NEIGHBORHOOD PEDIATRICS OFFICE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

In an effort to answer your questions and improve our efficiency, we have compiled the following office policy.

OFFICE HOURS: 8:00am-4:00pm (Monday-Friday). When calling for an appointment, please tell the appointment secretary the nature of the problem. More acute/severe cases are given priority. We make every effort to keep on schedule. Delays can occur. P lease help us keep on schedule by arriving for your appointment 15 minutes prior to y our appointment time. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late for your appointment we may have to reschedule the visit. If it is necessary for you to cancel your appointment, you must give us twenty-four hours’ notice. If you do not cancel your new patient appointment at least 24 hours in advance, we may not permit you to reschedule. In addition, there may be a charge for follow up appointments canceled less than 24 hours in advance.

AFTER OFFICE HOURS: The phone is answered after hours 7 days a week via an automated answering service. If it is an emergency, please call 911 or go to your local ER. If you subscribe to "Caller ID" and "Anonymous Call Rejection", please be advised that most phones utilized by our doctor have caller ID blocking and will reflect "anonymous" or "private" when your phone calls are returned. Be aware that this could cause a problem if the doctor needs to reach you with information regarding your child.

P rescription refills are not handled after hours.

MEDICATION: Requests for medication refills should be called in during regular office hours. Please do not request refills for medications after hours. Keep track of your supply of medication and request refills before running out. Forty- eight hours (two working days) notice is required to refill regulated prescriptions. T here is a $10.00 charge to process

s ame day regulated prescriptions and must be paid when picked up or mailed or prior to electronic prescribing, this is not covered by your insurance company and will not be filed. Note the date on the prescription; you have 21 days to have it filled. There is a $10.00 fee f or replacing duplicate or lost prescriptions. Expired prescriptions not filled by the pharmacy must be returned to our office. Follow up appointments are very important. R efills will not be authorized if follow up appointments are not k ept.

MEDICAL RECORDS: NO INFORMATION REGARDING PATIENTS WILL BE RELEASED TO ANYONE WITHOUT WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION FROM THE PARENT OR GUARDIAN. If you want a copy of your child's records sent to another physician or for any other reason, you must provide us with written authorization including the name, address, phone number and fax number where you wish records to be sent. We request ten working days to process medical records requests. In addition, there may be a fee charged for copying the records.

Forms and Releases: All forms (daycare, FMLA, asthma/ allergy action plans, et cetera) require a 72 hour notice. Some longer forms may require 7 days before completion. Forms longer than 2 pages may be subject to a $15.00 administrative fee.