Our Office Policies

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Julie Tomberlin MD Pediatrics New Patient Checklist:

It is crucial when choosing a pediatric practice for your children that you have given serious consideration to the fit between the practice philosophies and your own. Excellent care happens when the physicians and office staff are aligned with your family priorities and philosophies regarding medical care. Only then can shared decision making be based on mutual respect.

Please read the following checklist carefully to be sure Julie Tomberlin MD Pediatrics is the appropriate medical home for your children. We look forward to meeting you and forming a mutually rewarding relationship.

Well Checks: We require your child to be seen at our office for all well checks. Our schedule of well checks is as follows: newborn-2 weeks-1 month-2 months-4 months-6 months-9 months-12 months-15 months-18 months-2 years -2.5 years-3 years

After age three, we will see your child yearly for a wellness examination.

Chronic Illnesses: We require regular visits for managing chronic conditions like asthma, anxiety, ADHD, or eczema. Once the problem is under good control, appointments are required every 3-6 months for best management (depending on what problem it is). For example: The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program's expert panel recommends visits to a clinician about every six months for patients whose asthma is under control and more often for patients whose asthma is uncontrolled or have severe persistent asthma.

Vaccines: Julie Tomberlin MD Pediatrics firmly believes in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illnesses and save lives. We also firmly believe in the safety of vaccines. All physicians and staff provide vaccines on schedule to our own children. Our office follows the vaccine schedule outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics which has been scientifically tested for safety and efficacy.

There is no such thing as a tested or safe "alternative" vaccine schedule. We will be happy to provide information to help you understand the science behind vaccines, but we have a commitment to our patients to keep them safe and provide the best pediatric care available. This includes giving vaccinations on time, according to the CDC/AAP schedule.

For more information on vaccines: https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center

For more information on vaccine safety: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/index.html

Antibiotics: We work hard to not overuse antibiotics. We educate families on appropriate use of antibiotics, and follow evidence-based guidelines. We don’t automatically treat ear pain or a green snotty nose with antibiotics. We do not call in antibiotics over the phone as we do not believe that is good medicine. When we believe antibiotics are appropriate treatment, we will be happy to answer your questions. Together we can create a healthier community.

For more information on appropriate antibiotic use: https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fantibiotic-use%2Fcommunity%2Findex.html

Medical Home: 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 Urgent Care. If your question or concern occurs after hours, we have a Nurse Advice Line that can help! We are happy to direct you to the most appropriate place for care.

Technology: Our practice prides itself on efficiency through use of technology. You will be expected to contact us through our patient portal and effectively use automated reminders and patient engagement enabled via technology. We also use a secure texting service which makes getting in touch with us super easy! Let’s stay connected!

Office Hours: We make every effort to meet the needs of our patients, but we do not have evening or weekend hours. We are open Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm. We are closed on major holidays and may have closures on other days around the holidays, which will be announced.

After Hours: If you need to speak with a nurse outside of our normal working hours, we encourage you to contact the Children's Medical Center Nurse Advice Line at 1-855-456-6976. There is no charge for this service. Unless it is a true medical emergency (in which case you should call 911), we encourage you to use this service to discuss recommendations prior to heading to the Emergency Department or Urgent Care. These Nurses are excellent in helping with pediatric concerns and call the back up doctor or nurse practitioner if they are unsure of what to advise. Our office will follow up with you after you call this Nurse Advice Line.

Specialist Care: As your medical home we expect that you will contact our office to discuss care plans before scheduling an appointment with a specialist. We want to be involved in either providing care in our office where appropriate, or referring you to the most appropriate specialist and helping coordinate your care. Whenever you do see a specialist, we ask that you request a report be sent directly to our office so we can understand everything that has been recommended for your child.

Appointments: Appointments may be scheduled with the nurse practitioners or with Dr Tomberlin. As Dr Tomberlin’s schedule gets filled in advance, urgent visits will be with a nurse practitioner most often. We will always try to accommodate advance appointment requests for a specific provider, but cannot guarantee that your child will be seen by a specific provider. We do not have walk-in hours. Please call our office to make an appointment and tell the staff all of your concerns so that they can allow the appropriate length of time. For your convenience, we do have some self scheduling options for established patients only.

Prescription Refills: All refill requests must be made during office hours. Please give at least 3 business days for refills to be completed or 7 business days for controlled medications (like ADHD medications) to be refilled.

Medical Forms: We will need 7 business days to complete all medical forms, including but not limited to all daycare, school, physical, and medication administration forms. There is a fee for completing all forms, unless the parent provides the needed form at the child’s visit.

Insurance: Please make sure we take your specific insurance plan. To do this, call our office and/or check with your specific insurance company. We will bill the insurance companies with whom we are contracted. Payment is expected at the time of service for any copays and deductibles not covered by your plan. We accept cash, check and credit cards (Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover). There is a $50 charge for returned checks.

We do NOT accept Medicaid. If you have secondary Medicaid and a primary insurance, we may still be able to see your child. Please call the office for clarification in this circumstance.

Billing and Fees: It is up to you to understand how your insurance works including deductibles and co-insurance and to provide up-to-date insurance information at every visit. Our office fees are as follows:

LATE: We believe everyone's time is valuable; therefore our practice makes every effort to run on time. We ask that you make every effort to present to the office at your scheduled appointment time and call us if you are running behind. We reserve the right to reschedule if you have missed your scheduled appointment time. Arriving late to your appointment incurs a $25 fee.

NO SHOW: No show appointments will be charged $50 for each missed sick appointment and $100 for each missed well check appointment. Your child(ren) will be dismissed after the 3rd missed appointment for your family. We will not reschedule new patients who no show their first appointment.

CANCELLATIONS: A $25 fee will be charged for each appointment that is cancelled within 24 hours of the appointment.

***Automated appointment reminders are a courtesy only and should not be relied upon for keeping your child’s appointment.

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