Policies

 

NON-URGENT AFTER HOURS TRIAGE SERVICE

After hours non-urgent phone calls may be billed $50 for the convenience of the service. Please review the information on our website under “Is Your Child Sick?” to determine if your concern is of an urgent nature.

PATIENT NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

Discrimination is Against the Law, Howard County Pediatric, LLC complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Howard County Pediatrics, LLC does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. 

CHECK-IN POLICY

In order to update insurance and demographic information, all patients are asked to arrive 10 minutes prior to their scheduled appointment time.

REFERRALS

When calling with a referral request, please have ready the name and specialty of the doctor you wish to see, your insurance information and the appointment date (if known).  Your referral will be processed within five (5) business days, so please allow us enough time to meet your request.  You should also designate whether you wish your completed referral mailed to you or placed at the front desk for pick up. 

We would also like to remind  you that it is your responsibility to know your insurance company's rules regarding the need for referrals for medical specialists, lab, or x-ray requests.

PRESCRIPTION REFILL REQUEST

We are usually able to send presciption refills electronically.  There are two ways to request your child(ren)'s medication refill by doing following:

1. Directly contact your pharmacy and have them send a refill request electronically (as an eFax)
2. Send an electronic request through the Patient Portal.

CANCELLATION/NO SHOW POLICY

It is our goal to provide medical care to all our patients in a timely manner.  We will make every effort to accommodate your scheduling needs.  We ask that you arrive 10 minutes prior to a scheduled appointment.

In order to be respectful of the medical needs of other patients, please call the office promptly if you are unable to keep an appointment.

A "No-Show" is also considered a "missed appointment".  This occurs when you fail to show up for an appointment without a phone call.

We require 24 hours'notice of cancellation for routine checkups, consultation appointments, pre-ops, and med checks.  Cancellation of these appointments with less than 24 hours'notice may be subject to a $50 cancellation charge.

Same day sick appointments require a cancellation of 2 hours prior to the appointment, otherwise a $25 charge may incur.

Any missed appointments without prior notification will be assessed a $50 cancellation charge.

 

LATE POLICY

If you are running late for your appointment, please contact our office.  We will make every effort to accommodate you or reschedule an appointment.  If you arrive late for your scheduled appointment, the appointment may be considered a no-show appointment.
 

CAMP/SCHOOL FORMS

To help us better serve you in the completion of this task, please be aware of the following information:
 

We will not complete any form that does not have the parent section filled out. By signing the form, we are verifying that we have reviewed the information contained in the form and have done the appropriate medical examination and screening tests necessary to ensure that your child is cleared to safely participate in a specific area or activity. We cannot do this if we do not have all of the necessary information.

Please allow 3-5 business days for completion of your forms. We are usually able to complete one routine form (e.g. Howard County Public School Form) at the time of your wellness visit. If you present forms at a sick visit, if you have multiple forms that require completion, or if there is more detailed information needed to complete your form, then you will have to leave your forms for later return.

There is a $10 fee associated with forms.   This covers the administrative time necessary for review of relevant information and completion of the form. In the event your circumstances require completion of forms in less than 7 days we may be able to offer expedited form service (depending on staffing and time of year). The cost for the expedited service is $25 payable at the time the forms are presented, and you will receive your forms within 48 hrs.

A wellness assessment may be required before some forms can be completed. In order to determine if your child is medically cleared to participate in camps or sports, it is recommended that s/he has an annual wellness assessment. Some entities may require an evaluation by a physician within 6 months of the start of an activity. We ask parents to please be aware of the requirements for their child’s specific activity and to plan a visit accordingly. You will need to have a wellness assessment in the 12 months prior to start of the activity before we can complete a form asking for medical clearance for a physical activity. Please plan ahead so that you can have your wellness assessment with the physician of your choice.

FINANCIAL POLICY

Patients that receive a statement from our office are expected to remit a full payment upon receipt.
We realize that temporary financial problems may affect timely payment of your account.  If such problems arise, please contact our billing office for assistance in the management of your account. 

Patients who do not establish a payment plan and the account is over 90 days due, you will be referred to an outside collection agency. You will be notified by letter of this action.  You will have 30 days to pay the balance and have your child/children seen before the account will be referred to collection. 

Once an account has been referred to collection, your children will no longer be provided care with our office. 

AUDIO, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND VIDEO DURING VISIT

TREATING MINORS WITHOUT A PARENT PRESENT