Appointment Policies
Let’s have the discussion…
We strive to run on time.
We value your time and those of all our patients and caregivers.
A pediatric practice is a community and requires that all members of the community respect each other. Your appointment time is dedicated for the physician to specifically address your child’s needs – this includes in person and virtual/phone appointments.
The physicians require this entire time slot to provide high quality care – full history, physical exam, documentation in the medical record, ordering labs/tests, and writing referrals letters to specialists as needed. This takes time.
If you arrive late, it means that in order to see your child and provide proper care, we must make the next family wait. This is not fair to others and for that reason, we cannot accommodate late arrivals.
Please be in the clinic by the Arrival Time noted on your appointment card.
Late arrivals will be rebooked with no exceptions. It’s best to aim to arrive at least 10 minutes prior to the time noted on your card. If we are unable to connect with you for the phone portion of your visit the in clinic appointment will be released for other patients. Please call us at your earliest convenience so that we may reschedule the phone and in clinic appointments.
We do NOT charge late/no-show fees.
But wait? Sometimes the doctors run behind...
Yes, it may seem unfair that even when you arrive on time, the appointment can be delayed. Sometimes an urgent/emergent medical issue may occur that requires longer time with the physicians, and we ask for your patience if this does happen. We understand that young children don’t do well with extended waiting. If you are waiting an unusually long time, please accept our apology and feel free to reschedule your appointment.
Physicians are also humans and parents. Sometimes they or their children are sick. Please accept our apology if an appointment needs to be rescheduled at the last minute.
Missed appointments can occur for many reasons, some not in your control. We understand this. Please make every effort to contact us if you realize you will not be able to make a booked appointment. This allows us to free up the spot for another child. Late arrivals, missed clinic appointments, and frequent cancellations impact our ability to provide quality services and deny other patients access to care. Therefore, multiple missed appointments will result in termination from the clinic.
Our office does not tolerate any form of rude, aggressive, or confrontational conduct towards staff or other patrons and will result in dismissal from our practice.