Appointments
We see all of our patients with scheduled appointments. When scheduling your appointment, please let us know the reason for the visit so that we can allow the appropriate amount of time for your child. We value your time and will try to notify you of any delays to the appointment schedule due to hospital emergencies.
Saturday Appointments
We do not pre-book sick appointments for Saturday. If you need a sick visit for Saturday please call that morning. We will not schedule Saturday appointments before Saturday. This is due to the large number of no shows that occur when a child feels better. Please arrive to the office 10 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time and inform us of changes in health insurance, address or telephone numbers.
Cancellations and Late Visits
If you are unable to keep your appointment or are running late, please call and notify our office. We appreciate your courtesy in this matter so that we may treat you and other patients in a timely manner. Well-child exams will be rescheduled if you arrive more than 15 minutes late for your appointment. If you arrive late for a sick visit, we will try to accommodate you as time permits.
After Hours Exchange: 314-747-7069
During overnight hours (9:30 pm until 8:00 am), trained pediatric nurses from St. Louis Children’s Hospital will answer your calls and provide advice. Routine matters such as appointments, test results, medication refills and billing questions should be addressed during regular office hours. In case of an emergency, go to your nearest emergency room.
Calls placed before 9:30pm and after 8:00am will be forwarded to one of our providers.
Accepted Insurance and Co-Pays
For a list of accepted health insurance, click here.
Please bring your current insurance card with you to each visit. Having the most current information of your plan is essential for submitting claims to your insurer. Co-pays are required at the time of service.
Medications and Refill Requests
Before prescriptions can be filled (i.e. antibiotics, steroids and narcotics), your child will need to be seen by one of our providers.
Due to the large number of calls for prescription refills, we ask that you call your pharmacy first (including mail order) for medication refill requests. Please make sure you have a seven-day supply left to ensure that you do not run out while your request is being fulfilled. We will not call in antibiotics without first examining your child.
Vaccination Policy
We strongly believe in protecting children from vaccine-preventable diseases. We follow the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and recommend that all patients are fully immunized following the approved schedule of immunizations.
For the safety of our current patients and the community, we do not accept patients who choose not to immunize their children.
Hospital Affiliations
All of our physicians are on staff at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. If you visit a different hospital, please sign a release form so that we may have the records forwarded to us.
New Mom/Prenatal Consultations
Expectant parents are invited to schedule a prenatal consultation with one of our pediatricians. During the visit, you have the opportunity to meet the provider, staff and tour the office. We would like for you to fill out the prentatal interview form (PDF) and bring it with you to your visit. These appointments are available Monday through Friday 9:00AM to 4:00PM. These visits would be expected to take about 10 minutes. If you are not sure which pediatrician you wish to see, you may schedule a visit with our nurse practitioner to become acquainted with the office and providers.
Newborn Care
Our physicians do not see newborns in the hospital. Each hospital has a staff of pediatric physicians (or hospitalists), available to evaluate your newborn and manage their nursery care. After discharge, we will see your newborn typically within 2-3 days for their first well-baby visit. This visit should be scheduled prior to leaving the hospital.
ADHD Evaluation
Many children exhibit behavior or learning difficulties which suggest possible ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). Evaluation for this common disorder requires assessments from a few sources:
- The Vanderbilt Scales (PDF), a standardized assessment tool
- School report cards (several years if available)
- MAP testing and any educational testing performed through the school
- Testing performed by a psychologist (please sign a release form for the psychologist, so they may send us this information)
If your child is diagnosed with ADHD, it is very important to have continued follow up visits. These evaluations help monitor their progress and the effectiveness of any treatment. Follow up visits range anywhere from one to six months.
Anxiety/Depression Evaluation
Many children and adolescents experience symptoms that may be related to anxiety or depression. When these symptoms become concerning, we ask that several questionnaires be completed prior to scheduling an appointment for further evaluation. These questionnaires may include:
- Patient Health Questionnaire – 9 (PHQ-9) (PDF)
- Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) – Child (PDF)
- Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) – Parent (PDF)
Prior to completing these forms, call our office and we’ll let you know which forms to print and complete. These questionnaires need to be completed and reviewed by your child’s provider prior to scheduling the first appointment.
If your child is diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression, options for treatment will be discussed with you and your child. Treatment options include sessions with a psychologist or counselor to learn skills and new behaviors for coping with symptoms.
Additionally, some children may be prescribed an antidepressant medication. If your child is started on a medication, it is very important for you to make sure they keep all follow-up appointments and follow-up phone calls. Follow-up phone calls and visits may range anywhere from two weeks to three months, depending on how your child is doing.
Medication Refill Requests
To arrange for a new prescription to be dispensed, please notify our office at least three days prior to a supply of medication running out. Medication requests after 3:00pm on Friday and on Saturday will be written the following Monday. These prescriptions cannot be called in to a pharmacy. All medications are sent electronically to the pharmacy and can only be completed during office hours.
If at any time you believe your child is a danger to their self or others, please take them to the emergency room.
Lab and Radiology Services
Some laboratory tests, like hemoglobin, hematocrit, lead screening and urinalysis are ordered in conjunction with well-child care. Hearing and vision screenings are also ordered at appropriate well visits or when clinically indicated. Laboratory testing for a well or sick patient may be performed in our office or ordered at a commercial laboratory, as dictated by the requirements of your insurance carrier. Please contact your insurance provider prior to lab testing to ensure that ordered tests are covered under your policy.
Adolescent Privacy
As children mature into adolescents, their needs change in many ways. The role of their pediatrician also changes. Beginning around age 12 or 13 we like to spend some of the well visit with the teen alone. This helps establish a rapport between teen and pediatrician. Ideally, adolescents should be open and honest with their parents about their activities including possible drug/alcohol use and sexual activity. A visit with the pediatrician allows a caring professional to be involved with providing health and safety guidance. Pediatricians frequently have encounters with adolescents involving disclosure of sexual activity or drug-alcohol abuse that they wish to withhold from their parents for many reasons. It is the job of the pediatrician to provide appropriate health care including screening for sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy. These services do not require consent of the parent, but it is always desirable to have parents involved. One of our goals in treating your adolescent is to facilitate open communication with you and ourselves in order to promote good health.
Children 18 Years of Age
As your adolescent child enters young adulthood, we would like to inform you of important office policies. We will continue to see children 18 years and older until the summer after their high school graduation. Regardless of age, we will not see children if they are emancipated. This includes if your children have become parents themselves or are expecting. Please ensure that your child makes arrangements to transfer their medical records to an adult doctor.
We will not release records of children aged 18 and older to their parents without written permission from the patient. Your child must come to the office with a picture ID and any applicable records-retrieval charge to pick them up in person. If you have any questions, please call our office.
Well-Child Visits
Well-child checkups should be scheduled at least 2-3 months in advance if you are needing an evening or Saturday appointment.
- 1 week well-child check up (if breast feeding)
- 2 week well-child check up (if bottle feeding)
- 1 month well-child check up
- 2 month well-child check up
- 4 month well-child check up
- 6 month well-child check up
- 9 month well-child check up
- 12 month well-child check up
- 15 month well-child check up
- 18 month well-child check up
- 24 month well-child check up
Contact your insurance plan before scheduling a well-child exam for a patient age three or older, as some insurance plans do not cover them if the previous exam was less than a year ago. You may also want to ask if a vision and hearing screening is covered by your plan. Both of these screening tools are recommended as part of the complete well exam.
We use a number of screening instruments during well infant, child and adolescent visits. These include the MCHAT (an autism screening), lead exposure survey, teen screen and vision and hearing screening. These are important tools for detecting medical and behavioral problems requiring further assessment. We will continue to expand our screenings, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, including the Ages and Stages and Pediatric Symptom checklist when available. Many of these screenings are covered by insurance plans. The exact coverage depends on your specific plan. If there are concerns about insurance coverage on these screenings, we recommend you contact your insurance carrier before your visit.