High-Risk Infant Follow-Up
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Why choose UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals for high-risk infant follow-up care?
Newborns and families who spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or other critical care units receive wraparound support from compassionate providers.
Through our high-risk infant follow-up (HRIF) program, we assess your child several times, typically until age 3, to identify developmental concerns as early as possible. This proactive monitoring enables your child to begin therapies and access care personalized to their needs, helping them live a full, active life.
If needed, your child can access the full spectrum of services at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and specialty medical care. Our convenient locations allow your child to receive care close to home.
We understand that having an infant who required intensive care can be stressful for your family. Our providers make sure parents have the support they need to heal after an intensive care stay.
Why choose UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals for high-risk infant follow-up care?
Newborns and families who spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or other critical care units receive wraparound support from compassionate providers.
Through our high-risk infant follow-up (HRIF) program, we assess your child several times, typically until age 3, to identify developmental concerns as early as possible. This proactive monitoring enables your child to begin therapies and access care personalized to their needs, helping them live a full, active life.
If needed, your child can access the full spectrum of services at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and specialty medical care. Our convenient locations allow your child to receive care close to home.
We understand that having an infant who required intensive care can be stressful for your family. Our providers make sure parents have the support they need to heal after an intensive care stay.
Get care
Compassionate providers
Our providers listen to any concerns you have for your baby and family. We discuss care options and help you access community resources.Seamless connection to support services
Whether your child needs physical therapy or advanced care from a UCSF pediatric specialist, we help connect you to services to help your child thrive.Family-empowering approach
You know your child best. Together, we work to support you as their caregiver and help you make the best care decisions for your family.Convenient locations
Our HRIF program sees children in the Bay Area and at other Northern California locations so your baby can receive care close to home.
HRIF program: Support for babies after critical care
Babies who received care for a critical illness, either in the NICU or another intensive care unit, continue to receive attentive, skilled and comprehensive care from a team of dedicated providers.
How often will my child have follow-up visits?
We see your baby at one of our locations at least once a year during their first 36 months (until age 3). We may see them more frequently or beyond 36 months if needed.
What happens during a follow-up visit?
Our HRIF program includes a comprehensive team of experts. At your baby's visit, you may see a:
Neonatologist
Developmental-behavioral pediatrician
Developmental psychologist
Nurse practitioner
Nurse coordinator
Social worker
Physical or occupational therapist
At every appointment, we review your child's health history and listen to any concerns you may have. We check how your child is growing, learning, moving and behaving.
How does the HRIF program support my family?
Bringing a child home after a stay in the intensive care unit can feel overwhelming. Our team supports you as you transition home.
At our visits, we ask about your family's well-being and help you navigate any challenges you may be facing. It's our goal to help you access the resources you need to be the best caregiver you can be for your child.
Locations (dynamic)
Providers (dynamic)
Arthur E. Dharlingue, MD
Neonatology
Hannah Gu, MD
Neonatology • Pediatrics
Nandita Mandhani, MD
Neonatology
Luke M. Judge, MD, PhD
Neonatology
Providers (manual)
James Anderson Jr., MD
Neonatology
Natalie Chan, MD, MPH
Pediatrics • NeonatologyAdam Detora, MD
Neonatology
Susanne P. Martin Herz, MD, PhD
Pediatrics (Developmental-Behavioral)
Awards & achievements
No. 6 in the nation for neonatology
Ranked among the nation's best in 11 specialties
Related conditions & treatments
Conditions
- Critically Ill Infants
- Developmental Delay
Treatments
- Developmental Assessment
- Physical Therapy
Recommended reading
Special Start programOpens in a new window
Alameda County children who meet medical and social criteria may qualify for Special Start, which provides medical case management, developmental and family support services.
Support services
Child Life
Certified child life specialists ease the stress and anxiety of childhood illness through therapeutic play, schooling and family-focused support.
Family Amenities
Family-friendly amenities help you relax and take care of yourself while staying close to your child. We offer lounges, kitchens, showers, breastfeeding rooms and more.
Social Services at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals
Social workers ease the effect of illness, injury and hospitalization on your family with counseling and assistance to help you navigate the challenges.
Activity Rooms
Activity rooms offer a relaxed environment for children of all ages. Features include a playroom, digital arts studio and teen lounge. Find out more.
Pediatric Art Therapy Program
Art therapy helps kids and families express themselves, making it easier to cope with pediatric health issues. Group and bedside services are available.
Pediatric Music Therapy Program
Board-certified music therapists help kids cope with illness and the feelings that come with it. Find out about group activities and bedside therapy.
School Program for Hospitalized Children
Our schoolroom services and individual learning programs help children hospitalized at UCSF continue their education and get ready to return to school.
School Re-Entry Program
We help kids return to school after hospitalization by educating staff and students about their needs and recommending needed accommodations. Read more.
Individual Playtime & Instruction
If your child can't be around other kids for medical reasons, you can sign up for private sessions in our activity and school rooms. Find out how.
Interpreter Services & Communication Assistance at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals
Interpreter services in many languages and TDDs are available for families that need help communicating with care teams. Here's how to access them.
Parent Support Program
Weekly activities, including knitting, scrapbooking, chair massage and more, help family caregivers get a much-needed break. Find out more.
Patient Relations at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals
Patient relations reps and nursing supervisors are here to answer questions and address concerns. Learn about your rights, how to reach us and more.
Spiritual Care at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals
Chaplains help UCSF patients, families and staff cope with the spiritual and emotional challenges of childhood illness. Learn more.
International Services at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals
If you're coming to UCSF from outside the U.S., we coordinate your child's appointments and provide other helpful services. Here's how to get started.
Authoring Notes
Preprod-only checklist. Remove this component before promoting to prod.
Content source URLs (1)
Warnings (3)
- Care keyword 'high risk infant follow-up care program' not found under /sitecore/content/UCSFWEB/Shared/Base/Data/Clinical Tag Library/Clinical Keywords — add an entry to clinical_keyword_aliases.json if the Sitecore item is named differently.
- Care keyword 'hrif' not found under /sitecore/content/UCSFWEB/Shared/Base/Data/Clinical Tag Library/Clinical Keywords — add an entry to clinical_keyword_aliases.json if the Sitecore item is named differently.
- Care keyword 'nicu follow-up' not found under /sitecore/content/UCSFWEB/Shared/Base/Data/Clinical Tag Library/Clinical Keywords — add an entry to clinical_keyword_aliases.json if the Sitecore item is named differently.
Word doc notes (12)
Lauren Lamb · 2025-08-19T12:24:00Z
Anchored to: “Meta and tags”
Primary keyword:
high risk infant follow-up care program
Secondary keywords: hrif, nicu follow-up
Morgan Redding · 2026-08-13T08:51:00Z
Anchored to: “:”
UCSF: Per Jenny 4/29/26: "Create a service page for the new site called NICU Follow-Up Care. (Replacing "Clinic" with "Care" per the nomenclature guidelines.)
On this service page, describe NICU follow-up care/offerings/expertise across our main and satellite locations, listed below. These are the locations I can see a DEP code for.
NICU Follow-Up Care Mission Bay
NICU Follow-Up Care Oakland
NICU Follow-Up Care Greenbrae
NICU Follow-Up Care Santa Rosa
NICU Follow-Up Care Modesto
On these location pages, sounds like we should have referral CTAs but not appointment CTAs.
On the service page, I think we should dedicate an H2/section to a brief overview of the Special Start program and link out to the external https://health.alamedacountyca.gov/program/special-start/ page for details. The referral info is there on that page. I think it makes more sense to do it this way than to create a location page for Special Start (location pages being where referral CTAs live on our site), since it sounds like there are home visits involved and it's an Alameda county program that doesn't just have a single address in one city. From that website it looks like there's an admin address for the county health dept in San Leandro, but presumably that's not an address we want to expose for care."
---
Based on our interview with the SMEs and SEO research, we’re suggesting this page be called High-Risk Infant Follow-Up Care.
The state of California mandates that babies who spend time in a CCS-approved NICU get follow-up care for the first three years of life. This state program is called the High Risk Infant Follow-Up (HRIF) program.
The SMEs don’t love this name because it sounds a bit negative, but they agreed that this is what families are told about during their time in the NICU and referring providers search for it. Our SEO research confirms that.
Currently, the Oakland and SF locations call their HRIFs programs different names, but they are the same program with shared staff. The SMEs agreed the programs need to be called the same thing moving forward, regardless of location.
The Special Start program is a separate, even more intensive program with home visits. Based on Jenny’s latest IA guidance, we will create a Special Start section on this page and then link out to the state website with further information and referral guidance. We will not create a separate services page for the Special Start program.
Morgan Redding · 2026-08-13T09:48:00Z
Anchored to: “marketing”
UCSF PROD: In addition to the four related clinics on the current page, please add:
-Early motor evaluation clinic
-Pediatric complex care
-Healthy Hearts & Minds Program
Morgan Redding · 2026-08-13T09:54:00Z
Anchored to: “for”
UCSF: Notes from SMEs
-Dr. Chan would like to see testimonials or quotes from past patients on the page. Are there any quotes or stories we could pull in?
-The providers aren’t up to date on the current page
Pratz, Valerie · 2026-08-28T17:06:00Z
Anchored to: “for”
Not right now
Gila Rose · 2026-09-09T10:21:00Z
Anchored to: “Awards & Stats”
UCSF PROD: Valerie requested we remove the research component
Chan, Natalie · 2026-09-18T14:14:00Z
Anchored to: “High-Risk Infant Follow-Up”
This name would I think add yet another confusing entity to our program. High-Risk Infant Follow-Up (HRIF) is the state name for our program. It is what is used in Oakland. ICN Follow-Up is the west bay name. I think for simplicity, taking out the word “Care” is probably the most straight forward way to name our page
Leno, Sharon · 2026-09-18T15:20:00Z
Anchored to: “High-Risk Infant Follow-Up”Agree
Lauren Lamb · 2026-09-25T11:38:00Z
Anchored to: “High-Risk Infant Follow-Up”Tim: CDP title is currently “NICU Follow-Up Care” – per notes at the top of this page, and this note from Dr. Chan, please confirm the page title updating to “High-Risk Infant Follow-Up” as shown
McGrath, Timothy · 2026-10-05T12:40:00Z
Anchored to: “High-Risk Infant Follow-Up”I think we can follow the SMEs on this one.
Chan, Natalie · 2026-09-18T14:25:00Z
Anchored to: “NICU”
At mission bay, we are pretty specific about being called the “Intensive Care Nursery”. I know that’s not the case in Oakland - not sure what the division leadership thinks about which term to use.
Lauren Lamb · 2026-09-25T11:41:00Z
Anchored to: “NICU”Tim: Would you like to use NICU, Intensive Care Nursery or a different term here? Another option is, “Babies who received critical care after birth continue to receive attentive, skilled and comprehensive care from a team of dedicated providers.”
McGrath, Timothy · 2026-10-05T12:46:00Z
Anchored to: “NICU”Let's stick with NICU. I think that's what our nomenclature standardization is going with.
Chan, Natalie · 2026-09-18T14:35:00Z
Anchored to: “achievements”
Not sure if there is room to have a shout out for the quality improvement and innovations/clinical research our program has and continues to participate in
McGrath, Timothy · 2026-10-05T12:51:00Z
Anchored to: “achievements”We can skip the research component.
Leno, Sharon · 2026-09-18T15:35:00Z
Regarding the destination link. You will see this is Alameda County’s Special Start program. Although we are contracted with Alameda County, and work very closely with our “sister team”, you will see the website only mentions the County’s program, nothing about UCSF. I would prefer if the referrals to UCSF’s Special Start came directly to us, rather than going through the County, if possible.
Morgan Redding · 2026-09-22T14:04:00Z
Tim: Please confirm what you would like to link to here. An internal link/phone number instead?
McGrath, Timothy · 2026-10-05T12:51:00Z
I think the link is OK to keep. It's the most informative page, and I think it's important for this patient demographic to have access to the information and path to care.
Lauren Lamb · 2026-09-21T10:54:00Z
Anchored to: “Dr. Natalie Chan”
Per Dr. Chan 9 /18/26: I've attached edits and also copied Sharon Leno (Manager Neonatal Follow-up Programs) so she can provide feedback especially to parts of the text that I am less familiar with (Special Start).
Morgan Redding · 2026-09-22T14:08:00Z
Anchored to: “achievements”
Tim: We initially linked to a research component but Valerie removed it.
Dr. Chan also didn’t leave a link. Can you provide more detail about the clinical research program we should include (or do you think the dynamic clinical trials component will cover it?)