Neonatal/Infant vs Pediatric Therapy Coverage, ListServ Summary, May 2026
Rehab administrators answer questions regarding Neonatal/Infant vs Pediatric Therapy Coverage. IPRC archives information collected by the Pediatric Rehab Administrator’s ListServ as a public service to the entire Pediatric Rehabilitation Community. All information is posted in summary format and has been de-identified. Search through past queries for responses to rehabilitation related questions.
Original Questions:
- Do you have dedicated neonatal therapists (PT/OT/SLP)? And if so, what disciplines do you have/who does what (feeding specifically)?
- Does your organization have clearly defined scopes of practice/triaging criteria differentiating neonatal/infant vs. pediatric therapy roles? If so, what are the key distinctions?
- At what point (if any) does care typically transition from neonatal to pediatric therapists while a patient remains in the NICU/what factors support decision making? (i.e. Gestational/chronological/
- Is there a formal handoff or transition process when infants move between the NICU and other inpatient units? If so, what does this look like?
- For infants located outside the NICU (e.g., PICU, Cardiac ICU, step-down units), which therapy team typically has primary responsibility and/or what are the triaging guidelines?
- How do you structure coverage for the CICU? (Dedicated therapists, split between Neonatal/Infant Teams and Pediatric, etc.)
- If you have a unit with shared coverage, what factors most influence therapy team assignment for Cardiac ICU patients? (Age, weight, medical stability, developmental status, etc.)
- Are there any gray areas that make having Neonatal/Infant vs. Pediatric teams challenging that you recommend keeping in mind as a hospital is navigating changes or developing guidelines?
Summary of Responses (de-identified)
