Newborn Hospital Visits
One of our physicians will visit the hospital nursery each morning.   The babies are evaluated to make sure
there are no health problems.  The physician will also visit with Mom to answer any questions she may
have.  We will request that you call the office to set up an appointment when your child is 2 weeks old.  An
early appointment should be scheduled if there are any problems or concerns.

Office Visits
Your child will usually be scheduled for two types of appointments.  Sick and Well.  
Sick visits can and usually should be made for the same day.  Chronic problems or rechecks can be
scheduled for future dates.
Well (preventative) visits are generally scheduled a few days to a few weeks into the future.  We schedule
a limited number of well visits to be able to accommodate the children that are acutely ill.

Hospital Visits
In the event that your child becomes ill or has an injury that requires hospitalization, one of our physicians
will see your child on a daily basis.  If required by your insurance, your child may be followed by a hospital
staff physician.
The physician that follows your child's hospital stay will arrange for any sub-speciality visits that may be
necessary.

Appointments
Our patients are seen by appointment only.   Children with acute problems who come to the office without
appointments will be scheduled as soon as possible, but there may be a significant wait.   

For your own convenience, always call for an appointment before coming to the office.  We can always
work an extra patient into our schedule, provided we have some advanced notice.  If you cannot keep your
appointment or you are going to be late, please call the office beforehand.  If you are going to be
significantly late, your appointment may have to be rescheduled.

Appointments are available Monday through Friday - 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..  

Urgent late day appointments are seen from 4:30 p.m to 5:30 p.m.
Our office phones open at 7:30 a.m. on weekday mornings.

Patients are encouraged to make appointments with the doctor of their choice. However, if that doctor is
not available, we expect that our patients will be willing to see another doctor who is available.

You can help us keep our schedule on time by:
1. Being on time on the correct date – if you are more than 15 minutes late, you may be asked to
reschedule.
2.  Not asking us to see other children who do not have an appointment.
3.  Being specific about the reason for the visit when you make the appointment, i.e., well check, earache,
recurrent headaches, or any prolonged symptoms or illness.
4.  Indicating if your child has a complex or chronic medical problem that will require extra time.

Telephone Calls  (please have your chart number available when you call)
Emergency Calls - Call 911 for life threatening emergencies in which your child may require immediate
treatment.
Injuries - If you believe your child has had a minor injury, call our office and ask to speak to one of our
nurses immediately.   They will evaluate the injury and advise you to seek care in our office or request that
you seek care from the emergency room.
Advice - If you would like advice on how to care for your child, our telephone advice nurse can help.  Our
nurses are trained to make decisions about patient care that need to be seen by a physician and how to
provide home care for children that may not need to be seen by a physician.   You will be asked to leave a
message and a nurse will return your call.

After-Hours Calls
If you have an urgent problem that began after 5:30 p.m. or when our office is closed, please call our
regular phone number, 714-565-7960 and discuss the problem with the Advice Nurse on call. Please
remain near your phone until we can call you back.  Please have paper and pencil ready and have your
pharmacy phone number available. In the event of drowning, unconsciousness, severe injury, or other life-
threatening emergency, call 911 immediately!  It is a good idea for you to know beforehand which hospital
emergency room your insurance company will authorize.  If you feel you need to go to an emergency room,
then please go.  However, if time permits, please call us before you go.  Our advice nurse will help you
determine if your child needs to be seen or if home measures are OK until the office opens. We will be
able to offer advice as well as authorize the emergency room visit for your insurance company.  We
strongly advise against taking a very ill child to a local walk-in clinic. After-hours calls should be limited to
such emergencies mentioned above as well as urgent conditions such as lacerations, very high fevers,
difficulty breathing (not a stuffy nose), or severe pain.  Questions regarding non-emergency problems
such as colds, sore throats, low-grade fevers, mild flu symptoms, pinworms, diaper rash or minor injuries
are best handled during our regular office hours.

Remember, if there is a question or problem that the nurse cannot answer, they will contact the on-call
physician for assistance.

Working Parents
If you have signed our “Consent for Treatment” form, a baby-sitter or relative may bring the child to the
office for treatment. The mid-day and extended office hours are specifically intended to accommodate
working parents who otherwise might have difficulty using our regular office hours.

Prescriptions
For refills on current prescriptions, please call your pharmacy and have them call our office, or fax their
request to 714.565.7982.
We prefer not to call in antibiotics over the phone - please make and appointment with one of our
physicians.  We are very concerned about the over use of antibiotics in children.
If your child is taking medication for ADD or ADHD, remember, these medications can not be called into the
pharmacy.
Please make sure you call before running out of any medication.

Our Laboratory Services
Our laboratory is able to provide a limited number of tests in the office.  Your insurance coverage may
dictate if we can perform any of these tests in the office.  
Complete Blood Count (CBC)
Screening for Lead
Rapid Strep
Rapid Mono
Hemoglobin
Cholesterol, Lipid Panel
Glucose
Urinalysis

Referrals to Specialists
Your insurance coverage may dictate how your child may be referred to a specialist.
If your medical group requires pre-authorization our referral  coordinator will process the referral at the
direction of your physician.
If yourmedical group or your insurance coverage allows for a direct referral, the physicians will give you  
the information directly.


Our Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective Date:  April 14, 2003
As required by the Privacy Regulations
Created as a Result of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)

This notice describes how medical information about you or your child (as a patient of this practice) may
be sued and disclosed and how you can get access to this information.  Please review it carefully.
A full version of this notice is posted in our lobby.
If you would like a copy of the full version, please see our front office staff.

-  At Pediatric & Adult Medicine, Inc., we have always kept your health information secure and confidential.  
A new law requires us to continue maintaining your privacy, to give you this notice, and to follow the terms
of this notice.
-  The law permits us to use or disclose your health information to those involved in your treatment.  For
example, a discussion of or copy of your records may be sent to another physician that we refer you to.
-  We may disclose your health information for payment of your services.  For example, we may send a
report of your care to your insurance company.
-  We may use or disclosure your health information for our normal healthcare operations.  For example,
when you arrive we will ask you to sign in, or one of our staff will enter your information into our computer.
-  We may share your information with our business associates, such as our answering service or medical
record storage company.  We have a written contract with each business associate that requires them to
protect your privacy.
-  We may use your information to contact you.  For example, we may send newsletters or other
information to you in the mail.  We may call you to confirm your well appointment or give you test results.  If
you are not home, we may leave this information on your answering machine or with the person that
answers the phone.
-  In an emergency, we may disclose your health information to a family member or another person
responsible for your care.
-  We may release some of all of your health information when it is required by law.
-  If this practice is ever sold, your information will become the property of the new owner.
-  Except as described above, we will not use or disclose your health information without your prior written
authorization.

-  You may request in writing that we not disclose your health information as described above.  We will let
you know if we can fulfill your request.
-  You have a right to know of any uses or disclosures we make with your information beyond normal uses.
-  As we will sometimes need to contact you, we will use whatever address or telephone number you prefer.
-  You have the right to transfer copies of your health information to another practice.  We will mail your
files for you.  There may be a cost (as allowed by law) for the time and materials to copy and send your
records.
-  You have the right to see and receive a copy of your health information, with a few exceptions.  You
must give us a written request regarding the information you want to see.  If you also want a copy of your
records, we may charge you a reasonable fee for the copies.
-  You have the right to request an amendment or change to your health information.  You must give us
your request to make changes in writing.  If you wish to include a statement in your file, please give it so us
in writing.  We may or may not make the change,  we will not remove nor alter earlier documents, but will
add new information.
-  You have a right to receive another copy of this notice.  If we change any of the details of this notice you
will be notified.
-  If you feel that your rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Department of Health
and Human Services, 200 Independence Ave. S.W., Room 509F, Washington, DC  20201.  You will not be
retaliated against for filing a complaint.  Before filing a complaint, please contact our Manager and Privacy
Officer, Kendy Maxwell at (714) 565-7960.
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