Our Vaccine Policy follows the schedule outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics. We feel confident that the recommended vaccines are safe and effective. We strongly recommend all patients be fully vaccinated following the American Academy of Pediatrics vaccine schedule.

We work hard to not overuse antibiotics. We educate families on appropriate use of antibiotics, but follow evidence-based guidelines and don’t automatically treat ear pain or a green snotty nose with antibiotics.

We do not routinely prescribe antibiotics over the phone as we do not believe that is good medicine. We will prescribe an antibiotic when we believe it is an appropriate treatment.

 We work hard to provide comprehensive medical care and serve as your medical home. To that end, we expect that you contact our office FIRST before seeking specialty care, or heading to another provider for urgent care. We want to be involved in either providing care in our office where appropriate, or referring you to the most appropriate specialist and helping to coordinate your care.

Whenever you do see a specialist, we ask that you request a report be sent directly to our office so we may stay informed and have the most up-to-date information in your medical record.

Our practice prides itself on efficiency through use of technology. You will be encouraged to consult our website, register for and use our patient portal, and effectively use automated reminders for appointments and for routine care/immunizations that are due.

We make every effort to meet the needs of our patients, offering both routine well visits and sick visit appointments.

We will almost always work your child into our schedule on the day that you call. Seeing your child when he/she is sick is a priority for us.  However, in order to manage the flow of patients and assure that your wait time is as brief as possible, we do not see walk-in visits.  Please call to schedule an appointment for your child when they are sick.

Please familiarize yourself with our office hours to see if they work for your family.

We have a physician on call 24/7/365. When our office is closed overnight and you have an urgent issue that cannot wait until morning, you can call our main number and you will be directed to our after-hours nurse triage line.  The nurses staffing our after hours line have significant training in offering advice for pediatric patients and follow protocols that have been approved by our Valley Pediatric Group doctors.  However, if the nurse has any questions or is uncertain of the best advice, they will contact our doctor on call to consult with them.  In most cases the nurse will then call you back to discuss the next steps in caring for your child.

You may wish to check the "Is Your Child Sick?®" section of our website for helpful information before using this service. 

Make sure we participate with your insurance plan. 

It is your responsibility to know the limits and coverage of your particular health insurance policy, to show your cards to us at each visit, and be prepared to pay any copays at the time of service.

Our billing staff will do their best to assist you with insurance questions; however, If you have questions about your coverage, it is best check with your specific insurance company.

Our office does not want you to be surprised by a bill, but must always bill your health plan based on federal guidelines and the actual services provided.

Please read our Financial Policy for more information regarding insurance.

Insurance copays are expected to be paid at the time of service. If you are unable to comply, you must speak with the billing department prior to the visit to set up a payment plan.

For an acute care (sick) visit, call the office to speak with a member of our phone room staff who will schedule an appointment for you. If your call requires more input from a nurse your call may be routed to our phone nurse to gather more information or provide directions for you to follow until your child's appointment.  If our nurse is involved with another caller, our phone staff will take a message and the nurse will call you back..

For well visits, call the office to speak with a member of our phone room staff.  Well visits may be scheduled up to a year in advance. You will receive an automated reminder several days before your child's appointment.

Our practice makes every effort to run on time with appointments, as we believe everyone’s time is equally valuable.

As a courtesy, we will remind you of your upcoming appointments via phone/text message/email.

We ask that you arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled appointment time.We understand sometimes things happen beyond your control that may cause you to be late. However, we reserve the right to ask you to reschedule if you arrive late for your appointment.

Missed Appointments: Broken appointments represent a cost to us, to you, and to other patients who could have been seen in the time set aside for you. We reserve the right to charge a fee for canceled or missed appointments. We request 24 hours notice for cancellation of appointments.

New patients who miss two consecutive appointments will not be seen again and will be asked to find a different provider.