Bowel Management Boot Camp: Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the bowel management program for?

Children with anorectal malformation, cloaca, cloacal exstrophy, Hirschsprung disease, history of sacrococcygeal teratoma or pelvic trauma.

How often is the program held?

Bowel Management Boot Camp is currently planned twice per year. However, we are increasing our offering so please inquire for future dates.

What is your typical bowel management week schedule?

Children’s Mercy offers a 6-day program, Thursday through Tuesday. The first day begins with an initial parent meeting and presentation from Rebecca M. Rentea, MD. After the meeting patients and families will have their first clinic visit with the entire Comprehensive Colorectal Center Team. Over the next several days patients will visit radiology for x-rays and be in close communication with the clinic team to optimize their bowel management. On the last day of Bowel Management Boot Camp, patients and families will have a clinic visit with to discuss next steps in care and the final plan.

Who leads the bowel management team?

Dr. Rentea, Director of the Children’s Mercy Comprehensive Colorectal Center, leads our team of advanced practice providers (nurse practitioners), nurses, and support staff. We also have a very collaborative group of physicians from Gastroenterology, Urology, Gynecology, Psychology and Neurosurgery who are part of our Comprehensive Colorectal Center (CCC).

What support is provided for patients and their families who are traveling from out of town?

The Colorectal Center at Children’s Mercy has a social worker dedicated to our patients and families traveling from outside of the Kansas City metro area to arrange housing at one of our local Ronald McDonald facilities. We also partner with our volunteer services and philanthropy departments to offer free or low-cost activity options for families to enjoy during their free time in Kansas City. We also partner closely with our Child Life team to support the kids and families during their time at Children’s Mercy.

How are questions or problems handled between appointments?

We communicate daily with our families through the MyChildrensMercy patient portal. Families are encouraged to reach out any time they have a question or concerns about their child. For families without reliable internet service, we are also available via telephone.

How are patients followed after the program is over?

Patients are followed using in-person clinic visits and/or telemedicine visits on a regular, ongoing basis. In addition, our care team remains available to them at any time via Children’s Mercy Patient Portal and telephone.

Does the program offer Transition of Care for adolescent and adult patients?

We understand the importance of having multidisciplinary care for complex colorectal and pelvic reconstruction. We work with patients and families to develop an individualized transition plan based on each patient’s developmental level, in order to successfully transition patients to adult providers before the age of 22.

What data demonstrates that your program produces positive outcomes for bowel management patients?

We follow the most current evidence-based care protocols to treat all types of colorectal diagnoses. We are a participant center of the Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Learning Consortium (PCPLC) to ensure ongoing evaluation and improvement of evidence-based practice. 

Our director, Dr. Rentea, has additional dedicated fellowship training in pediatric colorectal and pelvic reconstruction with highly respected, and well-known experts in pediatric colorectal surgery. Our dedicated Comprehensive Colorectal Center staff of physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and RNs are focused on the care of children with colorectal conditions as well as the education and support of those who care for them. We have created several print and audio/video tools to support the on-going education of caregivers. Our goal is to support our families and patients to reach fecal continence.