A survey of multidisciplinary cleft palate and craniofacial team examination formats

We surveyed 229 multidisciplinary cleft and craniofacial teams listed in the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association directory regarding frequency of meetings, numbers of patients treated, sources of funding, their format of examination of children, and their satisfaction with that format. One hundred fifteen (50%) of 229 surveys were completed. Thirty-seven percent of clinics report meeting monthly; 43% of clinics report actively following up 300 or less patients; 40% of clinics report funding by third-party insurance reimbursement, and 38% by government funding; 48% of clinics report the patients moving from one examination room to another to see specialists, in another 33%, the patient stays in 1 examination room while the specialists move, and in only 20%, all specialists see a patient simultaneously. Significantly more specialists are dissatisfied with clinics where they move to examine children; significantly more families are satisfied in clinics where specialists move to examine the child or examine them simultaneously.