Evergreen Pediatric Clinic, Vancouver WA

Q: What happens if my child has a medical emergency after the pediatric clinic is closed?
Q: If my child is ill can I bring them in without an appointment?
Q: Can I make an appointment to see only one of the clinic physicians?
Q: While I'm here can I have my other child seen?
Q: If my child has a health problem that may be contagious to other children what do I do?
Q: Can I make an appointment for all my children to be seen on the same day?
Q: What do I do if I cannot keep my appointment date or time?
Q: Can I get a copy of my child's shot record, school form and/or signed medical record?
Q: What do I do if I am running late for an appointment?
Q: What do I do if I need the nurse or doctor to call me back?
Q: How long will I be placed on hold when I call?
Q: How do I obtain a prescription refill for my child?
Q: How do I get to see a specialist or get a referral to see a specialist?
Q: Why did that patient get called to be seen before I did?
Q: How long do I wait before my child is seen?
Q: Why do you always ask about my insurance or address information on each visit?
Q: What if I do not have medical insurance or I am applying for medical insurance?
Q: What is a PCP?
Q: What are the ages of children seen in your clinic?
Q: Who can bring my child in for medical care?
Q: How can we minimize waiting time?
Q: What are your primary goals?
Q: What are your office hours?
Q: How are appointments arranged?
Q: What if an emergency occurs?
Q: Can I see some helpful hints?
Q: How are telephone calls handled?
Q: What if I have a problem after hours?
Q: What is your payment policy?
Q: What hospitals are used?
Q: Are you closed on holidays?
Q: What are your telephone numbers?
Q: What is your address?
Q: What are your office hours and when can I make an appointment?
Q: Who are your pediatricians?

A: Our office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (except for major holidays), Saturday 9:00 a.m. till 12:30 p.m. and Sundays 9:30 a.m. till 12:00 p.m. If your child has a life threatening medical emergency take them immediately to the nearest medical emergency room or call 911. If your child has a non-life threatening medical emergency when the clinic is not open, call 360-690-7771 for assistance.

A: We ask that you call and schedule an appointment for all of your child's health care needs. We can provide an appointment for your ill child within 24 hours of your request. Please call for ill or sick child visits early in the day so we can meet all of our patient's health care needs. When a parent brings their child to the clinic as a "walk-in" patient, their child may have to wait. Patients with appointments are seen first. We also have a nurse (telephone triage nurse) or health care assistant assigned to answer your medical questions by telephone during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Monday - Friday). The nurse may provide advice on your medical concerns, provide an appointment, recommend at home treatment options, or ask the physician if telephone prescriptions can be given.

A: Our clinic physicians take turns seeing sick children (acute care patients) in our patient care sessions. The physician who is conducting the sick child clinic for that day will be the provider with whom your child is given an appointment. If your child requires a well child appointment (normal preventive checkup), an appointment will be scheduled with your child's primary care physician (PCP). Please try to schedule these appointments one month in advance. For non-acute care appointments, please allow 2-14 days. For all urgent / acute care we can provide a same day appointment with a physician.

A: Please call and schedule appointments for all of your children. Our physicians have set times for conducting clinic appointment sessions each day and must also attend to patients who may be in the hospital. It will not always be possible to see additional children if they do not have appointments. It may also cause our patients with appointments to wait longer to be seen.

A: Please contact the clinic if your child has a health problem that may be contagious.

A: We can normally accommodate up to two (2) children in the examination room at one time. When bringing in two (2) children, we ask you to come in 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time.

A: We ask that you call as soon as you know that you will not be able to keep your appointment date or time. Please provide as much advance notice as you can (at least 24 hours if possible). If you do not call to cancel or reschedule, your appointment will become a "No-Show" appointment. If you accumulate three (3) "No-Show" appointments we may be forced to dismiss you from our practice. It is very important that your child maintain their health and immunization status. You may also keep another child from obtaining an appointment if the schedule is full and you do not show up for your visit.

A: We ask that you allow us time to make copies of your child's immunization (shot) record, school form (medication at school form, day care form, etc.) or medical record. Please plan ahead and allow enough time for us to meet your needs. Our clinic policy is to have: (1) immunization record copy completed within 24-48 hours, (2) school forms signed within 24-72 hours, and (3) medical record copies to be completed within 10 working days. All requests for immunization records and medical records must have a signed "Consent Form for Release of Medical Information" completed prior to your obtaining a copy of your child's health information. We must make sure that your child's health information is protected. Please remember that at times a school form may require your child to be seen prior to the physician signing the form. Always keep an immunization record for your child. Bring their shot record with you for each visit. Keep it in a safe place!

A: If you will be more than 15 minutes late for your child's appointment we may ask that you reschedule. We will check with the physician. After clinic sessions the physicians attend to other health care needs of patients or may need to travel to a hospital to see their patients. You may call and reschedule if you will be more than 15 minutes late.

A: Our administrative staff will take a message and give it to the doctor or nurse to return your call. Normally your call will be returned within 1 hour. If you call late in the afternoon your call may not be returned until the next day. Please allow time for the doctor or nurse to obtain your child's record and research your question. If possible provide a telephone number and time that you may be called back.

A: Our clinic answers approximately 150-200 telephone calls per day. We monitor our telephone calls and find the majority of calls are answered within 3 rings and all of our calls are answered within 10 rings. The number of telephone calls varies by the season (cold/flu season has a higher volume) and the time of day (8:00-9:00 a.m. and 3:00-4:30 p.m. has a higher volume). We will make every effort to keep your "hold time" to the absolute minimum. You can help us by (1) Having an alternate appointment date or time ready in case your first choice for appointment date is not available, (2) provide a number and time for us to call you back so you do not need to call back for missed calls by the doctor or nurse, (3) have someone who understands English assist you when making an appointment, (4) allow staff time to see patients, research your request and return your call in a timely manner, and (5) use the early morning hours for sick children calls.

A: If you need a prescription refill, please contact your pharmacy even if there are "no refills" left on the bottle. The pharmacy will contact us and request a refill for you. Refills on controlled substances need to be called in to our office and you must pick up and sign for the prescription. Please try to give 24-48 hours notice on all refill requests.

A: Depending on your insurance company requirements, you may need to see your primary care physician (PCP) before you can make an appointment with a specialist for your child. We participate with over 200 different insurance companies and each insurance company has different requirements on how to obtain specialist care. Some require a pre-certification form to be completed (a form that must go to your insurance company to have their approval before a specialist may see you). Some require you to see a specific doctor or medical test facility. Our staff will assist you with obtaining the referral or pre-certification that you need. You can assist our staff by (1) understanding your insurance policy requirements, (2) allowing time to complete the approval process by your insurance company, (3) making your own appointment if asked or not making an appointment without permission from your PCP. A routine referral may take approximately two weeks (14 days) to complete. Please allow time for us to assist you with the referral process by making sure everything has been approved by your insurance company before your specialist appointment is made, (4) making sure we have a copy of your current insurance card on file.

A: Our office will have 6 or more providers seeing patients each day as well as nurse only appointments. Each provider's schedule of patients is different, and patient waiting times will vary. We also see patients in appointment time order. For example, patients who have appointments at 10:00 a.m. are seen before patients who have appointments at 10:30 a.m.

A: Our doctors, nursing staff and administrative staff make every effort to keep patient waiting times to a minimum. We ask that you arrive 15 minutes before your appointment time to check-in and complete the necessary paperwork. The front desk staff will verify your insurance and other information to make sure it is correct and current. Once this is done, your chart is provided to the nursing staff for them to obtain and record information on your child. Your physician will then see you in the exam room according to the appointment schedule. Each provider always provides each patient with as much time as the patient and parent need to take care of their medical needs. You and your child will also be given as much time as necessary to make sure you receive quality medical care! At times schedules will run behind. For example, a child may need to be seen by the doctor for asthma, but they may also require a breathing treatment to help them. If you are unable to wait, you may reschedule your appointment for another date.

A: During each visit the staff verifies that your insurance and address information is correct. If there is a change to your insurance policy we may be able to inform you so that you can contact your insurance company to have any medical coverage errors corrected. This may help you avoid having to pay for services that are not covered by your insurance plan. For example, some insurance companies may pay only a percentage for a visit or not cover a "well child appointment" after the child is six (6) years of age. It is the parent's responsibility to contact their insurance company for corrections to avoid having to pay. We also ask that all co-payments or deductibles be paid during each patient visit. Address and telephone information is important if the doctor or nursing staff must call you about test results or to further explain your child's treatment. You can help us by notifying us of changes and by having your share of any payments ready during the check-in process. We accept cash, checks with proper identification, and most major credit cards.

A: We will work out a payment plan if you do not have medical insurance on the date of your visit. Your child's medical insurance must be in effect on the day of your visit for us to bill your insurance company. Any current or outstanding balance is due on the day of your visit. If you are unable to pay the entire balance, our staff will work out a payment plan with you to make sure the balance is paid in a timely manner. If you obtain medical coverage at a later date, we may be able to "re-bill" your insurance company (if you have MEDICAID) or you may be able to contact your insurance company for a refund for the amount you have paid.

A: A primary care physician (PCP) is a doctor who either provides all of your child's medical care or arranges for a specialist to treat your child. You normally pick a PCP when you select your health insurance company (check your insurance coverage requirements). At times insurance plans may pick a PCP for you if you do not select one. Insurance companies also vary on how long a newborn child has until they must be added to your insurance policy. For example, some insurance companies cover infants for 30 days from birth until they must be enrolled in the insurance plan - for others it is 90 days. If you do not enroll your infant within these times, you may be responsible for payment. You are responsible for knowing who your children's PCP is according to your insurance company. Your insurance plan may require you to pay for non-emergency medical care for a doctor other than your PCP. Our clinic has agreements with your health insurance company so you may see any of our doctors (if you have selected one of our pediatric clinic physicians as your child's PCP.) If one of our doctors is not your child's PCP, we will ask that you make payment for the medical care received or reschedule your child's appointment until the PCP is changed to one of our doctors.

A: Parents or legal guardians are the only persons who can consent to routine treatment for their child. Grandparents, siblings or day care providers cannot bring children in for routine medical appointments unless the parent or guardian has provided written consent for them to do so. The clinic also recognizes that either parent of a child may consent for treatment of the child unless a written court order states otherwise. We must make sure that your child's medical information is kept confidential and the proper legal representative provides consent.

A: Long waits in doctors offices are frustrating for us as well as for you. We realize your time is valuable too. We will try to avoid this problem in the following ways.

A: Unless a serious emergency exists, patients are seen by appointment only. Appointments can be made by calling (360) 892-1635 during office hours.

A: Physician or triage nurse evaluation will always be available during business hours for emergencies. If you question whether an urgent emergency room evaluation is necessary, please call our on-call doctor for help in assessing the situation. In a serious emergency, outside of our office hours, care should be sought in the emergency room closest to your home. Our doctor will be called if the problem is beyond the scope of the emergency room physician or if admission to the hospital is necessary.

A: If your child is ill and you would like to arrange a same day appointment, call as early as possible. Describe the child's problem to our staff so you can be scheduled for the proper amount of time. If you are especially concerned about a problem, say so, do not hope that we can sense your concern over the phone.

If you are calling for an appointment for a "well child exam" please call one month in advance and avoid calling on Monday in the early morning which is our busiest phone hour. If you are unable to keep an appointment, please call as soon as possible to cancel so that the time can be given to another child.

A: If you are in need of a same day appointment, need advice for your sick child or medication dosage questions, call our office at 360-892-1635. You will be transferred to our advice team who will be able to assist you.

A: Phone calls after office hours go through our answering service (360-690-7771). They will take your name and number and a pediatric advice nurse will return your call as soon as possible, generally within 30 minutes.

A: We trust you as our patient to be responsible for your charges. We do bill most insurance companies. Full payment and co-payments are expected on the day of service. Arrangements can be made with the business office for extended payments or further budget plans. The NSF charge for returned checks is $15.00.

A: The great majority of our children requiring hospitalization are cared for at Southwest Washington Medical Center. Children with unusual or specialized problems may need to be sent to either the Oregon Health Sciences University or Emanuel Hospital in Portland. We will also use Legacy Hospital in Salmon Creek effective August 1st, 2005.

A: Please refer to our contact page for our business hours. You can make an appointment by calling our office during business hours.

Frequently Asked Questions