Seating and Mobility Clinic

Your Referral to the Seating and Mobility Clinic

The Seating and Mobility Clinic (SMC) at Phoenix Children’s is open to patients up to 21 years of age, provided their disability originated in childhood and they continue to receive care from other specialists at Phoenix Children’s. To access this clinic, you’ll need a referral from your child’s pediatrician or primary care provider.

Making the Appointment

Once we have your referral, we will call to gather important details from you. After we check your insurance for mobility equipment coverage and ask about your preferred mobility equipment vendors, we will contact you to confirm the specific date and time of your appointment.

Your Child’s Evaluation

The SMC process begins with an evaluation by a multidisciplinary team of experts including a physical therapist and an assistive technology professional from one of the equipment companies listed below. In more complex situations, a pediatric physiatrist may also be involved in the evaluation. Your child’s own therapists are welcome to make recommendations as well.

These mobility experts will be checking your child’s limitations and needs so they can personalize your choice of equipment or make adjustments to your child’s current equipment. The evaluation is also necessary to ensure that your choice of equipment is covered by your insurance.

You will also be working with an assistive technology professional (ATP) from one of the mobility equipment vendors. These vendors include:

The ATPs will contribute to your child’s evaluation by making suggestions for specific equipment. They also take measurements to make sure children and adolescents get exactly what they need. They may bring sample equipment to the clinic.

Types of Mobility Equipment

Our SMC provides mobility equipment for first-time users, as well as replacements for outgrown or broken equipment. We provide:

  • Wheelchairs, both manual and power
  • Adaptive strollers
  • Early intervention seating
  • Standers
  • Gait trainers

If your child has seating or positioning issues with their existing equipment, we can help with advice and counseling to resolve any problems.

We also provide complex bath equipment that goes beyond a shower chair, simple bath chair or tub bench. These types of simple equipment can be obtained directly from home health equipment companies.

Delivery of Mobility Equipment

The vendor you select will notify you when your child’s wheelchair or other mobility equipment arrives and set up an appointment for a final fitting.

Questions?

Our goal is to offer a streamlined process that makes it easy for each child to get the equipment they need. If you have any questions, please follow these steps:

  • For questions about the status of your child equipment, please call the specific vendor you selected or utilize their online portal if you have enrolled. Their representative will give you an update on the status of the order and answer any questions you have.
  • If the vendor cannot answer your questions, call 602-933-2263.