Cardiac Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

"My husband and I attended a fetal echo with our surrogate. After a wonderful experience getting our security badges, we were disappointed to see the Fetal Heart Department desk staff constantly confused and questioning who we were in relation to the surrogate. When our surrogate arrived and began to fill out the paperwork, it was also clear that the paperwork assumed a traditional male/female relationship and nothing more (e.g., asking about “mother” and “father”). This was not disappointing and disheartening. Even after we navigated the paperwork together, the Fetal Heart Department desk staff again asked our surrogate to fill out the “maternal” history (including genetic history, family history — topics NOT impacted or needed from a surrogate with no genetic connection). When we again told the Fetal Department desk staff that this was a surrogate with our biological child, the front desk staff responded, “but she is carrying the child?” Not only was this seeping with judgment but clearly did not understand surrogacy. Ultimately, we were very disappointed in the lack of preparation by the Fetal Heart Department (as part of the greater Cardiology Department) in working with a family using a surrogate, in addition to the lack of inclusive language on paperwork, forms, and in person. We hope that CHOP will look closely at its policies/procedures, paperwork, and staff training to ensure all families, regardless of LGBTQ+ identity, family composition, or requirement of additional fertility services feel included and welcome in the building and medical services, as we most certainly did not."

"The Cardiac Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has the best physicians and nurses. Everyone is amazing."

"My son had a successful surgery at CHOP(Children's Hospital of Philadelphia ) Cardiac Center. All CHOP STAFFS are so great I will owe them all my life. They have been taking care of my son from day one till his discharge time. I can’t appreciate enough all the nurses who taking care of my son 24/7 and watching our comfort during this time. They have been so great, I couldn't even pick one to say the best. All of them are the best which I will give them more than 5 stars . All this happened because of the early detection of heart murmur by his primary doctor, Dr Debra Voulallas who is one of the best in family doctor I know . She referred me to CHOP cardiology, Dr. Falkensammer who did the rest of the cardiac diagnosis and given us all the information about his heart condition and the surgery process. She is one of the best cardiologist in this hospital. All the team members from the surgeon, the anesthesia ,the doctors,the nurses and the rest of the staffs were amazing. Now I know why CHOP IS #1 . Thank you so much CHOP for taking care of my son, Osman .We owe you life time.Thank So Much All Staff Members."

"Greatest place ever to care for our son. The best people on earth. Best surgeons and nurses!"

"It’s not frequently that I feel the need to point out a facility’s short comings and I chose not to after my daughter’s cardiology appointment because I was just relieved to know that my baby’s heart was ok. This was my very basic understanding anyway, based on a clean bill of health from the expensive testing completed and the very brief acknowledgement from the physician that followed. What I wasn’t aware of, is that some things can not be diagnosed without the halter monitor they were to mail to us but never did. If I had any idea this was the case, I absolutely would have followed up immediately. Call me naive, a bad parent, or just an uneducated parent who trusted the physician and the medical facility that was supposed to mail it... either way, we never received it. A year later when she described something that reminded me once again of a possible heart condition, and the new information regarding a family history of a-fib, I call back to remind them of this monitor. Multiple calls to multiple people who never returned my call. These tests have to be done again to receive this monitor. My first review (if I would have done it immediately after the appointment) would have gone like this: Walking into this facility on a Saturday left us feeling like a huge inconvenience to everyone in this building. No one wanted to be there and it showed. A very brief, non emotional appointment, with little information and the sense that we were worried about nothing. I just requested my daughter’s records and scheduled an appointment at DuPont. We may or may not have to have those tests again but at the end of the day, I am happier knowing that if I have to pay $800 again, it will be to someone who actually cares about my little girl’s heart, life, and general well-being, with the understanding that I am a medically uneducated parent relying on a physician to cover all the bases in my daughter’s heart health. Thank you for nothing chop cardiology."