TEAM DAY CLEFT CARE

Cleft Care

Patients and families are not alone in their cleft journey. While each patient’s cleft and treatment are unique, the common thread is the care and attention received by the LCPC providers. We are all here to help families through this journey. At Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic, a whole team of professionals takes care of each patient. Our team has an incredible amount of experience and expertise in the area of clefts and facial abnormalities.

“These are some of the most dedicated people I have ever worked with. More than any other place that I have worked I feel the close connections that the clinic staff has with the families and the children.” –Rosanne Ayala, Clinic Nurse

Our team provides education to families prior to any surgical procedures, answering any questions. LCPC is unique with our team approach to patient care. This is very rare, allowing patients the benefit of having all the needed specialists in one place. While this is an ideal way to provide care, it is not cost-effective for most of the medical community. Without our clinic, many patients would need to travel to 7-9 different offices to meet all their medical needs.

Team Day

Without LCPC’s unique approach, families could spend several weeks going to dentist, orthodontist, audiologist, speech therapist, and other appointments. By bringing all the specialists into the clinic at one time and providing multidisciplinary care to patients in a single day, Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic saves families many miles, missed work hours, missed school work, and overall frustration. This is truly patient-centered care!

How long will my team day appointments be?
Approximately four hours. We recommend that you bring games, activities, or snacks if you have small children.

How do I set up an initial appointment?
Call 717 394-3793 and let the patient coordinator know you would like to schedule your first visit and indicate any special concerns to be addressed such as a cleft lip. The patient coordinator will schedule you for an initial visit with the cleft team and send you vital paperwork to complete prior to your first appointment.

Where are surgical procedures performed?
All surgeries are scheduled at Hershey Medical Center and coordinated by our team. You will return to the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic for post-operative visits.

What if I have questions about insurance?
We have an insurance coordinator available to answer questions and guide you through the complicated insurance procedures.

What if I have nonmedical questions?
We have a social worker on staff to assist with the nonmedical yet vital questions you might have.

I just found out my unborn baby has a cleft lip/palate.
We provide prenatal counseling for families who are aware of their unborn child’s cleft palate/lip or craniofacial birth condition.

Is there a cleft team closer to me?
While many hospitals have doctors who see patients with cleft and craniofacial differences, there are only three full teams in Pennsylvania: Lancaster, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. The advantage of seeing a full team is having all specialists discuss your case together and formulate a truly integrated plan.