Late arrival: We will do our best to accommodate patients arriving past their scheduled appointment time for well visits and conferences, but we may need to reschedule those that would lead to significant delays in seeing our other regularly scheduled patients.

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Late cancellation: Physical exam and conference appointments that are canceled or rescheduled less than 24 hours prior to appointment time will be charged a $50.00 late cancellation fee. 

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Missed appointment:  Failure to keep physical exam and conference appointments (also referred to as “no show”) will be charged a $50.00 missed appointment fee.  If a family misses three appointments within a 12 month period, the family will be subject to dismissal from the practice.

 

Additional Services (combined well and sick visit):  During well child exams, there are times when additional charges may be necessary when the scope of services goes beyond what is considered routine and/or related to wellness care.  Copays and deductible may apply when these services are billed.  

 

Well child visits focus on preventive care, maintenance of good health practices, and age-appropriate screenings and immunizations.  Sick visits generally target a specific concern and may include more detailed history taking or examination and lab work that is otherwise not routine.  If we are asked to address either an acute illness or chronic problem at a well visit, our office will bill your insurance for the combined services.  Your insurance may treat these as two separate visits and apply charges accordingly, most commonly by requiring you to make an additional copayment.  Please consult your insurer to clarify your benefits.  Our billing department is also available to assist you.

 

Consent to Treat Minors: Patients under the age of 18 years may be seen without a parent or legal guardian present only if our office receives prior written consent from a parent or legal guardian.  This form may be completed and faxed or emailed to our office in advance of the appointment time.  With minors being seen independently, consent must specify the type of visit (check up, sick visit, vaccination) and services authorized (name of vaccines, tests).   With minors accompanied by an adult other than a parent or legal guardian (grandparent, nanny), consent form must include name of the accompanying adult authorized to make medical decisions in your absence.

 

Definition of “Established Patient:” In order to be considered an “established” or “active” patient in our practice, patients must be up to date with routine well visits.  Patients over the age of 6 years must have had an annual physical exam in our office within the previous 2 year period or they may not qualify for services such as walk-in sick visits, weekend office visits, or nursing visits for vaccinations and lab work.  Any type of school or activity related form cannot be completed for patients over the age of 3 years that have not had a complete physical exam in our office within the previous calendar year.

 

ADHD Medication Management: Patients are required to have an annual physical exam and any recommended in-office follow up visits in order to for our office to provide prescription refills. Parents are required to sign a contract that outlines our protocols for this service.

 

Vaccine Policy Statement: The physicians of Bethesda Pediatrics firmly believe in the safety, efficacy, and usefulness of vaccinations in general.  Our goal is to ensure that your child is adequately and appropriately protected against many preventable infectious diseases.  We strongly recommend adhering to the immunization schedules published by the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics.  Under certain circumstances your doctor may agree to make minor modifications to your child’s vaccine schedule in order to accommodate and be respectful of your requests.  However, you may be required to have additional office visits with your primary physician and/or sign a standard “Refusal to Vaccinate” form when we feel it is indicated.

 

Please also refer to our general Office Financial Policy Statement that you will be required to sign at your first visit to Bethesda Pediatrics.