Are We a Good Fit?

Our Vaccine Policy follows the schedule outlined by The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). 

We require all patients of our practice to receive all vaccines protecting them from HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS diseases. This includes DTaP (whooping cough), MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), Varicella (chicken pox), PCV (pneumococcal disease), Hib (bacterial meningitis), and IPV (polio).

If you should decline to vaccinate your child, we will ask you to find another health care provider who shares your views.

We make every effort to meet the needs of our patients, offering both routine well visits and sick visit appointments. Our same-day sick appointments are filled on a first come-first served basis. Walk-in patients may be triaged and not seen until later in the day. To ensure we provide you with the most efficient care we highly recommend you call ahead to schedule an appointment.

Please familiarize yourself with our office hours to see if they work for your family.

We have a physician on call 24/7/365. When our office is closed overnight and you have an urgent issue that cannot wait until morning, you can call the Children’s Mercy Nurse Advice Line that can reach a doctor 24 hours a day for any questions or concerns.

You may wish to check the "Is Your Child Sick?" section of our website for helpful information before using this service. Read more about After Hours care.

Our practice prides itself on efficiency through use of technology. You will be encouraged to consult our website, register for and use our patient portal, and effectively use automated reminders for appointments and for routine care/immunizations that are due.

Make sure we participate with your insurance plan. 

It is your responsibility to know the limits and coverage of your particular health insurance policy, to show your cards to us at each visit, and be prepared to pay any copays at the time of service.

Our billing staff will do their best to assist you with insurance questions; however, If you have questions about your coverage, it is best check with your specific insurance company. Our office does not want you to be surprised by a bill, but must always bill your health plan based on federal guidelines and the actual services provided.

Please read our Financial Policy for more information regarding insurance.

We work hard to provide comprehensive medical care and serve as your medical home. To that end, we ask that you contact our office first before seeking specialty care, or heading to another provider for urgent care. We want to be involved in either providing care in our office where appropriate, or referring you to the most appropriate specialist and helping to coordinate your care.

Whenever you do see a specialist, we ask that you request a report be sent directly to our office so we may stay informed and have the most up-to-date information in your medical record.

For acute care: call the office to speak with our staff, who will listen to your concerns and schedule an appointment for you. Sometimes an appointment may not be needed, and a triage nurse will advise you (free of charge) regarding your issue, or check with the physician and call you back.

For well visits: call our routine appointment line. Well visits may be scheduled from 6 months to 1 year in advance. You will receive an automated reminder 3 months ahead of when your child is due for their next well visit.

Our practice makes every effort to run on time with appointments, as we believe everyone’s time is equally valuable. As a courtesy, we will remind you of your upcoming appointments via phone/text message/email.

We ask that you arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. We understand sometimes things happen beyond your control that may cause you to be late. However, we reserve the right to ask you to reschedule if you arrive more than 15 minutes late for your appointment.

As a courtesy, you will receive appointment reminders by phone, text, or email to help you stay informed about upcoming visits.

Missed/Canceled Appointments: Missed appointments create openings that could have been offered to another child in need of care. We request at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule. 

Review our Appointment Policy for more details.

Our providers work hard to not overuse antibiotics. We educate families on appropriate use of antibiotics, but follow evidence-based guidelines and don’t automatically treat ear pain or a green snotty nose with antibiotics.

We do not routinely prescribe antibiotics over the phone as we do not believe that is good medicine. Our providers will prescribe an antibiotic when we believe it is an appropriate treatment.