Policies
Appointments & Cancellations
We make every effort to honor all time commitments and request that you extend the same courtesy to us. If you cannot keep an appointment, please notify us immediately. It is extremely important that all patients honor their reserved appointments. Failure to do so deprives other patients from receiving needed care in a timely fashion. Our office policy stipulates that failure to give sufficient warning of inability to keep a scheduled appointment, there will be a no show fee of $35.00 (24 hours advance notification during office hours).
After the third occurrence you will be discharged from the practice. A letter will be sent requesting you find a new provider.
In the event you arrive 15 or more minutes late for a previously scheduled appointment, we will be asked to reschedule your appointment for another time/day.
Prescription Renewals
Prescriptions can only be refilled during normal office hours. The on-call provider will not prescribe or refill any medication after office hours. For chronic conditions like asthma or eczema, we are required to have seen the patient within the last 6 months to send in a refill. If the last follow up was more than 6 months ago, we will need to schedule an appointment to evaluate the patient before a refill can be sent to the pharmacy.
When calling in for a refill, the required time needed is 2-3 business days to complete your request. Our office will make every effort to handle your request in the shortest time possible.
When you are calling to renew a prescription, please leave the name and the phone number of your pharmacy along with the name of the medication, dosage and quantity.
No prescriptions for any scheduled medication such as ADHD medications will be renewed over the phone.
Insurance & Payment Policy
If your child is insured by one of the plans in which we are a participating provider, we will gladly follow the contractual arrangements. You must have your plan ID card at the time of each visit and must be prepared to pay your co-pay, deductible or any services that are not covered by your insurance.
We are pleased to accept cash, check, MasterCard, or Visa for your convenience. If you are on a plan for which we are not in-network providers, our business office will be happy to provide you with the necessary paperwork for you to file with your insurance company.
Our business office is available to answer any questions you may have regarding your account or insurance coverage.
Records Transfer
School & Camp Forms
Due to the overwhelming demand for physical, immunization forms, etc., we ask that you give at least 5-7 business days advance notice to prepare the forms. We will do our best to get your information for you as soon as possible. Thank you for understanding.
Once completed, we can have the forms available for you to pick up at the office or we can return the forms to you by mail.
The following forms require a payment of $10 per form at the time of the request. You do have the option to have the form expedited for a fee of $25. We will have the form ready for you within 2 business days.
• School Physical Forms
• Camp Forms
• 504 Plans
FMLA Forms
Vaccine Policy Statement
We believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness, to promote health and wellness, and to save lives.
We believe in the safety of vaccines.
We believe that children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
We believe, based on all available data, scientific literature, current studies, and evidence-based medicine, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
We believe that thimerosal, a preservative that has been in vaccines for decades, and that remains in a only a few vaccines today, does not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
We believe that vaccinating children and young adults is the single most important health-promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you perform as parents/caregivers.
We know, and want you to know, that the recommended vaccines and their schedule are the results of years and years of scientific study and research, with data gathered on millions of children, by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.
We understand that there has always been, and will likely always be, discussion surrounding vaccination. But that discussion does not change the facts, or the science, or the evidence about vaccines.
The vaccine campaign is a victim of its own success. It’s precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that we even discuss whether or not they should be given. Because of the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, many of you have never seen a child with polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, or even chickenpox. And that, of course, is a wonderful thing. We hope you never do.
We write this statement not to scare you or coerce you, but to make you aware of the facts, and to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We recognize that the choice may be emotional for some parents. So, we will do everything we can to support you, and to help you understand that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do.
Please understand, however, that delaying or “breaking up” the vaccines to give one or two at a time over two or more visits goes against expert recommendations, and can put your child at risk for serious illness or even death. Doing these things goes against both our medical advice and our core principles at The Pediatric Clinic and will require additional co-pays/office visits on your part. Should you choose these options, you will be required to sign a “Refusal to Vaccinate” acknowledgement in the event of lengthy delays.
If you refuse to vaccinate your child despite all our efforts and recommendations, we will ask you to find another health care provider who shares your views.
As medical professionals, we know that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and young adults. Thank you for your time in reading this policy and feel free to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about vaccines with any one of our providers.
