Policies
A few things you might want to know about how our office is run:
Payment Policy
Insured patients: Please bring your child’s insurance card to every visit.
Uninsured patients: If your child is uninsured we ask that you pay 50% at the time of service and then establish a payment plan with our billing office. Our billing office can be reached by calling (970) 871-1900.
Copays: Payment for copays and deductibles will be accepted in the form of cash, check or credit card. If your insurance plan is a deductible plan, we ask for at least 50% at the time of service.
Making Appointments
Continuity of care is very important. We want you to feel that you have a home here with us and that you receive the care you need.
Annual Exams:
When scheduling your annual health exams (well checks), you will be given the option of which provider you would like to see. Due to availability, we ask that you call at least 3 weeks in advance to schedule these visits, as provider schedules can fill up quickly and we only perform a certain number of these exams per day.
Sick visits:
We at Pediatrics of Steamboat Springs will do all that we can to see your child in a timely fashion if he or she is acutely ill. If your child is ill and you need to be seen the same day, we will do our utmost to get the child in as quickly as possible, but this means that you may not have a choice of provider.
Walk-ins:
If your come to the clinic without an appointment, your child will be triaged and seen based on his or her level of sickness and our ability to squeeze your child into the schedule. Please keep in mind that you may have a significant wait. We will do all we can to estimate your wait time and keep you updated on this matter.
We strongly encourage parents to call ahead when an urgent problem arises, in order to appropriately schedule children in an available time slot. We are aware that sometimes this is not possible, but calling ahead not only allows the office to run more smoothly, but also decreases the chance of a provider running behind and increasing wait times for everyone.
Your cooperation allows us to be punctual with parents who have taken time out of their own schedules in order to bring their child at their scheduled time and prevents having to shorten a child’s scheduled appointment time in order to see those without appointments. In this way we can also decrease the number of patients in the waiting area, keeping your child’s exposure to other ill children to a minimum.
Thank you for your understanding.
Late Cancellation / No Shows
At Pediatrics of Steamboat we do our utmost to ensure the smooth flow of patients in and out of our office, for your convenience and ours. When patients arrive late, cancel at the last minute or fail to keep appointments it puts a strain on our schedule and, perhaps more importantly, inconveniences subsequent patients who have made an effort to be at their scheduled appointment in a timely fashion.
In an effort to minimize these occurrences it is our policy to send out a friendly reminder to our patients when we notice a pattern of late arrivals, cancellations and/or no-shows. It would be very helpful to us if you could please call with your cancellation 24 hours in advance (or as soon as you know) so that we can offer your appointment time to others waiting for care. We would be more than happy to talk with you about what we could do to make it easier for you to make it to your appointments in a timely manner.
After one friendly reminder, Pediatrics of Steamboat will charge you a $50 no show fee for failure to keep your appointment.
Please do not hesitate to call us if you have any suggestions or concerns regarding this policy or your continued care with us.
Records Releases
The providers and staff of Pediatrics of Steamboat Springs want you to know that we support your full access to your personal medical records. We require the completion of a form for authorization for release of your health information, which you will find on our “Forms” page. We may also ask for the release of your information from other providers in order to provide you with the best care possible. You have the right to refuse consent in the use of your personal health information, but this must be in writing, and then likewise our providers have the right to refuse to treat you. We respect the privacy of your personal health information and would like you to know that we will do everything we can to ensure its security. If you have any questions or concerns about your health information privacy as it relates to your connection with our clinic, please do not hesitate to contact the Practice Manager and HIPAA compliance officer for our clinic at 970-871-1900.
Prescription Refill Policy
Currently our office receives a large volume of calls, faxes, and electronic messages daily for medication refill requests, requiring consistent prescribing policies and careful monitoring. Please be aware that all refills are processed while we are caring for patients that are in the office to receive treatment, and while nurses are triaging parent phone calls. Refills and requests will be handled in the most timely manner possible. With this policy, we hope to work together to ensure safe and high quality medical care for our patients.
We do require office visits on a regular basis for all of our patients taking prescription medication. The interval will vary depending on the type of medication prescribed. Please be sure you have enough medication to last until your next scheduled visit. New symptoms and/or events require an office appointment.
We will be able to call in appropriate requests for prescription refills within 2 business days. We have written prescriptions available within 3 business days. Please let our staff know if your request is urgent or if you are out of medication, in which case we will try to provide refills sooner.
If you call to request a refill but are overdue for a follow-up visit and/or blood work (necessary for monitoring the safety or effectiveness of a medication), the provider may agree to call in enough medication to a local pharmacy to last until we are able to schedule an office visit with the first available provider. This may cost you more money in medication costs. It is your responsibility to schedule appointments before you run out of medication.
We offer the following options for ordinary prescription refills:
Most prescriptions are sent electronically to local pharmacies. You may ask the pharmacy to set up electronic renewals as well. Please be aware once the request is sent, we cannot determine how long the pharmacy will take to process it.
We can send prescriptions electronically or electronic fax to a mail-order pharmacy. Please make sure you give us the correct and full information of the company – including a location, fax and phone number.
Prescription phone-in/pick up: Monday-Friday during business hours
Prescription need to be picked up within 7 days. If it is picked up late, the prescription is expired and a new prescription will need to be written.
Controlled Medications:
We require these additional safety measures for stimulants (i.e. for ADD/ADHD)
If you are on a stimulant prescribed by a POSS provider, as an ongoing treatment, you must see your doctor every 3 months for refills. By law stimulants can only be refilled for 1 month at a time.
No prescriptions of controlled medications for chronic use will be phoned or faxed to the pharmacy.
Prescriptions must be printed and picked up in the office by legal guardian with proper ID. Patients can only pick up their own prescriptions if they are 18 or older.
Prescription need to be picked up within 7 days. If it is picked up late, the prescription is expired and a new prescription will need to be written.
Forms Request Policy
During various times of the year our office receives a large volume of calls, faxes, and electronic messages daily for form requests. We are happy to complete the forms your children are required to have for various activities they attend. Please be aware that all forms are processed while we are caring for patients that are in the office to receive treatment, and while nurses are triaging parent phone calls. We ask that you allow at least 2 days for your request to be completed, and all requests will be handled in the most timely manner possible. If your child has not been seen at our office for a Well Child exam in over a year we will not be able to complete these forms; however we can assist you in scheduling a Well Child visit for your child and complete the forms at that time.
Below are some of the forms we typically see:
General Health Appraisal
Camps (i.e. summer camp, Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts)
Sports/Activity
Daycare
Kindergarten/Preschool
Immunization requests
Vaccine Policy
We are here to serve our community, not to challenge ideals or deeply held beliefs about vaccinations or any other controversial health issues. We honor parent choice to vaccinate or not to vaccinate; however, as board certified Pediatricians, our physicians develop their vaccination care plans on scientific research and study, the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and our commitment to protect the health of the children and families in our community.
Pediatrics of Steamboat physicians and staff have compiled as much information as we can to provide you with a solid, fact-based foundation for your immunization decisions. The following information is presented in the form of vaccine myths vs. facts commonly discussed in the healthcare community today. As always, call us with questions. That is what we are here for.
Privacy Policy
For a copy of our Privacy Policy please click this link: Privacy Policy