Children's Hospital is part of the UPMC family.
Our Sites
Be safe anytime, anywhere.
To find a pediatrician or pediatric specialist, please call 412-692-7337 or search our directory.
A resource for our network of referring physicians.
For more information about research, please call our main office at 412-692-6438.
Ranked #8 Nationally by U.S. News & World Report.
The General Genetics Clinic is in the Division of Genetic and Genomic Medicine. This division of UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh provides evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and genetic counseling for kids with known or suspected genetic disorders.
The genetic disorders that the clinic treats are not part of the division's Inborn Errors of Metabolism program.
Reasons for a Medical Genetics visit may include, but are not limited to:
Both a genetic counselor and a medical genetics provider staff all our visits. This may include a geneticist or nurse practitioner trained in genetics.
The team will review your or your child's health records. They will collect a detailed family history and discuss your concerns.
After you meet with the genetic counselor, your genetics provider will perform a physical exam. This may include taking specific measurements or looking for unique features.
Afterward, the team will review their plan with you. They will also discuss testing options. This may include:
Your visit may take 2 to 3 hours.
For your scheduled appointment, please bring:
Though a doctor's referral is not required, it is highly suggested. We accept most insurance plans.
Exams are thorough, detailed medical visits that may take 2-3 hours.
Families can also prepare for clinic visits by printing and completing paperwork. This may include:
These forms are also on our resources page.
We offer a variety of genetic tests, including:
Your genetics team will perform a detailed exam. They will pick the test based on you or your child's:
We work with UPMC lab services and outside genetics laboratories. We do this to provide your family with the most appropriate and up-to-date testing.
We do not perform pharmacogenomic testing. We also do not interpret direct-to-consumer testing or testing that lacks clinical utility. This follows current professional societal guidelines.
Your genetics provider will do a thorough exam. They may then suggest genetic testing. But it is not typically done on the same day as your first visit.
Your insurance company will need to approve coverage of most genetic tests. Our office can handle this process. But it can take weeks to several months to complete.
When your insurance approves the test, we will contact you. We will explain the next steps in the sample collection process.
UPMC labs complete some genetic tests. We send others to expert labs that we work with throughout the country.
You can estimate your out-of-pocket cost for testing once you get insurance approval. Use the UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Price Estimation tool to do so.
If the testing is expensive, your genetic counselor can review other options. These may include:
Some genetic tests come back in as little as 2-4 weeks. Others can take 4-6 months. Your genetic counselor can estimate when you'll get your test results.
Your genetics team will receive and review the results of your testing. Then, they will discuss them with you.
There are many ways to get test results, including:
During your visit, you and your genetics team will plan how you would prefer to learn your child's test results. This may include a follow-up visit with your genetic counselor. You can choose to meet in person or through telemedicine.
Your patient portal may also release test results. You may see your results before your provider does. Some test results enter the portal and are visible to patients and providers at once.
Genetic testing results can be complex. The genetics team usually needs 2-4 weeks to review and interpret genetic testing results. Then, they will contact you to discuss.
If you have questions about your test results, contact the provider who ordered the test.
To schedule a genetics appointment or consultation, please call 412-692-5070.
Children's Hospital's main campus is located in the Lawrenceville neighborhood. Our main hospital address is:
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh One Children’s Hospital Way 4401 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15224
In addition to the main hospital, Children's has many convenient locations in other neighborhoods throughout the greater Pittsburgh region.
With MyCHP, you can request appointments, review test results, and more.
For questions about a hospital bill call:
To pay your bill online, please visit UPMC's online bill payment system.
Interested in giving to Children's Hospital? Support the hospital by making a donation online, joining our Heroes in Healing monthly donor program, or visiting our site to learn about the other ways you can give back.