Policy Information for New & Existing Pediatric
Center Patients
Part of our unwavering quality of pediatric medicine comes from our commitment to policies that are clear, concise and easy to follow for our patients, doctors and nurse practitioners alike. While we do our best to address any questions or issues you may have, it’s possible that situations not addressed below will come up before, during or after your scheduled. You have access to our medical team for urgent issues 24 hours a day by calling (704) 787-9555. For non urgent questions please consider using the patient portal or calling the office during business hours.
Click on the links below to learn more about our policies, call us today at (919) 787-9555 with any additional questions or comments on special needs or special health care needs:
Appointments
Financial Policies
Prescription Refills
ADHD
Asthma
Hospital Affiliations
HIPAA Patient Privacy Policy
Appointments
Our office is open 6 days a week. If your child is sick, in most situations we will see him the day you call. Please call early in the day to make acute care same-day appointments. Well child visits/sports physicals will be scheduled with your choice of provider. After school time slots are limited, so you will need to call several weeks in advance for these coveted slots. If you are more than 15 minutes late for your well visit appointment, you may be asked to reschedule. If you are late for a sick visit, you may need to wait until the next appointment slot is available since others have scheduled appointments.
Weekend and Holiday Hours:
If you have an urgent illness and need to be seen after hours, on Sunday, or a holiday, you should call 919-787-9555 to reach the doctor on call. Please be aware that you may be charged an additional fee for these services.
We’re closed on the following holidays: New Year’s day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving day and Christmas Day.
Financial Policies
There are many different types of insurance plans offered now. More and more insurance policies have high deductibles, therefore, we have established changes to account for these plans.
- Payment Required at the Time of Service
Co-payments, Co-Insurance, and Deductibles are all due at the time of service, provided we are in-network with your insurance plan. Copayments will be collected when you check in and co-insurance/deductibles will be collected following your visit. Because each insurance plan reimburses based on a specific fee schedule, we can store your credit card information in a secure portal. Once your claim is processed through your insurance company you will be notified five days prior to any charges to your credit card. If you do not have insurance, or have an out-of-network insurance plan, we require full payment at the time of service. We accept cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. There will be a $30.00 charge for each returned check. - Policy for Handling Insurance
Our office participates with many health insurance plans. If you have questions regarding your insurance plan, it is best to have them answered by a representative of your insurance company. We are happy to submit your medical claims to your insurance carrier on your behalf. It is your responsibility to update any insurance information to our office staff at each visit. We would ask that you have your current health insurance card present at each visit. You are responsible for any balances that are not paid by your insurance company. - Missed Appointments
We make every effort to be on time for your appointment, and we ask that you extend the same courtesy to our practice and to our other patients. We require that all appointments are cancelled with at least 24 hours’ notice of your scheduled appointment. Well child visit appointments missed or not cancelled with at least a 24-hour notice will incur a $50.00 charge. All other appointments will incur a $35.00 charge if missed. If you are unexpectedly delayed or have an emergency, please call us immediately so we can reschedule your appointment for another time. - Refunds
If an overpayment is made on your account, we will process refunds on a monthly basis. If your treatment, or a family member’s treatment, is ongoing, we will apply the overpayment to any future balances. Refunds will be generated after all insurance claims have been process for you and/or family members. - Collection Agency
Prior to scheduling future non-urgent appointments, payment arrangements must be made for any balances in excess of sixty (60 days) old. If payment arrangements are not made and the account is more than ninety (90) days delinquent, the account may be turned over to a collection agency. Once the collection agency has your account, you are required to pay the agency directly and may be discharged from the practice. - Prescriptions
There will be a $10 charge for calling in prescriptions that are not associated with an office visit including after-hours telephone calls. This does not include prescription refills for chronic problems if that problem has been addressed at an office visit within the last six (6) months. We ask that you contact your pharmacy to request a prescription refill or submit a request through our Patient Portal. There will be a $10 fee for prescription pre-authorizations mandated by your insurance carrier. - Stimulant Prescriptions
Stimulant prescriptions can now be sent electronically to most drug stores. However, most insurance companies will only allow for a 30-day supply so you will still need to request a refill monthly. Refill requests can be submitted to your pharmacy or through our Patient Portal. You may also pick up prescriptions at the office, but please call at least 24-hours prior to the time you plan to pick up. - Forms and Letters
We are happy to fill out school, camp and day-care forms at the time of the well child visit. It saves us time to fill out these forms as the visit is being completed and the chart is open. Please give these forms to the nurse at the beginning of the visit. There will be a $10 charge for forms filled out at other times, payable when the form is picked up. - Phone Calls
We are glad to answer brief questions for you over the phone. However, when phone advice becomes extended, it often takes the place of an office visit. There will be a charge of $25-50 for extended phone advice with an physician or nurse practitioner during or after office hours. - Records
We will release or transfer one copy of your complete Pediatric Partners medical records free of charge. We can release the records directly to you or mail them to another office on a disk drive. After the first copy, the charge to transfer records is $15. However, if you require records to be printed, we follow NC Statute 90-411, (maximum fee of $0.75 for first 25 pages, $0.50 for pages 26-100, $0.25 for pages over 100 and a minimum fee of $10). There is a $5 charge to print year-end financial summaries of payments. We issue receipts at each office visit to help you avoid this charge.
We appreciate your compliance with these policies. We strive to provide excellent, cost effective medicine in an ever-changing health care environment. We are happy to discuss any questions you have about these policies.
Asthma Management Guidelines
In order to best work with you to manage your child’s asthma, we have established the following guidelines. It is important to continue close monitoring and treatment of asthma even when it is under control.
A month after the initial diagnosis of asthma, your child will need a follow-up visit for continued asthma education and to monitor symptoms and assess progress. If your child’s asthma is being treated using only Albuterol or Xopenex, they will need to be seen yearly for assessments. If these medications are needed more than twice a week or if we feel too many refills are being needed, we will need to see your child again to decide if further treatment is needed. If your child’s asthma is being treated using inhaled steroids or Singulair, he or she will need to be seen every six months. Exercise-induced asthma treatment and follow-up will be based on the doctor’s discretion.
ADHD Polcies
We both diagnose and treat Attention Deficit and/or Hyperactivity Disorder. This diagnosis can be straightforward or quite complex, requiring collaboration among parents, teachers and us. At times, additional help from a pediatric psychologist is necessary.
For initial diagnosis we have questionnaires that teachers and parents need to fill out. We can instruct you on the forms needed before the visit. Ideally, we would like to review these several days before your appointment.
If medications are prescribed, we see these patients in the office at least every 6 months. The main purpose is to assess your child’s response to the medication, to look for any adverse side effects, and to see if anything else needs to be done to improve your child’s quality of life (e.g., evaluation for learning disability, consultation with psychologist, etc.). In addition, the Federal Government/FDA expects close follow-up of individuals on these controlled medications and may revoke a physician’s prescribing license if prescriptions are written without follow-up visits.
Hospital Affiliations
We no longer have newborn nursery privileges at Rex Hospital. The physicians, nurse practitioners, and/or neonatologists that will see your baby while you are in the hospital are not affiliated with our practice. You should contact us on the day of delivery to arrange your first office visit once the newborn is discharged.
