to reports of pain by concerned staff members who are committed to pain prevention and management.
To know the name of the doctor or caregiver in charge of your child’s care and to know the name and job of others caring for you or your child.
To have the doctor in charge give you complete information about your child’s condition, care and what to expect. This information is given to you in words you can understand.
To have visitors unless there are restrictions due to an outbreak of a communicable disease. And, to be able to talk with or see people outside the hospital.
To have an interpreter if needed (child or family member is unable to see, hear, speak or understand English).
To see your child’s medical record as permitted by law and to have help in understanding the information in the medical record.
To be involved in your child’s care as much as possible. To do so your child will have
- Complete information about your child’s condition
- Complete information on planned treatment
- If experimental treatment is recommended for research and/or education, you will receive a full explanation which includes: details on any risks, recovery and success rates
- Information on other treatments available when they are considered appropriate.
To ask that a specialist (a doctor who is an expert on your child’s problem) see your child. One of Dayton Children’s doctors needs to submit this request in writing.
To refuse treatment (except when those treatments are required by law). If you refuse treatment that your child’s doctor feels is necessary for good medical care, he or she has the right to stop being your child’s doctor.
To know all the reasons that make it necessary to transfer your child to another hospital or health care facility. Your child also have the right to know about other options.
To ask for and get a complete list and explanation of all charges that you may be billed for.
To get information when your child is admitted. Information should include Dayton Children’s patient rights policy, how patient complaints are resolved and information on the bioethics committee
To develop advance directives (patients 18 years of age and older) and appoint a surrogate to make health care decisions on your child’s behalf
To get information on ways to help children who have had a long absence from school.
To have freedom from the use of restraints, except when medically indicated.
To be informed of hospital rules and regulations.
To have protective services as needed.
To know why your child experienced unanticipated results due to a change in the care plan.
To file a complaint or grievance about patient care, abuse or neglect, or ethical issues.

What are my responsibilities as a parent, patient or legal guardian?

To give complete and honest information about:
- Present sickness or condition
- Past sickness or condition
- Past hospital stays
- Medicines
- Anything else that might affect your child’s health
- Advance medical directives as appropriate
To follow the treatment plan recommended by your child’s doctor. This includes
- Instructions from nurses and other health professionals who are carrying out the physician’s orders and enforcing hospital rules and regulations
- Keeping appointments and notifying the responsible physician or hospital if you cannot do so
To accept responsibility for what happens if you refuse treatment or do not follow the physician’s instructions.
To tell the doctor or nurse when your child is in pain. To work with the doctor and nurse to develop a pain management program.
To pay your child’s medical bills on time.
To follow hospital rules and regulations.
To respect the rights of other patients and hospital personnel

managing concerns

At Dayton Children’s, we realize that there may be times when a patient, parent or legal guardian has questions about decisions and actions related to their care. The first step in getting your questions answered is to talk directly with your child’s physician or the hospital department. In cases of disagreement or concern regarding patient care, abuse or neglect, or ethical issues, the patient, family, or legal guardian may submit a verbal or written grievance to our patient relations department.

If you have a concern, please you can contact:

The caregiver or person in charge
The doctor or hospital department
The patient representative at 937-641-3306
The Ohio Department of Health at 1-800-342-0553
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations at 1-800-994-6610

OR write:

Patient relations department at 1 Children’s Plaza Dayton, Ohio 45404-1815
Ohio Department of Health at 246 North High Street, P.O. Box 118 Columbus, Ohio 43266-0118

You may also call patient relations at 937-641-3306 to contact the bioethics committee at Dayton Children’s.

cost estimation & price transparency

With over 300 procedures and treatment options including X-Ray, labs and surgery, our online price estimation tool allows you to have a price estimation sent to your email in a convenient and secure way. This tool can be used for in-network insurance estimates, out-of-network insurance estimates or estimates for those with no insurance.

use the price estimation tool

additional resources

no surprise billing

The No Surprises Act, a law that went into effect nationwide on January 1, 2022, protects patients from receiving surprise medical bills when seeking emergency services or certain services from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities. The aim is to offer protections to insured people against surprise billing and some protection to the underinsured and uninsured. Please click here to read more about your rights and protections against surprise medical bills.

This act is also available in Arabic, Kinyarwanda, Russian, Spanish and Swahili.

price list

Dayton Children’s provides a price list containing our charges for room and board, emergency department, operating room, medical imaging, physical therapy and other procedures. The hospital’s charges are the same for all patients, but a patient’s responsibility may vary, depending on payment plans negotiated with individual health insurers. Uninsured or underinsured patients should consult with our admitting and billing staff to determine whether they qualify for discounts. View our machine readable file below for our current procedure pricing effective July 1, 2025.

machine readable file for current pricing

Questions? Contact us.

For general pricing questions and questions regarding an estimate that was generated using the estimation tool, fill the form below and a member of our team will contact you within 2 business days.

insurance

Before your child visits the hospital, keep in mind…

Because there may be changes to this list, please check with your health insurance company to make sure the services your child receives will be covered.
Read your plan or talk to your provider to determine if referrals or pre-authorizations are needed for the services your child needs.
Dayton Children’s collects co-pays at the time of service. Please be prepared to make any necessary payments. This will help keep health care costs down.
Dayton Children’s treats all children regardless of their family’s ability to pay. If your child is uninsured or you anticipate difficulties in paying your child’s bill, contact 937-641-3555. You may also request financial assistance.
To view our list of charges before insurance please visit our pricing page.

Please note: Not all physicians who provide care at Dayton Children’s participate in the same insurance plans as the hospital. Many are independent contractors and may bill separately for their services. Check with your child’s physician’s office to confirm if your plan is accepted and whether prior authorization is needed for payment.

health insurance plans accepted

Aetna – all products
Anthem – all products
BCMH
Buckeye-Medicaid
CareSource Just for Me ACA
CareSource- Medicaid
Central Benefits
Cigna

Emerald Health PPO
Health Span
Humana/Choice Care
Medical Mutual
Medicare
Molina Health Plan – Medicaid
MultiPlan-PHCS
Ohio Medicaid

Preferred Health Network
Premier Health Partners
Private Healthcare Systems Ltd. (PHCS)
Tricare
United HealthCare of Ohio – all products
United Health Care Community Plan – Medicaid

applying for insurance

As part of the Affordable Care Act, families can search for insurance options through the online marketplace at healthcare.gov. The website will allow you to search for, compare and enroll in a health plan right for you and your family.

learn more

know what to expect

Whether you’re preparing for your child’s first appointment, staying in the hospital or need to access medical records afterwards, we have all the resources you may need.

during your visit

after your visit

learn about MyChart

before your visit

what to expect before your visit