Policy - Telephone
The practice of pediatrics by telephone is a convenience for parents regarding the care of their child and when there is a definite illness. It is better to call during regular office hours, if you can because it gives us a chance to look over the child's medical record and recall the child and their history. You should always feel free to call us about your child, either during office hours for routine questions or at any time for an emergency.As with most busy pediatric offices, such as ours, the phones are extremely busy, especially on Mondays and first thing in the morning. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Please know we are doing our best to be accessible to you by telephone.
The office staff is trained to answer some of your questions. Others will be discussed with your doctor and the office staff will notify you of your pediatrician’s recommendations. If you are worried about your child, always call and get proper medical advice during regular office hours. It is reasonable to expect basic information and reassurance.
For more complicated problems, the doctors will call you back, not at the very moment you call, perhaps, but later, when the office is not quite so busy (which can be after 8 PM on some days). Usually, the doctor will return your call during lunch or at the end of the day, after all scheduled patients have been seen. Emergency problems will be referred to the doctor right away. Please be assured that every effort will be made to get back to you as soon as possible, but your understanding will be appreciated.
Realize, though, that sometimes your pediatrician may not be able to answer your questions without seeing your child first. Take the symptoms of spots (rash); no matter how well you describe them, the doctor must see them, up close and personal, to make a diagnosis. There are many potentially dangerous illnesses that we can’t diagnose over the phone and we will need to examine your child to make a diagnosis.
It is also inappropriate to expect your doctor to prescribe antibiotics over the phone unless he or she has already been involved in the current episode of that illness. It is unreasonable to expect medical advice on a condition the doctor has never seen, or if the patient hasn't been seen in the office for awhile. Likewise, we will need to see your child for a current illness before a school EXCUSE FORM can be completed.
Automated Phone System
When you call the office during regular office hours, you will reach our automated phone system. When the voice mail system answers, you can use the following option menu to press the option # you want immediately from a touch-tone phone, without waiting:
| 0 - MEDICAL EMERGENCY or Urgent Problem |
| 1 - Appointment for sick visit today |
| 3 - Non-urgent questions for the nurse** |
| 4 - Schedule a future appointment or change an existing appointment |
| 5 - HMO referral, before your appointment* |
| 6 - Prescription refill* |
| 7 - Lab or x-ray results* |
| 8 - Billing Office questions* |
*Please Note: Some of our services are only available during regular office hours, 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday (HMO referrals, prescription refills, lab or x-ray results and the Billing Office). If you call 757-3400 after 5:30 PM, you can leave a message in the voice mailbox and your call will be returned the next business day. If you call after 5:30 PM on Friday, your call will be returned Monday morning, unless that Monday is a holiday.
Telephone Advice (Press 3)
Most development and behavior problems, like temper tantrums or sleep problems, are best made while we're still in the office to help guide you through the time when your child may need assistance. We're used to reassuring worried new parents who call up and ask "silly" questions.
The triage and advice nurse, Jonna Scott, R.N., is available from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Thursday and from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Friday (if you call after these times, you can leave a message in her voice mailbox and your call will be returned the next business day). She can answer your common, nonurgent, day-to-day questions about feeding, minor illness management like a simple cold or cough, mild diarrhea, low-grade fever and constipation, as well as other important questions and parenting advice. If she is busy with another parent, please leave your phone number on her voice mail and she will call you back shortly (please try to keep your phone line open.
Quidelines
Here are some important guidelines to observe when telephoning the doctor’s office about your child.
- Give your full name, your child’s name (particularly if your last names are different), age, weight, any allergies or other helpful information. We will need your home and work phone numbers when you need a call back. When calling for advice, information or to give reports on sick children, please have a pencil and paper by the phone for taking down directions. Please have your pharmacy phone number handy in case a prescription is needed.
- Make the call yourself. Don’t have other friends or family call who may not know all the information about your child. You should give the facts about your child yourself.
- Take the child’s temperature in the case of an illness. If you have given any medications including Tylenol or Ibuprofen, please let us know and also the dosages you gave.
- Describe the problem, its duration and symptoms, such as fussiness, undue crying, not acting right, lethargic, vomiting or diarrhea, fever, cough, having difficulty with breathing, any pain, rash and the child’s color.
- Learn to be a good observer and accurate reporter. This may be hard at first, but you’ll get better with experience.
- If your child’s problem may require an office visit, please call in the morning or early in the day to schedule an appointment. (Press 1)
- IF YOUR CALL IS AN EMERGENCY, please make this clear to the receptionist or the answering service after hours. Never hesitate to call the doctor at any time that a real emergency seems to present itself. (Press 0)
After-Hours Calls
Calling for help is a natural impulse when your child is sick. One of the hardest things for any parent to figure out, is when to call the doctor, especially at night. All your questions about your child's health are important. But some calls are urgent, while others aren't and could wait until the office is open. Never hesitate to call if you suspect some help is needed. Trust your instincts: if you think something is wrong, you're probably right.
Before you call, try to prioritize and organize your thoughts and jot down questions beforehand. Also, please have your pharmacy phone number available in case a prescription needs to be called in. It is both useful and considerate to "triage" yourself when you call after-hours and these guidelines may be helpful.
Please call 600-2193 to reach the answering service and they will contact the doctor-on-call. If your call is an emergency, the doctor will call you back right away, otherwise, we will check in every hour or two for messages. Please have your pharmacy phone number handy in case a prescription is needed.
| To facilitate the RETURN OF your telephone call AFTER HOURS, PLEASE REMOVE ALL CALLER ID BLOCKING DEVICES. To Temporarily disable caller ID, press *67. |
- Make it clear to the answering service when you need to be called back.
- THIS IS AN EMERGENCY, should be reserved for serious problems like an accident, a hit in the head, bleeding that won't stop, a severe burn, a bad bite, a seizure, ingestion of a possible poison, difficulty breathing, a child who is not acting right, or a high fever [this may depend on the age of the baby or child]. What is serious enough (urgent) that a call is necessary tonight or can this problem wait until the office is open?
- What can I do now to help my child?
- What problems do I need to watch out for?
During the weekend, please call early on Saturday morning (after 9:00 AM when the office is open) as we do have Saturday office hours to see sick children. During a day when the office is not open (Sunday or Holidays), it is best to call in the morning (after 9:00 AM when a pharmacy is open) to decide if special arrangements need to be made to have your child seen or if the child can wait one more day when the office is open.