Frequently Asked Questions

Our office is open Monday through Saturday. As our daily schedule is subject to change, please call to confirm office hours.

All patients are seen by appointment. We will schedule your child's appointment at a time that is convenient for you. Please try to schedule routine checkups as far in advance as possible, especially for evening and Saturday morning appointments. We routinely see sick children the same day that the parent calls for an appointment; however, this may not be possible during certain busy winter periods of widespread illness and flu epidemic.

We have thus far resisted evolving into an "assembly line" practice, but this philosophy comes at a price. We do our best to respect the appointment schedule, but our primary focus is to give each child the time that he or she needs and deserves. At any given office visit, the most important issue will be addressed. Multiple or secondary issues may require one or more than one ensuing appointment(s). You can help us minimize your waiting time by being on time for appointments and by not requesting that a second or third child be seen if an appointment has been made for only one child, unless of course the child is very sick. Please be sure to let the front desk know if an unscheduled child is to be seen. Kindly be informed that you may be charged an extra fee.

On occasion, our doctors can be delayed by a call to the emergency room or the labor and delivery room. Please be understanding. Our front desk will try to contact you in advance to notify you of the delay and to make any changes to accommodate your needs, including rescheduling if that works out best. Please be sure that our office has your current home telephone number, cell phone number, and home address.

Advocare participates with most major insurance plans. As participation varies by region, specialty, and physician, we recommend that you contact either our office or your insurance company representative to verify that your insurance plan is accepted.

Our medical providers are available 24 hours a day. Call the office at 856-848-6346 and follow the prompts to contact a provider on call. Please be aware that after-hours calls are intended for urgent medical issues that cannot wait until the next business day. Referral and appointment requests will not be addressed via pager. Urgent calls are typically returned within 15 minutes; Non-urgent calls are returned within 1-2 hours. Please call back if you have not received a timely response.

 

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

 

If a problem arises that can wait until the office reopens, please wait until regular office hours. As physicians and parents, we also value time spent with our families. To address those problems that cannot wait however, one of our physicians is always on call to help you. When our office is closed, we monitor incoming calls using a doctors' answering service. Upon dialing the office telephone number, you will be advised by a series of prompts. For non-life-threatening emergencies, please press "0" and an operator will assist you and contact us immediately. Please keep your phone line free and remember to reserve this service for truly serious or emergent problems. For non-urgent calls, please press "1" and leave your name, phone number where you may be reached, the age of the child, and a brief description of the problem. Please have your pharmacy's telephone number available as well. You can expect your call to be answered in one to two hours. If not, please call back, press "0" and notify the answering service operator, who will get in touch with the doctor on call. If you have "caller ID", we request that you inactivate it.

 

PHONE CALLS WILL NOT BE RETURNED UNLESS "CALLER ID" IS INACTIVATED.

 

Every effort is made to arrange your child's well care and follow up visits with the physician of your choice. When your child is ill, he or she may see any one of our available physicians.

Our routine health maintenance visit schedule follows the  American Academy of Pediatrics vaccine guideline for children, which recommends many visits during the first two years. After age two, visits are less frequent. Nevertheless, even our older patients are seen for routine checkups on a yearly basis, not including sick visits. This permits us to focus on issues involving physical and intellectual growth and development. It is also your chance to voice your concerns about your child's health, and our chance to ask you any questions that can help us understand your needs as they pertain to your child. Patients receiving immunizations elsewhere are still required to adhere to the age appropriate routine examination schedule. This provides parents with the opportunity to ask us questions about their child, and our office the chance to update the child's medical record.

To help protect your child from many serious infectious diseases, we follow the immunization schedule recommended by the  American Academy of Pediatrics. Please discuss your immunization questions and concerns with any of our pediatricians.

For non-urgent referrals: when one of our doctors refers you to a specialist, please schedule your appointment with the specialist, then call our office within five business days of your appointment. Your referral will be available within 72 hours. Most referrals are completed electronically and submitted directly to the specialist's office. Please check with our office staff to determine if your insurance plan processes referrals electronically.

For urgent referrals: when one of our doctors determines that you need an urgent referral, your referral will be initiated immediately. Please remain in our office while your referral is processed, then proceed to your specialist.

You will receive a call quickly with any lab results that require urgent attention. Other abnormal lab results will be addressed promptly by the provider that ordered the labs or tests. Normal values are usually not reported, however, you are welcome to call our office to request a copy of your results.

Please call our office and discuss prescription refill information with our staff. Allow one business day for all routine prescription refills. For prescriptions that require prior authorization from your insurance company, please plan ahead to allow at least three to five days for refill approval. For prescriptions of controlled substances, like ADHD medications, please call before coming to the office to pick up the prescription.

Yes, we promote breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding babies for the first six months. Breastfeeding helps defend children against infections, prevents allergies, and protects against a number of chronic conditions. While experts believe that breast milk is the best nutritional choice for infants, breastfeeding may not be possible for all women. Some women have specific medical considerations that impede breastfeeding; others choose to feed by formula because of discomfort, work schedule, or lifestyle choices. In these cases, an iron-fortified infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your child's well care visit, or please call during office hours to speak with our experienced nursing staff

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office within the first several days after discharge from the hospital. Our staff understands the importance of this first visit and will make every effort to schedule this visit promptly.

As all children are different, we advise following several appropriate steps to advance your child's diet based on age and development. Please discuss these steps with our providers at your well care visit.

Health forms for school, sports, or work can be submitted to the office for completion, provided the child has been examined within the last year and vaccinations are up to date. Otherwise, a checkup and the appropriate vaccination(s) will be required. Please allow at least one week for these forms to be completed. A fee is charged for the completion of these forms, as forms consume a considerable amount of time and resources. A copy of the child's medical record is also subject to a processing fee.