Policies

We make every effort to schedule appointments for sick or injured children on the day that you call us. 

We open at 8:00 AM so please call our office as soon as you think you need to make an appointment. There is always somebody on call 24/7 to deal with any urgent need that you feel should be dealt with before the regular office hours.

FOR LIFE THREATENING OR SEVERE SITUATION, CALL 911 FIRST. 

If possible, after calling 911, please notify us of your situation. If you have a medical emergency during office hours, we will do our best to see your child immediately or refer you to the most appropriate facility.

We appreciate how important it is for your child to have access to our care.

For sick or acute care visit we will make every effort to provide you with a same day appointment. The office opens at 8:00 AM and it is best to call as soon as you feel your child needs to be seen. 

For Well Child Visits or nonurgent concerns, we will schedule your child at a time that is convenient for you.

We are available 24/7 to deal with any urgent situation. Just call the office at 410-795-7300. If you have an urgent situation and the office is closed you will be provided with prompt access to our on-call providers who will assist you.

If you have a serious or life-threatening emergency, immediately call 911. If feasible, then call and let the provider on call know your situation.

We are available 24/7 to deal with any urgent situation.  Just call the office at 410-795-7300. If you have an urgent situation and the office is closed you will be provided with prompt access to our on-call providers who will assist you. If you ever leave a message with our answering service for the doctor to call you back and you do not receive a prompt response, please call again and point out the lapse. Although miscommunications are rare, they can occur. If you ever call the main number 410-795-7300 and there is no answer, please call the answering service directly at 866-326-6300.

We are your child's health care provider 24/7. We are all Board Certified in Pediatrics and have access to your child's medical record. We are best equipped to supervise, coordinate and provide follow-up for your child's care. If your child needs to be actually seen after hours and we are not in the office, we will direct you to the most appropriate facility. Many other after-hours health care providers are not as capable to address the needs of children or your child. Also many urgent situations can be comfortably handled over the phone with any needed in person follow-up scheduled for the next morning. Let us help you make the best decisions for your child's health.

IN THE EVENT OF A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY, CALL 911.

School, sports, camp and employment physicals are often required within the six month period before the start. If you know that your child will require one of these physicals, please call ASAP to schedule. Since form completion is usually required, please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your appointment.

Chronic problems are issues that can be medical, social, emotional or academic that you feel have affected your child’s well-being over a long period of time. Some example would be allergies, school problems, developmental delays, ADHD, on-going bowel problems, or other issues that have had a long term affect. Reports from prior health care providers or the school are often very helpful in advance of the visit. When you call to make these appointments, please share with our confidential receptionists the nature of the problem. This way the appropriate amount of time can be provided.

We work hard to not overuse antibiotics.

We educate families on appropriate use of antibiotics, and follow evidence-based guidelines for when to prescribe medication.

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.

Everyone's Time is Equally Valuable.

For your first visit and all Well Child Visits please arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled appoitment time. We ask that you arrive at least 5 minutes before your other acute care or follow-up 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.

Our practice makes every effort to run on time with appointments.

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.

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 new patients to our practice to adhere to the vaccination schedule endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

• We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives.
• We firmly believe in the safety of our vaccines.
• We firmly believe that all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
• We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
• We firmly believe that thimerosal, a preservative that has been in vaccines for decades and remains in some vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
• We firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you can support as parents/caregivers.

The recommended vaccines and the schedule of administration are the results of years and years of scientific study and data-gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.

The vaccine campaign is truly a victim of its own success. It is precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that we are even discussing whether or not they should be given. Because of vaccines, many of you have never seen a child with polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, or even chickenpox, or know a friend or family member whose child died of one of these diseases. Such success can make us complacent or even lazy about vaccinating. But such an attitude, if it becomes widespread, can only lead to tragic results.

Over the past several years, many people in Europe have chosen not to vaccinate their children with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine after publication of an unfounded suspicion (later retracted) that the vaccine caused autism. As a result of under-immunization, there have been small outbreaks of measles and several deaths from complications of measles in Europe over the past several years. The United States experienced a record number of measles cases during 2019, with 1282 cases from 31 states reported to CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). This is the greatest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000. Even now, in 2024, there is an increase in measles throughout the USA amongst unvaccinated children.

Please appropriately vaccinate your family!