Information for our Patients & Families

Preparing for Well Visits

Some effort should be made to prepare your child (as young as 18-24 months) for the visit.

Reading books and role playing are helpful in bringing out questions and fears, while helping the child learn what to expect. It is never helpful to promise a child that a finger stick or shot won’t hurt. It will pinch for just a minute and then get better. Our staff will try to explain what we are doing as we go along, so there are no surprises. Please do not use getting a shot as a threatened punishment if they are not well behaved. Some children, especially under the age of 3, will be very anxious throughout the visit. This is normal for their age. Discussing unpleasant aspects of the visit, such as shots, too far in advance can make a child over-anxious. However, some warning is appropriate. When a child knows what to expect and is told the truth, they are generally more relaxed and cooperative.

Sick Visits

We make an effort to see your urgently sick child as soon as possible. It is much easier, however, to schedule a sick visit that is convenient for you if you call in the morning. If you need more than one child seen, please let us know when you call so we may adjust our schedules accordingly. Sick visits are seen by appointment. “Walk-ins” may be asked to wait for an opening or return at a later time, in fairness to those who have scheduled appointments.

Whenever possible it is in the child’s best interest to have a parent accompany them to an appointment. However, if your child is under the age of 18 and you cannot do so, please send a signed note authorizing us to provide care, and a phone number where you can be reached.

When calling about a sick child, the following information is helpful to have on hand:
1. your child’s temperature and how you took it
2. the duration of your child’s illness
3. symptoms
4. allergies to medications or medical problems

Phone Calls

When you call about a health concern, your call may be returned by a telephone triage RN, a nurse practitioner, or a physician. Because urgent calls are returned first, routine questions and calls about non-urgent matters may not be returned until later in the day. If you have an emergency, please make us aware of it. We strive to return calls within 1-2 hours. Please restrict calls about routine questions or billing issues to regular business hours.

Scheduling Appointments

Appointments for well-child visits are scheduled up to 3 months in advance. Time is allowed in our schedule for newborns and sick-visits. Whether you have a well or sick visit appointment, we don’t like to keep you waiting. Your cooperation in arriving on-time for appointments helps us stay on schedule and results in less waiting time for everyone. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late for an appointment, you may be asked to reschedule in fairness to others who have arrived promptly. If you are running late, please call ahead and we will make an effort to adjust our schedule if possible. If you are unable to keep an appointment, kindly call us at least 24 hours in advance so we can give that slot to someone else.

Please anticipate your child’s need for a school physical in advance. It is not possible to schedule well visits for every child during the late summer months. It may be helpful to book your child’s annual appointment during their birthday month, making it easy to remember. When booking appointments, however, keep in mind any restrictions your insurance carrier may have on annual appointments (some carriers will not cover a visit if it has been less than one calendar year since they were last seen).

Insurance/ Referrals

Please have your insurance card and co-payment with you at the time of visit. Because insurance benefits vary widely, even within one insurance company, it is important that you become familiar with your specific insurance benefits and restrictions. If you have questions or need to make financial arrangements to pay a debt, our front office staff can assist you.

Many insurance companies require that you obtain a referral from your child’s provider before seeing a specialist. Many of these appointments require prior approval and so need to be arranged before the date of service. We will be happy to provide necessary referrals for your child, given advanced notice and approval of the provider. The following information will be needed by the medical secretary when requesting a referral;
1. Name and date of birth of the child
2. Name of the specialist being seen
3. Date of specialist appointment
4. Name of child’s primary care provider

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Fever Information

Dear Parents,

Fever is probably the most common of all pediatric complaints, affecting millions of infants and children throughout childhood. While many of you may become concerned, even anxious, when your child develops a fever, you can be reassured that this most natural of symptoms usually indicates that your child’s immune system is alive and functioning well.

This brochure was designed to put fever in perspective by providing you with the facts about fever and some helpful advice on fever management. We hope that the content will be both informative and useful, empowering you to take charge of your child’s fevers whenever they arise. Download fever facts brochure and dosage chart