Are We a Good Fit?

Our Vaccine Policy follows the schedule outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

While antibiotics are an incredible tool that we sometimes use, we are careful not to overuse them in our efforts to follow evidence-based guidelines for appropriate antibiotic stewardship.  This means that we carefully weigh the risks and benefits of every intervention we recommend (including prescription of medication) and don’t automatically treat every earache or a runny nose with antibiotics. 

We work hard to provide comprehensive medical care and serve as your medical home. To that end, we encourage our patients to use the resources provided on our website or contact us before seeking specialty care or heading to another provider for urgent care. We want to be involved in either providing care in our office, where possible, or referring you to the most appropriate specialist and helping to coordinate your care.

Our practice prides itself on efficiency through the use of technology. Patients' families will be encouraged to consult our website and to register for and use our patient portal for messaging, completing medical questionnaires, scheduling visits, and paying bills online.  Additionally, we are proud to offer texting through the Spruce Health platform to afford maximal responsiveness to our patients' families. Spruce is the leading platform for HIPAA-compliant communication and care outside of the exam room. Patients can call, text, and fax the CCWS staff all via the secure  Spruce app.

We make every effort to meet the needs of our patients, offering routine well visits, sick visits, and telemedicne appointments during our regular office hours. Please familiarize yourself with our office hours to see if they work for your family.

By providing information under the  "Is Your Child Sick? section on the "Resources" tab of our website we offer advice about how to care for minor ailments at home AND advice about when your child may  require urgent evaluation.  Additionally, patients may send HIPAA compliant text messages via the Spruce app. .  Spruce text messages are checked intermittently in the evenings, weekends, and holidays.  We also partner with  Hello Pediatrics, a group of Board-Certified pediatricians that provide 24/7 after-hours clinical support. They offer the option of calling, online chat, or telehealth visits (that may save you a trip to urgent care or Emergency department). Telehealth visits are billed to your health insurance. 

On weekdays after we close and on weekends 24/7 urgent medical calls will be directed to the HelloPediatrics team for medical advice and the option for telemedicine visits with a pediatrician.

Read more about After Hours care.

Please ensure we participate with your insurance plan. It is your responsibility to understand the limits and coverage of your health insurance policy. Please present your insurance cards at each visit and be prepared to pay any copays at the time of service.

While our billing staff can assist with insurance inquiries, it's best to contact your insurance company directly for specific coverage questions. We strive to avoid any billing surprises, but we must bill your health plan according to federal guidelines and the actual services rendered.

For more details, please review our Financial Policy.

Insurance copays are expected to be paid at the time of service. If you are unable to comply, you must speak with our billing department prior to your visit to set up a payment plan.

Additionally, our office charges for some administrative services that are not covered by insurance. Please read our Financial Policy for more details.

For acute care, you may text our team to inquire if an appointment is needed or schedule yourself online through our patient portal.

For well visits,  you may schedule online through our patient portal. You will receive an automated reminder 2-3 months ahead of when your child is due for their next well visit. Automated reminders are also sent for any vaccines for which your child is due.

Our practice makes every effort to run on time with appointments, as we believe everyone’s time is equally valuable. As a courtesy, we will remind you of your upcoming appointments via phone/text message/email. We ask that you arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. We understand sometimes things happen beyond your control that may cause you to be late. However, we reserve the right to ask you to reschedule if you arrive late for your appointment.

Missed Appointments: Broken appointments represent a cost to us, to you, and to other patients who could have been seen in the time set aside for you. We reserve the right to charge a fee for canceled or missed appointments. We request 24 hours' notice for cancellation of appointments. A fee may be charged for a second missed appointment. A third consecutive missed appointment may result in discharge from the practice. For new patients, a fee may be charged if the first appointment is missed.