|
|
|
| Lamorinda Pediatrics has been providing care to the infants, children, and teenagers in our area for over 30 years. It is our belief that as parents, one way you can help ensure the optimal physical and emotional health of your child, is by developing a consistent relationship with a pediatrician of your choice. Such a relationship provides the necessary environment for the give and take of ideas so helpful in raising a family. We believe it is a privilege to be able to work with you as we get to know you and your children over the years and watch them mature and develop. Here you will find basic information on appointments, our drop-in clinic, caring for your child when he or she is well or ill, getting advice by telephone and our fees.
Regular office hours are Monday through Friday 9:00 to 5:00, Saturday 9:00 to noon (for illnesses only). We are closed for lunch between noon and 2. All visits including illnesses, are by appointments. For annual physical exams, it is a good idea to call at least 3 months in advance, at the time of your child's birthday. If your child is ill, appointment times are always available. There is never any problem seeing your child the same day, and if necessary (for lacerations, fractures, accidents and other emergencies) you will be taken care of immediately. Please let the receptionist know the nature of the problem so sufficient time will be scheduled. If for some reason you will be unable to keep your appointment, please let us know 24 hours ahead or sooner. If you are going to be late, we would also appreciate a call - if you are over 15 minutes late we may have to reschedule.. If your child is being seen for an illness, please notify the receptionist when you arrive. Children with potentially contagious illnesses are separated from those who are well. Monday through Friday 9:30am until 11:00 am 2:30pm until 4:00pm No vaccinations given on Saturday or during early morning clinic.
For parents who would like their children to be seen for an acute illness (fever, earache, vomiting etc.), a "drop-in" clinic is held Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 8:45 AM. No appointment is required. There is no drop-in clinic on holidays or on Saturday mornings.
Well child visits are scheduled allowing sufficient time to discuss interval health, behavior and developmental issues. A few examples of issues commonly dealt with in the early years are topics such as diet, safety, toilet training, sleeping problems, and discipline. We believe these issues are important enough to warrant a reasonable time for discussion, time which is often not available when questions in these areas are "added in" at the end of an illness visit. When possible we encourage both parents to attend these well child exams. Such discussions can be very helpful to you as parents in providing a safe, loving and interesting environment for your child. We also administer their immunizations at these visits, according to the schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and required by state law before entering school. A typical schedule of regular well child visits and immunizations might be as follows, with some variations according to each physician:
Children develop a variety of illnesses, most of which are not serious. However, on occasion, they can become sick with symptoms that are potentially harmful if not treated appropriately. We encourage you to call us if you have questions on what to do and whether your child needs to be seen. We depend on you to contact us immediately if there seems to be a serious illness, accident, difficulty breathing, or poisoning. Call paramedics (911) in case of life-threatening emergency, but the routine illnesses and accidents we can handle through our office. After hours and on weekends one of us is on call for acute emergencies and illnesses. You can always reach us by calling our office number. Most of the time you will hear a recorder that will give you a number to call, so have a pencil and paper handy. We prefer that you do not take your child to an emergency room unless directed to do so by us. If your child needs to be seen immediately, we will meet you at the office, or if necessary, at the Emergency Room of Children's Hospital in Oakland or John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek. Most childhood illnesses can be diagnosed without laboratory tests. A review of the symptoms and thorough physical exam are usually sufficient. Occasionally a urinalysis, throat or urine cultures are needed and these can be done in our office. When blood work or y-rays are necessary, these can be conveniently obtained in Lafayette, Orinda or after hours at a nearby hospital. In addition to scheduling appointments, a pediatric office by necessity spends a lot of time dealing with inquiries from parents over the phone. Our office personnel are trained to deal with many of the minor, frequent childhood ailments (e.g. chicken pox, poison oak, colds). Al such messages are reviewed by your physician that morning or afternoon. You will receive a call back from one of the office staff or doctor. If you would like to speak with your doctor directly, please let the receptionist know. All calls are meant to be returned on the day received. If you haven't gotten a return call in a timely way, please call again to remind us of your call. If the problem is somewhat more urgent, (i.e. there is some question as to whether your child needs to be seen that day) the message will be conveyed to your doctor promptly and you should expect a call back within an hour. We may ask you to bring your child in, as some problems cannot be dealt with over the phone. Knowing your child's temperature can be helpful in this circumstance. During the time the office is closed, and between noon and 2 p.m., we encourage you to take advantage of our answering machine. If you leave a message requesting an appointment on the tape, you will be called back soon after the office reopens. If the question about your child had to do with common but relatively non-urgent issues such as feeding, sleeping, behavior, etc., then we will return your call later in the day when time is available. It is preferable to call about such problems after 10 a.m. The prompt payment of fees helps us to defray our office costs and run our office efficiently. Therefore we ask for payment at the time of the visit. We will give you an insurance form with the amount of the visit and the diagnosis which you can mail directly to your insurance company for reimbursements. If you belong to a prepaid insurance plan of which we are a member, then please have your card ready when you check in with the receptionist. Co-pays and co-insurance are payable at the time of the visit and are collected when you check in. Fees are determined by the type of visit and the need for treatment, injections, lab or immunizations. We also bill for hospital visits and procedures done in the hospital or emergency room. There is an after hours surcharge for visits when the office is officially closed. If you have any questions about your bill, please do not hesitate to ask your doctor or our bookkeeper. (284-1182) For those families that cannot pay at the time of the visit, we will bill you monthly. If you have a large bill and cannot pay promptly, please discuss the problem with our bookkeeper. We will try to give you assistance whenever possible. |
