Children's Cardiac Program

Purpose
The purpose of the Children’s Medical Services (CMS) Cardiac Program is to provide coordinated and family centered health care, including evaluation, diagnosis and treatment, for eligible children requiring medical and/or surgical intervention for their cardiac condition. The Cardiac Program ensures access to cardiac centers of excellence for CMS patients by conducting an on-site review at each facility every three years and evaluating data from each center annually to document continued compliance with established standards.

Authority
The CMS Network administers the CMS Cardiac Program. The CMS Program, within the Department of Health, is Florida’s Title V Agency, and serves the State’s children with special health care needs. Authority for the CMS Network is established in Chapter 391, Florida Statutes.

Description
The CMS Cardiac Program serves individuals, under the age of 21, with congenital or acquired heart conditions. The Cardiac Program provides services through a network of CMS community based cardiac clinics and eight CMS approved cardiac facilities. These services include: cardiac evaluation and diagnosis; diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization, infant heart transplant to assist infants born with a condition for which there is not an effective surgical approach; training for local physicians and school personnel regarding safe exercising and life styles to reduce coronary artery disease; and screening patients throughout the Florida panhandle utilizing telemedicine echocardiology technology.

CMS nurses and social workers provide care coordination to families and assist them in obtaining services that are needed for their child’s care.

Approved CMS cardiac centers include:

All Children's Hospital - St. Petersburg Jackson Memorial Hospital - Miami Miami Children's Hospital - Miami Tampa Children's Hospital - Tampa

Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital - Orlando Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital - Hollywood Shands Teaching Hospital - Gainesville Wolfson Children's Hospital - Jacksonville

Cardiac Standards(pdf - 126kb)

Eligibility
Clinical eligibility includes individuals, under the age of 21, with congenital or acquired heart conditions. To receive these services, clinically eligible individuals must also meet CMS financial eligibility criteria.

Contact Information
For further information, please visit the Children’s Medical Services website at http://www.doh.state.fl.us/cms/index.html
 

Funding
2001-02:  $1,087,163.00
2002-03:  $1,037,163.00
2003-04:  $1,067,163.00
2004-05:  $1,087,164.00
2005-06:  $1,087,164.00

For more information please contact your local CMS office:

• CMSN Statewide Offices Information Listing
• CMSN contact list(pdf -121kb)