Office Policies


	Office Policies Our goal is to provide and maintain a good physician-patient relationship. Letting you know in advance of our office policy allows for a good flow of communication and enables us to achieve our goal. Please read each section carefully. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask a member of our staff.
	Cell Phones We kindly ask that you refrain from using your cell phone during your time in our office.
	Immunizations Syracuse Pediatrics believes in the importance of vaccinations and therefore follows the American Academy of Pediatrics Immunization schedule. We do not skip vaccines nor do we care for children whose parents refuse vaccines.
	Well Children We follow the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics for health supervision visits and immunizations. These well visits/physicals should be scheduled well in advance. We suggest that you schedule your child's next visit before you leave the office.
	Prescription Refills For monthly controlled substance and antidepressant medication refills, we require a 48 hour notice, during regular business hours. Please plan accordingly
	Sick Children If you feel that your child needs to be seen, call us and we will arrange an appointment. We try to honor your requests for specific time slots and providers, but logistically speaking, this is not always possible, as we try to have ill children seen as soon as possible. If you need advice about an illness, or are unsure as to whether or not your child needs to be seen, call to speak to one of our nurses.
	ADHD Medication Prescription Policy
	While stimulant drugs have been used safely for the treatment of ADHD for decades, there are protocols we have put in place to properly monitor a child who is taking these medications. These visits allow us to monitor your child for expected response, side effects, and proper dosage. All children on ADHD medications must be seen by a provider every 6 months. One visit will be for an annual well child physical plus medication monitoring and one visit will be for medication monitoring only. (Additional visits may also be required. For example: when starting or switching medications, children will need to be seen in one month to monitor their response and evaluate for any side effects.) There are also rules that the US Drug Enforcement Administration requires we follow when writing prescriptions for Schedule II drugs. As such, medications can no longer be sent when the office is closed. Monthly prescriptions will be written on weekdays only. Parents may call the office and leave a message on the nurse voicemail requesting a refill. Please give at least 24 hours notice for each prescription refill.
	Important Details:
	1) Appointments: Your child is required to have two office visits yearly for medication monitoring. These are to be scheduled every 6 months, one as a well child physical and one as a medication monitoring visit. It will be the parent’s responsibility to schedule these appointments. Your child will need to be current on this appointment schedule in order to get prescriptions for their ADHD medications. 2) Prior to each appointment, parents will be asked to have Vanderbilt follow up forms completed by parents and teachers. They will be mailed to you one month prior to your scheduled appointment or can be downloaded from our website, www.syracusepediatrics.com. Forms must be returned to the office at least one week prior to your scheduled visit or the appointment will be cancelled. 3) Lost Prescriptions: We understand that sometimes prescriptions may be misplaced. Based on our liabilities in prescribing these medications, a conference will be scheduled if there are repeated losses of prescriptions. 4) When Prescriptions Last Longer Than Expected: If your child’s medication supply lasts longer than usual due to school vacations, illness, etc., the timing of office visits does not change. Children will still need to be seen in the office every 6 months per schedule noted above. 5) Compliance – If your child is not taking medication as prescribed by our office, we may not refill the medication. This policy is to insure the safety and well being of your child while on medication. Thank you for your cooperation.
	Appointments
	1) We value the time we have set aside to see and treat your child. We do not double book appointments. If you are not able to keep an appointment, we would appreciate 24-hour notice. Multiple missed appointments may result in dismissal from the practice. 2) If you are late for your appointment (>10 minutes), we will do our best to accommodate you. However, it may be necessary to reschedule your appointment. 3) We strive to minimize any wait time; however, emergencies do occur and will take priority over a scheduled visit. We appreciate your understanding. 4) We require a parent to be present at any well child check/physical,vaccine and medication check appointments. 5) Videotaping and photography in the exam rooms and hallways are prohibited due to privacy issues. 6) As your child’s primary care “home” medical office, we request that all well child/physical examinations are done here in our office.
	Referrals
	1) Advance notice is needed for all non-emergent referrals, typically 3 to 5 business days. 2) It is your responsibility to know if a selected specialist participates in your plan. 3) Remember, we must approve referrals before they are issued. 4) If you cannot make the appointment we set up for you, it is your responsibility to reschedule it with the specialist.
	Financial Responsibility
	1) According to your insurance plan, you are responsible for any and all co-payments, deductibles, and coinsurances. 2) Co-payments are due at the time of service. 3) Self-pay patients are expected to pay for services in FULL at the time of the visit. 4) If we do not participate in your insurance plan, payment in full is expected from you at the time of your visit. We will supply you with an invoice that you can submit to your insurance for reimbursement. 5) Patient balances are billed immediately on receipt of your insurance plan’s explanation of benefits. Your remittance is due within 10 business days of your receipt of your bill. 6) If previous arrangements have not been made with our billing office, any account balance outstanding longer than 90 days may be forwarded to a collection agency. If this occurs you will be asked to leave the practice. 7) For scheduled appointments, we may require that any prior balances be paid prior to the visit. 8) We accept cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. 9) A $35 fee will be charged for any checks returned for insufficient funds.
	After-Hours
	1) Syracuse Pediatrics subscribes to a pediatric after-hours telephone triage service. WE REQUEST THAT THIS SERVICE BE UTILIZED ONLY FOR URGENT OR EMERGENT PROBLEMS. Calls of a more routine nature should be reserved for our usual office hours, as our own nurses have your chart available, allowing for better continuity of care for your child. The phone number for this service is the same as our daytime number: 315•251•2612 2) Please note the hours and availability of the Children's Urgent Care of Upstate at Community Hospital. They are available Monday through Friday 4 pm to 11 pm, and Saturday/Sunday noon to 11 pm. © Copyright 2016 twitchy4design