Policies

We work hard to not overuse antibiotics.

We educate families on appropriate use of antibiotics, but follow evidence-based guidelines and don’t automatically treat ear pain or a green snotty nose with antibiotics.

We do not routinely prescribe antibiotics over the phone as we do not believe that is good medicine. We will prescribe an antibiotic when we believe it is an appropriate treatment.

We ask that you arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. If you arrive early for your appointment, please wait in your car. Proceed to the office lobby at your appointment start time. If door is locked, please ring bell and we will let you into the building.

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. Anyone who arrives more than 10 minutes late for their appointment will need to reschedule. Our practice makes every effort to run on time with appointments, as we believe everyone’s time is equally valuable. 

Please also prepare for the appropriate appointment length – well checks take 1 hour and most other appointments take 30 minutes.

Our clinic accepts credit cards only as a form of payment. Copays due at time of service. For any remaining balances not covered by insurance, expect communications from Athena Health so that payments may be processed securely within our billing department.

Currently a vast majority of insurance plans include coverage for well care appointments with no charge to the patient’s family. Well child checkups include:

• general assessment of growth and development
• screening for medical, behavioral, and psychological problems
• advice about safety and development
• review of vaccinations and updates as needed
• completion of health forms for school, sports, camps, and other activities
• addressing specific concerns or questions about the child’s general well-being

In some instances, a more significant or time-consuming problem will be identified and addressed. If so, the time and effort in addressing that problem may go beyond the scope of what is included in a normal well child check-up. Some examples include:

• a diagnosis of a new problem requiring testing, referral, and/or a new prescription
• an extensive discussion of a new or existing problem
• a procedure such as removal of a bead from the nose or treatment of a wart

These cases may incur additional charges that are outside the scope of your insurance coverage for a well care appointment and may lead to you having some financial responsibility for the visit.

We maintain a record of the health care services that we have provided to you. We will share this information, as permitted by law, to provide your medical treatment, run our organization, and bill for these services. You have the right to view, obtain a copy, or amend the record if needed. 

Our Notice of Privacy Practices is available in hard copy at the front desk, on the patient portal, and on our website. It describes in more detail your rights to your health information and how this information may be used and disclosed. Sharing of your health information is typically used to improve the continuity of care that you receive. Common examples include, but are not limited to, the following: sending immunization records to our state registry, use of a Health Information Exchange (HIE) with other health care organizations involved in your care, and accessing your prescription history from pharmacy benefits.

Due to our model of care, we strive to keep a lean staffing model for our practice and offer our patients quality time with their provider during appointments. This requires us to rely heavily on technology for scheduling, communications, and appointment self-check-in. Shine Pediatrics utilizes Athena Health Patient Portal and NextPatient communication applications. As a patient in our clinic, you will be encouraged to consult our website, register for and use our patient portal, and effectively use automated check-in procedures that will be directed to your cell phone. 

As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and young adults. We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We are more than willing to discuss any questions you may have about vaccines, but do require all patients in our practice to adhere to the vaccination schedule endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Our clinic is able to utilize telehealth for certain appointment types as a convenience to our patients. Please review the following policy to ensure that certain requirements and expectations are able to be met prior to booking this appointment type with your provider.