Clipboard & Medical Document Icon with Light Gold Background

Preadoption Medical Reviews

Upcoming Office Closure

The administrative office of the Adoption Medicine Clinic will be closed on June 19, 2025 in observance of the University of Minnesota holiday. The [email protected] email will not be monitored during this time. Preadoption Medical Reviews may be accepted upon request during this time at the holiday rate. Please contact Dr. Kimara Gustafson at [email protected] should you have questions about Preadoption Medical Reviews during this time. 

Service Description

A Preadoption Medical Review is a full review, by a medical doctor, of the information you receive in a referral for a child (or children). As one few programs in the world who specializes in medicine for adopted children, families will gain critical insight and knowledge from our physicians to prepare their home for their child. The more a parent knows about health of the child they are adopting, the better they are able to care for and parent them.

Reviews will be completed within 1 or 3 business days, dependent on which time frame you select. Each review includes:

  • One-to-one, personalized attention
  • Secure online, written responses you can download for your records
  • Unlimited opportunities to ask questions, included in initial fee
  • Consultation with additional University of Minnesota specialists, as needed
  • Consultation assistance while you are traveling to meet your child
  • Eligibility to obtain a letter to try to approve waiver of the waiting period
  • Ability to request a medical necessity letter

Click the button below to log in or create an account in the AMC Family Portal to begin the Preadoption Medical Review process.  

Login or Create an Account

Fee Schedule

Standard, New ($650.00) - For families who are submitting a preadoption medical review for the first time. A summary of findings will be sent within 3-business days of file submission and payment.  

Standard, Return ($550.00) - For families who have submitted 1 or more preadoption medical reviews in the past to the Adoption Medicine Clinic. A summary of findings will be sent within 3-business days of file submission and payment.

Expedited Review ($800.00) - For new or return families seeking an initial summary report of a preadoption medical review within 1-business day of file submission and payment. Please note: Those that request an expedited preadoption medical review on a Thursday after 3:00 pm (CT) or on a Friday can expect to receive a report summary by the end of the following open business day. Follow-up and updates for this specific child will be continued with our team until a family obtains legal guardianship of the child, however, follow-up questions will be reviewed within 3-business days of new file or question submission.

Expedited Review, Weekend/Holiday ($950.00) - For new or return families seeking an initial summary report of a preadoption medical review returned within 24 hours of file submission and payment over a weekend or a holiday. This applies from 3:00 pm (CT) the day prior to the weekend/holiday or on the weekend/holiday. Those seeking this service must connect with the reviewer on service to confirm availability. To determine the reviewer on service contact [email protected]. Please note: Follow-up and updates for this specific child will be continued with our team until a family obtains legal guardianship of the child, however, follow-up questions will be reviewed within 3-business days of new file or question submission. 

Submitting Files for Siblings: If you are submitting multiple profiles (sibling/relative) with the intent to adopt together, you will only need to pay for one review at checkout. Both profiles will be reviewed in the timeline indicated by your above selection. Please contact [email protected] if you have questions specifically about submitting profiles for siblings or relatives. 

* With generous support from grateful families, we are able to provide financial assistance to ensure all families in need of our services are able to access them. Please reach out to [email protected] to request financial assistance.

Expand all

Information to Include in a Child's Preadoption Medical Review Profile

  1. Child's Birth History
    1. Height, Weight & Head Circumference
    2. Gestational age
    3. Maternal History: infection, medications, alcohol/drug/cigarette use, other pregnancies & outcomes
    4. Type of delivery & complications, if any
    5. Post delivery complications, if any
  2. Family (maternal & paternal) history of hereditary diseases
  3. Social History: primarily the reason why the child is available for adoption
  4. Physical Exam including current height, weight and head circumference
  5. Lab Screens: Complete blood count with differential, hepatitis B surface antigen, HIV 1 & 2 antibodies, screen for syphilis, hepatitis C antibody
  6. Medical History (e.g. any problems identified since birth such as congenital heart or kidney disease, developmental delays, etc.)
  7. Developmental Milestones: gross and fine motor/social/language skills (see American Academy of Pediatrics Ages & Stages site for milestone information)
  8. Photos: Most helpful photos show the child's face straight on looking into the camera with mouth in a neutral position or photos of any abnormal skin, limb or other findings on an exam. If there are multiple photos that you would like the review to look at, upload them into a single Word or PDF document and submit as a single file.
  9. Video(s): Most helpful footage is focused on the child & captures the child in motion
  10. Initial Questions: We recommend if you have initial questions about the file; create a Word document (or PDF) titled “Questions for Reviewer” and include them as a part of the original file submission.  

If you don't have all of this information, go ahead and send us what you have. We will review the existing information and help you pull together a list of additional questions to ask your agency. 

Helpful Tips When Submitting

  1. The Adoption Medicine Clinic will only review documents provided to us in English. Contact the adoption agency you are working with to get all medical documents translated to English if they are not already.  
  2. When submitting multiple photos, place all individual photos onto one word/pdf document. If you just have one photo, it can be submitted as a JPEG or PNG. Reviewers will not be able to access links or shared drives with information.  
  3. We recommend using a personal computer when submitting a profile and uploading documents; as work or public computers may have restrictions or heightened privacy settings which block uploads.
  4. Any and all time-commitments and pay rates refer to the initial review only. Response times to questions – no matter the rate paid – could take up to 3 non-holiday, open business days.
  5. When questions are asked in your portal; you can expect that they are properly submitted, so long as you see the question submitted on your end. Questions may not be returned immediately.
  6. Significant delays could occur if you email questions related to a review. We strongly recommend utilizing our portal to ask questions. See instructions below for how to submit follow-up questions on a child’s profile.
  7. Please avoid using passwords or other protections on documents when uploading to our portal; as these will typically not be readable in our system. 

How to View a Reviewers' Response

  1. Log into your AMC Family Portal
  2. In the "Pre Adoption Medical Review" Section, click on "Update Existing"
  3. Click on the Child's Profile
  4. Select "View Responses/Submit Questions" located on the right

Upload Additional Documents for Review

  1. Log into you AMC Family Portal
  2. Click on "Update Existing" and select the profile you would like to update.
  3. Click on the pencil icon located on the left side of the child's profile
  4. Upload relevant documents or updates

For Photos: When uploading multiple photos, please merge all photos into a single Word/PDF document (one photo per page). 

For Documents: Each medical document or child related file can be uploaded individually (ie. Do not merge all medical documents into a single PDF). Do not upload files as a .zip file, compressed folder or a CIM file. Our reviewers are unable to open these and it will result in a delay in the review. 

NOTE: Time commitment only applies to the initial form submission. Any additional content will be reviewed and responded to within 3 non-holiday, open business days. 

How to Ask the Reviewer a Question

  1. Log into your AMC Family Portal
  2. In the "Pre Adoption Medical Review" section, click on "Update Existing"
  3. Click on the Child's Profile
  4. Select "View Responses/Submit Questions"
  5. Click on "Post a question for the reviewer in regards to this response" on the latest response

NOTE: Time commitment only applies to the initial form submission. Any additional content will be reviewed and responded to within 3 non-holiday, open business days. If you would like to ask questions as a part of the initial submission, upload a PDF or Word document titled "Questions for Reviewer" with you other files. 

Requesting Support While Traveling Abroad

Right before you travel, log into your file and note that you are traveling abroad by checking the box at the bottom that indicates "if parents are traveling abroad in a country other than the U.S., this box will be checked." This will notify the reviewers that you are traveling, and they will be very prompt with responding to inquiries and updates while you are abroad.

Domestic Prenatal Medical Review

We review and comment on all aspects of the child's referral information: growth, development, infectious disease status, social and medical history and birth parents' social and medical history (if available). We also evaluate their long-term risk for alcohol or other prenatal exposures.

Contact Us

 
Administrative Offices
717 Delaware St SE
3rd Floor
Minneapolis, MN 55414
 
Phone: 612-624-1164
*The administrative phone and email is monitored 8:00 to 4:30 pm (CT) Monday through Friday.