How often does my child need to be seen for well child visits or complete physical exams?
Can a non-custodial adult bring my child in to be treated?
Can my child receive healthcare without my consent?
How do you handle routine phone calls?
How can I get a medication refill?
Does my child need to be seen first before a medication is prescribed?
How do I get a referral?
What is the process for getting a medication administration form, school physical form, sports or camp physical form completed by my pediatrician?
What is the dose of Tylenol or acetaminophen for my child?
How do you schedule appointments?
We usually schedule well child examinations in the early part of the morning and afternoon. The visits are more in depth; the exams are thorough and require more time. If possible, please be sure to schedule these visits well in advance. Please also bring your child's immunization records with you for each well child exam. The later half of the morning and afternoons are usually reserved for "sick" visits. This allows us to minimize the exposure of sick children to healthy children.
As a courtesy, we will call you to remind you of your child's well exam prior to his/her appointments. If you are unable to keep any appointment, please call at least 24 hours in advance to cancel. This will allow us to see other children and especially sick children in a timely manner. If a family has a repeated pattern of missed visits without prior cancellations, it may be necessary to dismiss them from our practice.
How often does my child need to be seen for well child visits or complete physical exams?
The following is the schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics: 2 weeks, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months (on or after your child's birthday), 15 months, 18 months, 24 months, 3 years, 4 years, 5 years, 6 years and yearly or every other year thereafter. If your child participates in sports, a yearly exam or sports physical is recommended.
*Your child's particular well child schedule may differ from the above based on your child's individual needs.
Can a non-custodial adult bring my child in to be treated?
As a general rule, we require the consent of a parent or legal guardian in order to provide healthcare services to a minor child (someone under the age of 18). With so many parents working outside the home or with other commitments, we realize that you may not be able to accompany your child on every visit to the clinic. If your minor child presents to the clinic unaccompanied, or in the company of an adult other than a parent or legal guardian, we will do our best attempt to contact you for consent. If we cannot reach you, we may need to reschedule the appointment.
In an effort to provide the care needed and avoid having to reschedule your child's appointment, we have developed a Medical authorization form that, once completed by a parent or legal guardian, will be placed in your child's medical records for use as necessary. This form will allow us to provide medical treatment to your minor child when brought in by one or more adults you have named on the form. This consent form will remain in effect for one year after signing. We strongly encourage you to fill out the form at a routine visit, rather than waiting until the need arises. However, you may also download the form from this website and then fax it prior to the visit or send it with the adult bringing your child in for care.
Can my child receive healthcare without my consent?
Under Washington State law, minors have the right to consent to certain healthcare without a parent or guardian consent. A minor may consent to medical care:
- If a minor is emancipated (legally independent) or married to someone at or above the age of 18.
- In the event emergency care is necessary.
- For birth control and pregnancy related care at any age.
- For outpatient drug and alcohol abuse treatment beginning at age 13.
- For outpatient mental health treatment beginning at age 13.
- For sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, beginning at age 14.
If a minor consents to care as allowed by law, he or she can request confidentiality for that aspect of care which would prohibit us from releasing this information to anyone, including a parent or guardian, without the minor's express written permission.
It is the philosophy of the Children's Clinic to encourage minor patients to include a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult in all aspects of their healthcare including those areas noted above. For legal and other reasons, parent or guardian involvement may not always be possible. Rest assured that we would continue to provide healthcare services that are in the best interest of your minor child.
If you have any questions regarding any of this information, please contact your child's primary care provider.
How do you handle routine phone calls?
We welcome telephone calls for the medical assistants, physicians, schedulers, billing department and office manager. If you have a true medical emergency, call 911. We receive a high volume of calls especially on Mondays and Fridays. Routine calls will be gladly returned if you leave a message with the best time and number to reach you. We return calls as soon as possible and answer those with most urgency first. If you haven't received an urgent call back within 30 minutes to 1 hour, please call again to let us know. Routine calls are usually returned within 4 hours. If you haven't received a call back, please let us know. The physicians are very busy seeing patients and will usually return calls during their lunch break, the end of the day, or sooner if possible.
How can I get a medication refill?
Please call your pharmacy for a refill. They will send us a fax with your request. Please allow at least 48 hours for the refill request to be completed. We may deny a refill request if we feel your child needs to be seen first. You may also leave a message on our refill line voice mail. Please leave your child's name, birth date, name of medication, dosage and how many times it is taken, and pharmacy name and number. Please remember that medications for ADD/ADHD cannot be phoned into the pharmacy. Please allow at least 48 hours for the refill to be completed.
Does my child need to be seen first before a medication is prescribed?
For new problems and most illnesses, we need to see your child first in order to make the proper diagnosis, and for us to give the best medical care to him or to her.
How do I get a referral?
In most cases, you primary care pediatrician needs to see your child first. Your doctor will then make a referral to the appropriate specialist. This process may take several days in order to send the proper paperwork to the insurance company and to the specialist. If you have any questions, please call the business office and speak to the referral coordinator.
What is the process for getting a medication administration form, school physical form, sports or camp physical form completed by my pediatrician?
If you need a camp or school physical form to be filled out, please complete it as much as possible prior to bringing it in to the physician. The physician will then complete his/her portion and sign it if appropriate. We are unable to sign forms if the child's last complete physical was performed over two years ago. If there is any chance your child will participate in these activities, please schedule a complete physical as soon as possible. This will prevent the last minute rush and disappointment.
If you would like the physician to sign a medication form for school, please fill out as much of the form as possible first- especially the name of the child, the name and dose of the medication and the reason for the medication.
Please allow at least 48 hours for the completion of these types of forms.
What is the dose of Tylenol or acetaminophen for my child?
We do not recommend giving your child Tylenol or acetaminophen if he or she is under 2 months of age. If you feel she or he needs it please call the pediatrician first. If your child is over 2 months of age, please consult the following dosing chart. It is very important to use the measuring device that came with the medication to avoid any over dosages.
