Appointments
We realize that your time is valuable and that it is inconvenient and irritating to wait long periods of time to see the doctor. We are continuously trying to improve our appointment scheduling to minimize waiting times. In order to help us, we ask that you arrive 10 to 15 minutes prior to your appointment to allow sufficient time to register and fill out the required paper work. You may download and complete most of these forms prior to coming into the office from our website. Please visit our forms page for these downloads. If you think your appointment may require more time than usual due to concerns you have about your child please let the receptionist know when you make your appointment so we can schedule extra time and not frustrate the patients scheduled after you. We want to be sure all your needs are met and all your questions are answered. Please limit your questions and concerns to the child who is being seen.
Well Child Appointments
Well child appointments should be made as early as possible in order to grant your request to see a particular physician. A parent or legal guardian must accompany any child scheduled for a well exam. We recommend you make your next appointment before you leave as you check out. Our appointment schedule is open 3 to 4 months in advance. Summer months are our busiest time for school check-ups so we recommend you plan ahead. Please use our “well” waiting room when you arrive.
Sick Child Appointments
Same day appointments for sick children are scheduled throughout the day. If your child is ill, you will be provided the next available appointment with the next available physician.
It is our policy at BPC to try and book appointments in order of availability. We prefer not to book an appointment in the afternoon if we still have availability in the morning. This may require your child to skip a nap or be taken out of school. We appreciate your flexibility. Our goal is to examine and care for your child as soon as possible. Please use our “not so well” waiting room when you arrive.
Missed or Cancelled Appointments
Well child, ADHD, and consultation appointments that are missed or cancelled without a 24 hour notice will incur a $25 missed appointment fee. When you miss your appointment or cancel at the last minute, we are unable to fill that slot with another patient who needs to be cared for. This charge will be billed directly to you and not your insurance company. If you think you might be more than 15 minutes late for an appointment, please call our office as soon as possible so we can verify that we will still be able to accomodate you or if we may need to reschedule the appointment.
As a courtesy, we try to provide a reminder call the day before your appointment. Please be sure our office has the best and most accurate contact information for you. If you do not receive a courtesy reminder call, you are still responsible for keeping the appointment.
Add On Sick Sibling Visits
All visits require an appointment. If you plan on adding on a sibling to a previously scheduled child’s appointment, please call to obtain an additional appointment for that child. If you call ahead, we can give you an appointment time that will allow us to have enough time to adequately evaluate and treat your child. Parents who arrive with children without an appointment scheduled may be asked to return later in the day where there is an available slot on the schedule. Please notify the receptionist when you arrive so they can have the child’s chart ready for the doctor and prevent any further delays. Please be considerate of the patient scheduled after you.
Referrals
Patients who are members of an HMO or PPO must obtain approval from their primary care physician before seeing a specialist. It is your responsibility to know if you need a referral. Contact your insurance if you are not sure. If you go to the emergency room, please call our office on the following business day. The on call physician does not keep track of calls for referral purposes. An advanced notice of 3 to 5 business days is required for approval, except for emergency room visits.
Please contact our office at least 3 to 5 business days before your appointment with the name of the specialist, date, and time of your appointment. This allows us time to verify and submit the necessary documentation to your insurance. Please note that if you arrive to the specialist without the necessary authorization you may be asked to reschedule and/or pay for the appointment. You are always welcome to contact our office to ensure that your referral and insurance authorization have been processed. If you need assistance or would like to know which specialists we recommend, please call.
All new patients must be seen in our office before a referral can be made.
Prescriptions
Refill Requests
BPC requires at least 48 hours to approve a prescription refill. All requests must be approved by a physician and will be reviewed by the end of the day. Please do not wait until you are out of your medication to request a refill. Prescription refills will not be done after hours. We will not call you back to let you know it has been sent. Please check with your pharmacy. Controlled substances must be picked up at the office. Patients on ADD/ADHD medications or antidepressants need to be seen at least every 3 months. Patients requiring medications for asthma, allergies, and other recurrent conditions need to be re-evaluated at least every 6 months.
Prescribing Antibiotics
It is our policy at Bloomfield Pediatric Care to see a patient in the office before prescribing antibiotics. This decision can only be made after examining the patient and cannot be made over the phone. There is an increasing frequency of antibiotic resistance and it is important to treat specific bacterial infections with the appropriate antibiotic. The majority of childhood illnesses are viral and do not require antbiotics.
Phone Calls
If you have questions or need medical advice, please call our office during regular business hours. A triage nurse or trained assistant will call you back between patients, during our lunch hours, or at the end of the day. If you suspect your child may need to be seen please schedule an appointment rather than wait for a return call. It is impossible to adequately assess a child over the phone. If you have an urgent matter please let the front staff know immediately so they can inform the doctor. We are always available for emergency situations.
- Have a pen and paper available to write down any instructions we give you as well as the name of the person to whom you spoke.
- Have your pharmacy number available.
- Write down your questions before you call.
- Please be concise and to the point.
- If your questions can be answered at your next well visit, please bring them with you to your appointment.
- Non-urgent phone calls made after 4pm may be returned the following business day.
- If you do not receive a return call within a reasonable period of time, please call back.
- Please be aware that there are some very high peak calling times, especially during the flu seen. We appreciate your patience.
- Urgent matters will be our first priority as well as the patients being seen in our office.
After Hours
If you have a life threatening emergency, call 911 and proceed to the nearest emergency room.
An on call physician is available 24 hours a day for urgent matters and emergencies. If you have an emergency please call our answering service at (248) 544-6914. If there is a power outage or a problem with our phone line, call St Joseph Mercy Hospital Oakland in Pontiac, MI. They provide us with our answering service and they will be able to page the on call physician.
We do not prescribe antibiotics over the phone or refill medications afterhours.
If you do not receive a return call within an hour, please call back. Problems with pagers, answering services, and human errors can occur. We can receive a high volume of calls during the flu season. Please be patient. Calls will be returned in order of their severity.
Please be considerate. Non-urgent calls should be made during regular business hours as they may interfere with the service we need to provide patients with more serious problems.
Divorce, Separation and Custody Arrangements
BPC believes that such matters should not enter into a child’s medical treatment.
The individual who is requesting the medical treatment is totally responsible for the payment of the medical bills. We are not a party to your divorce agreements. We will collect co-pays and deductibles from the attending parent. We will not call the other parent for consent prior to treatment. We will discuss with the accompanying parent information pertinent to the child’s health history and/or present exam. We will not allow issues that come between parents to be disruptive to our organization.
Copays
Copays are not billed and are required at the time of service. A copay is a fee set up by the insurance company you contract with and not by Bloomfield Pediatric Care. You will be charged a service fee of $5 for any copays not collected on the day of service.
Health Forms
We will gladly complete school, camp, and sport physical forms. Please try to remember to bring your forms to your wellness appointments for completion at the time of your physical. Parents need to fill out their portion of the health form before it is given to our physicians to complete. Forms that are received outside your physical appointment time require 3 to 5 business days to complete. You can pick up completed forms at our office or you may provide a stamped and self addressed envelope if you want them mailed back to you. We may assess a small fee for forms not completed at the time of your physical. We receive hundreds of these forms before school starts. Please plan ahead.
We require that a patient have a physical performed in our office within the preceding calendar year in order to fill out any health forms.
A food allergy action plan form may be downloaded from our form section and provided to your school, camp, babysitters, coaches teachers, etc.
Medical records
You may obtain a copy of your child’s medical records with a written and signed request. An outside company that adheres to all patient confidentiality laws will copy these records and bill you directly. We require at least 10 – 14 business days to grant your request.
BPC will not release records from another provider’s office. You will need to contact the servicing provider’s office for those records.
New patients who provide medical records from a previous practice should keep the originals and provide us with only a copy. We will not provide you with copies of outside records. Please keep the originals with your personal information.
If your child receives care at an outside clinic or hospital, please provide us with a copy of the visit or have them faxed/sent when complete.