SUFFOLK PEDIATRICS
OFFICE POLICIES
Welcome to Suffolk Pediatric Associates. It is our desire to provide the most current, compassionate and comprehensive medical care to your child.
Office Hours
Our office is open Monday & Wednesday 9:30-6:00pm; Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-8:00pm; Friday 9:30-4:00pm; Saturday 9:30-12:30pm, by appointment ONLY.
We offer walk in hours for sick existing patients Monday-Friday 8:30-9.30am. Saturday visits are by appointment only.
After Hours
For after- hours care (when the office is closed & Sundays) you must call the office and you will be instructed by message as to the name and phone number of the provider that is on call. Remember, someone is available 24 hours a day for URGENT medical advice.
Vaccination Policy
Suffolk Pediatric Associates follows the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for well care and immunizations. We believe strongly that immunizations protects infants and children. We do not support not vaccinating children. If your philosophy differs from ours, we request that you make an appointment to discuss this with one of our providers.
Late Arrival Policy
We value your time and will make every attempt to see your child in a timely fashion. Please extend us the same courtesy and be on time for your appointment. If you are running late for your appointment please notify our office and we will attempt to make accommodations within our schedule. Patients who are more than 15 minutes late for their appointment may be asked to reschedule their appointment.
No-Show Policy
We understand that there are times when you must miss an appointment due to emergencies or obligations for work and family. However, when you do not call to cancel your child’s appointment, you may be preventing another patient from getting an appointment. Conversely, the situation may arise when another patient fails to call and cancel and we are unable to schedule your child for a visit, due to a seemingly “full” appointment calendar. If an appointment is not cancelled at least 24 hours in advance you will be charged a fifty ($50) fee; this will not be covered by your insurance company.
School/Work Excuses
We are only able to provide school and work excuses for patients/or parents who are seen within our office. At check-out you will be provided a note excusing the day that you were seen and the date deemed appropriate for you to return to work or school by the Provider.
Medical Forms and Immunization Records
Request for medical records must be made in writing and contain the signature of a parent or guardian or patient that is 18 years or older. There is a flat fee of $15 for medical records released upon transfer to another provider or for personal reasons.
School and camp physical forms are completed free of charge at the well child visit. There is a $5 fee for forms completed any time other than at the well child exam as long as the patient has had a well child visit within the past 12 months. Please allow up to two weeks for medical records request.
Separated/Divorced Families
For families in which the parents are either separated or divorced, the parent bringing the child to the office is authorizing treatment and is, therefore, the parent responsible for co-payment or co-insurance on the date of service. We will not call or contact the other parent to obtain payment information. Please have the child’s payment and insurance information with you when arriving for your office visit. All fees associated with the visit, including but not limited to, the copay of the child’s insurance plan, are due at the time the services are rendered. If there is a divorce decree requiring the other party pay a portion, or all of the treatment costs incurred, it is the responsibility of the authorizing parent to collect from the other parent. Suffolk Pediatrics will not make special provisions or act as a mediator in collection of payment.
Copayment/Co-Insurance/Deductible
All copays are due at the time of visit. If you are not bringing in your child, please make arrangements with the person that is, to pay the copay. Any family balance from co-insurance & deductibles are also due upon check in. Copays, co-insurance & deductibles are YOUR agreement with YOUR insurance company and YOUR responsibility. For all co-pays not paid at time of visit, there will be a $10 administrative charge. Balances over 90 days are sent to an outside collection agency. We make multiple attempts to contact you before this actually happens. If you have a problem with paying your bill, please contact the billing department ASAP. Once the family account is turned over to the collection agency your family is dismissed from the practice. What this means for you is we can only see your children for sick visits for 30 days from the collection notice.
