Our Policies

Appointments

Patients are seen on an appointment only basis. You may call our office to schedule your child's appointment anytime during normal business hours:

• Monday - Thursday 8:30AM - 7:00PM
• Friday 8:30AM - 5:00PM
• Saturday* 8:30AM - 12:00PM

*Saturday morning appointments are available only for sick children who need to be seen. There is only one doctor on Saturday, so appointment times are limited.

If you feel your child needs to see the doctor, please call us to make an appointment as early in the day as possible. In order to give each patient the necessary time, we ask that you never arrive without an appointment. Time will be available each day for attention to sudden illness.

If you cannot keep an appointment, we expect adequate notice in advance in order to see others who may be ill. Failure to follow this policy will result in charges for missed appointments.

Special problems such as bedwetting, behavioral and school difficulties, drug and discipline problems require more than a casual discussion. Please inform us of these issues when you are making the appointment so that adequate time is allotted to address them.

Telephone Calls

A registered nurse is available to answer your questions over the phone Monday through Friday from 8:30AM to 5:00PM. Because these calls are returned in order according to medical urgency, you will be asked to leave a message and the telephone number where you may be reached. Many calls are reviewed by the nursing staff with the physicians in the office on that day.

After Hours Telephone Calls

We are available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if your child has an acute illness, injury or other medical emergency. We prefer that you call us before going to an emergency room unless the problem is life-threatening. Please limit after hours calls to urgent problems that cannot or should not wait until the office re-opens.  All after-hours telephone calls incur a charge of $12/call which is applied to the patient's account.  After hours calls are answered by a nurse triage service and not our office staff.  Should the nurse triage service determine that you need to speak to a physician, they will page the physician on call. Our physicians attempt to return calls promptly, so please keep your phone line clear and remember to disable the anonymous call block feature, if applicable.

We ask that you not call after hours to discuss routine problems such as colic, diaper rash, appetite, sleep, prescription refills, medication dosages, or other non-urgent issues.   These problems are best handled when the physicians have the office staff and patient charts available during regular business hours and can give uninterrupted service.

Prenatal & "Meet the Doctor" Appointments

Each doctor has reserved time around his or her lunch hour to meet with parents or parents-to-be. These appointments allow you to meet with one of our doctors, ask questions, tour the office, and get a feel for our practice. Prenatal appointments also provide expectant parents with an opportunity to ask questions about what to expect with regard to their newborn. Both of these appointment types are offered free of charge.

Refills

Prescription refill requests are handled most efficiently by calling your pharmacy directly to request a refill. If refills remain from when the prescription was written, the pharmacy simply fills your child's prescription. If there are no refills remaining, the pharmacy will contact our office for authorization to fill the prescription. We request that you contact your pharmacy a few days before running out of your child's prescription. Routine refills can usually be filled the same day. Refills on controlled substances, such as ADD medications, require 48 hours to fill and you must pick up the new prescription at our office. Please note that a $10 charge applies if a controlled substance prescription is not filled within 21 days as required by law and another one has to be written.

Forms

Due to the number of forms (school, camp, sports, etc.) we receive, we require 48 hours for completion. A $5 charge applies.

Medical Records

Requests for medical records must be submitted in writing. Parents can fill out a medical record release in the office or download one from the Forms page. The completed form can be hand delivered, mailed, or faxed to the office at 972-964-0563. Requests for medical records are completed as quickly as possible in the order they are received. We ask that you allow 2-4 weeks for the records to be received.

Due to privacy concerns, we will only fax medical records when requested by other physicians or medical facilities. Immunization records only can be faxed with a verbal request from the parent or legal guardian of the patient.

Billing and Fees

Complete insurance information is required at the time of the visit. If you are using an HMO or PPO plan that we participate with, we will submit the claim for you. You will be expected to pay your co-payment, deductible or co-insurance at the time of service. If you are not using an HMO or PPO plan that we participate with, full payment is expected at time of service. You will receive a receipt, which can be submitted by you to your insurance carrier.

If, at any time, your child's healthcare becomes a financial burden, please let us know so that a payment schedule can be arranged. Your child's good health is our primary goal. We welcome questions about fees and services as well as suggestions on how we may better serve you.