Policies

A few things you might want to know about how our office is run:

Payment Policy

Insured patients: Please bring your child’s insurance card to every visit to insure we are billing the correct insurance company for your child.

Uninsured patients: If your child is uninsured we require that you pay in full at the time of service.

Copays: Payment for copays and deductibles are due at time of service. We accept cash and credit cards.

Making Appointments

Continuity of care is very important. We want you to feel that you have a home here with us and that you receive the care that you need.

Annual Exams:
When scheduling your annual health exams (well checks), due to availability, we ask that you call at least 4 weeks in advance to schedule these visits. Our provider’s schedules can fill up quickly and we only perform a certain number of these exams per day.

Sick Visits:
We will do all that we can to see your child in a timely fashion if he or she is acutely ill. If your child is ill and needs to be seen the same day, will do our utmost to get the child in as quickly as possible, but this means you may be asked to come in at a time that may not be convenient. Please be advised that this may be the only time our providers have on their schedules.

Thank you for understanding.

Late Cancellation / No Shows

At ABC Pediatrics we do our utmost to ensure the smooth flow of patients in and out of our office, for your convenience and ours. When patients arrive late, cancel at the last minute or fail to keep appointments, it puts a strain on our schedule and perhaps more importantly, inconveniences subsequent patients who have made an effort to be at their scheduled appointment in a timely fashion.

In an effort to minimize these occurrences it is our policy to remind you of these occurrences of late arrivals, cancellations and no shows. It would be very helpful to us if you could please call with your cancellation 24 hours in advance (or as soon as you know) so that we can offer your appointment time to others waiting for care.

After two friendly reminders, ABC Pediatrics may ask you to find a new provider for your child/children.

Record Releases

The providers and staff of ABC Pediatrics want you to know that we support your full access to your child’s personal medical records. We require the completion of a form for authorization for release of your child’s health information, which you will find on our “Forms” page. We may also ask for the release of your information from other providers in order to provide your child with the best care possible. You have the right to refuse consent in the use of your child’s personal health information, but this must be in writing, and then likewise our providers have the right to refuse to treat your child. We respect the privacy of your personal health information and would like you to know that we will do everything we can to ensure its security.

Prescription Refill Policy

Currently our office receives a large volume of calls, faxes and electronic messages daily for medication refill requests, requiring consistent prescribing policies and careful monitoring. Please be aware that all refills are processed while we are caring for patients that are in the office to receive treatment and while Medical Assistants are triaging parent phone calls. Refills and requests will be handled in the timeliest manner possible. With this policy, we hope to work together to ensure safe and high quality medical care for your patients.
We do require office visits on a regular basis for all of our patients taking prescription medication. The interval will vary depending on the type of medication prescribed. Please be sure you have enough medication to last until your next scheduled visit. New symptoms and/or events require an office appointment.

It is your responsibility to schedule appointments before you run out of medication.

We offer the following options for ordinary prescription refills:
Most prescriptions are sent electronically to local pharmacies. You will need to contact your pharmacy to set up electronic renewals as well as fax renewals. Please be aware once the request is sent, we cannot determine how long the pharmacy will take to process it.
You will be required to follow up by your provider every 6 months for refills.

Controlled Medications:
We require these additional safety measures for stimulants (i.e. ADD/ADHD)
If you are on a stimulant prescribed by our provider, as an ongoing treatment, you must see your doctor every 3 months for refills. By law stimulants can only be refilled for 1 month at a time.
No prescriptions of controlled medications for chronic use will be phoned or faxed to the pharmacy.
Prescriptions must be printed and picked up in the office by legal guardian with proper ID.
Patients can only pick up their own prescriptions if they are 18 or older.
Prescriptions need to be picked up within 7 days. If it is picked up late, the prescription is expired and a new prescription will need to be written at a cost of $5 per prescription.

Forms Request Policy

During various times of the year our office receives a large volume of calls, faxes and electronic messages daily for form requests. We are happy to complete the forms your children are required to have for various activities they attend. Please be aware that all forms are processed while we are caring for patients that are in the office to receive treatment, and while our Medical Assistants are triaging parent phone calls. We ask that you allow at least 2 days for your request to be completed, and all requests will be handled in the timeliest manner possible. If your child has not been seen in our office for a Well Child exam in over a year we will not be able to complete these forms, however we can assist you in scheduling a Well Child visit for your child to complete the forms at that time.

Below are some of the forms we typically see:
Sports/Activity
Daycare
Physician Health Statement
Camps (summer camps, Boys and Girls Club, etc.)
FMLA
Immunization Requests

Vaccine Policy

At ABC Pediatrics we are dedicated to providing the highest quality of evidence-based medical care to our patients. This includes our adherence to the vaccine schedule recommended by national organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). These well-respected organizations and committees include panels of experts in pediatrics as well as infectious disease. The goal is to eliminate or minimize preventable serious disease, thereby promoting the health of all children. These national experts routinely analyze available information and research, monitor the prevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases, and analyze reported serious adverse events following vaccine administration. This information is used to create the best vaccine schedule to protect your child. Be aware that there are vaccines used in other countries that are not routinely used in the United States to protect those children from even more diseases. At ABC Pediatrics we strive to provide the highest quality care, while respecting the wishes of our parents. Should a family desire to alter the schedule or withhold all recommended vaccines, ABC Pediatrics feels that this decision not only puts your child at risk of serious preventable disease, but also puts the health of others at risk.

Please be advised that if you desire an alternative vaccine schedule, or if you intend to refuse vaccines, you do so against the advice of ABC Pediatrics, the AAP, the AAFP, and the ACIP. We believe that this decision puts your child at risk for vaccine preventable disease and increases health risks for others. ABC Pediatrics respectfully declines to be your children’s pediatricians.

Referrals:

If your child requires a referral, we MUST be shown as the Primary Care Physician on your insurance. If your child’s insurance shows another provider, we will not be able to place a referral for any specialist. This includes Orthopedics, ENT, Speech Therapy, etc. It is the parent’s responsibility to keep up to date on who is showing as the PCM on your child’s insurance and correct it. We cannot do this for you.
Most Insurances require a referral prior to receiving care from any provider other than your assigned primary Care Provider (PCM) to avoid cost to you. This includes Urgent Care Facilities and after hours walk-in facilities.
Most Insurance beneficiaries may ONLY receive emergency care at 24 hour emergency facilities without a referral from their PCM. The on-call ABC Pediatrics clinic provider may be reached by dialing the clinic number after hours 254- 634-7337. Please leave a clear and concise message (containing patients name, patients date of birth, patients symptoms and phone number where you may be reached) so that the on-call provider may call you back. Blocked calls will not be returned.
OUR CLINIC WILL NOT SUBMIT RETRO REFERRALS