Your Responsibilities to Us

Health care is ultimately an interaction between a doctor and a patient and a patient’s family, and it is a “two-way street.”  The care we are providing is individualized and offered in a private setting.  While we do not turn away any patient who seeks our care, no one is entitled to it either.  We expect our courtesy to be reciprocated.  Our office can be rather busy.  We deal with emergencies and very sick children on a daily basis, so please be patient if the office is not running on time.

The involvement of third parties in the interaction of doctors and patients has changed the landscape of the doctor-patient relationship.  Modern health care delivery is very difficult given government regulation and the complex business environment in which doctors must practice.  We do our best to navigate the maze of paperwork, but we expect your help.  If your child is eligible for government-provided insurance (i.e. Medicaid), it is your responsibility to get your child enrolled and have proper referrals from your primary care physician.  Irrespective of the type of insurance your child has, you must bring this documentation with you to EVERY VISIT.  If you have commercial insurance, you are ultimately responsible for making sure the bills submitted by this office either to you or to your insurance company are paid.  Your insurance company is YOUR insurance company, NOT ours.  If your insurance company needs information from our office, we will submit it.  If we have recommended surgery and your insurance company has denied it, we will explain the indications to the company’s medical director.  It is not our responsibility to spend untold hours dealing with your insurance company because it does not want to pay for your child’s care.  In general, and like anything else, you get what you pay for when it comes to health insurance. 

Co-pays must be paid at the time of service.  Our contracts with insurance companies are written in such a way that we are committing fraud if we do not collect required co-pays from you at the time of service.  If you come to the office without your co-pay, you will not be seen.

If you have not yet met your deductible for your health insurance policy for the year, inform us on the day of your visit.  You will be expected to pay the full amount owed at the time of service up to the level of the deductible.  Your insurance company is authorized to release information about the status of your deductible prior to your visit with us, and our office may have that information prior to your visit.

If you have no health insurance at all, please call prior to your visit and discuss your situation with our insurance coordinator.

Please do not eat or drink in our office.  Sippy cups, breast feeding, and bottles are OK for babies and small children.  If you think your child will become hungry during the visit, feed him or her before coming into the office.  We will be happy to provide your child with a cup of water if he or she needs a drink.  Please turn off your cell phone while you are in the office.  If you must make a phone call, please step into the corridor outside the waiting room.

If you do not intend to keep your appointment, please call us so that your child’s time slot can be given to another child who might be waiting.  Also, please let us know if you are going to be significantly late for your appointment.

Please control your children while in the office.  Do not let them bang on the aquaria, tear up magazines, draw on the furniture, or play with any medical equipment.  Exam gloves are not balloons or toys, so please keep your children away from the glove boxes.  Do not leave your small child on an exam table; he or she must be accompanied by an adult at all times.  If you have other small children, we strongly encourage you to get a babysitter.  It is usually very hard to discuss your child’s medical issues in a room full of children. 

We do not stock diapers, so please bring extras with you.  If you change your child’s poopy diaper while in the clinic, please take the diaper with you and throw it away in the large trash can outside the building.  We will be happy to provide you with a plastic bag.

We never examine minors without an adult family member in the room.  We have screens and gowns that can be used for privacy.

We are a small office trying to navigate a complicated industry which is increasingly hostile to private medical care.  We do not have the budget and administrative support of a large institution.  Like any business, we welcome constructive feedback, and we request that you express any concerns to Dr. Schaeffer.  If you have had a good experience, we encourage you to share that with others, particularly your primary care physician.  We do not consider venting on social media appropriate or constructive feedback.