Frequently Asked Questions

GENERAL INFORMATION

WE ARE EXPECTING A CHILD OR WE RECENTLY MOVED HERE WITH OUR CHILDREN. CAN WE MEET YOU?

We are happy to meet with prospective patients and encourage you to do so before you need us. We schedule meetings at the end of the day. Please call our office to schedule an appointment. There is no charge for this meeting.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET A WELL CHECK APPOINTMENT? HOW FAR AHEAD CAN I BOOK IT?

We typically have our schedule available two months ahead. The earlier you contact us the better able we are to accommodate your requests.

DO YOU ACCEPT WALK INS?

We provide same day appointments but if those are all filled or you have an urgent need you can always walk in. Depending on medical need, you may have to wait until the scheduled appointments are seen and be worked in as well as we can. Well care, because more time is allotted, cannot be done on a walk in basis.

HOW DO I TALK TO A DOCTOR OR NURSE ON THE PHONE?

If you call during office hours and need help with a medical issue, press 3 to leave a message and our receptionist will record the message and direct it to the appropriate person. We always call back the same day but be sure to leave us several phone numbers.  If you call after hours, listen to the recording. Before 10 pm press 6, after 10 pm or if you are frightened at any time, press 7.  You can also use the Patient Portal to send a secure message.  Please remember that the Patient Portal is for non-urgent communications only.
 Unless your child has a true emergency of the 911 type, we would prefer that you call us. Sometimes the emergency room is not the most efficient for minor problems and you may have to wait a long time. We might refer you to a pediatric urgent care or be able to get your child through the night without being seen. If it is late at night and it is appropriate, we may tell you to go to the emergency room.

CAN I ASK QUESTIONS BY E-MAIL?

For questions regarding patient care, please use the Patient Portal. If you are not "Web Enabled" yet, ask the receptionist about doing this on your next visit.  Please remember that the Patient Portal is for non-urgent communications only.

HOW CAN I GET A REFILL ON MY CHILD’S PRESCRIPTION?

The simplest way to obtain a medication refill is to use the Patient Portal, at any time, from any internet device.

Call the pharmacy where your prescription was last filled and request the pharmacist contact us for authorization.
If you are unable to use the portal or your pharmacy is unable contact us, please call during weekday office hours and leave a message on our refill line.  This allows us to review your child’s chart.  Please have the name of the medication, dosage, and your pharmacy information available.

Please allow 48 to 72 business hours for us to refill your prescription requests.  Please contact your pharmacy first to see if the prescription is ready to be picked up.
    *Since we want to give you the most consistent help, we may hold a request if the
    physician that last filled it has the day off.

As a general rule, we do not refill prescriptions for antibiotics unless the need to do so is documented in your child’s medical record as part of ongoing medical treatment.

    Otherwise, antibiotics can be prescribed only after an exam.

For ADD/ADHD medications.- These medications cannot be refilled by contacting your pharmacy nor handled via email. Please call during weekday office hours and leave a message on our refill line.  Have the name of the medication, dosage, and your pharmacy information available. We will call you when your prescription is ready to pick up.

WHY DO YOU NOT ALLOW ME TO BRING IN MORE THAN 2 CHILDREN AT A TIME FOR CHECKUPS?

In order for our doctors to give the attention and concentration necessary for a complete physical, they have requested that they see no more than 2 children in a family in the room at a time. If 2 adults come in with 3 or four children, they can be split up into 2 separate appointments either sequentially or with different doctors.  

This rule, of course, is waived for triplets.

CAN WE SEE THE SAME DOCTOR EVERY TIME?

If you book your checkups well in advance chances are great that you can see the doctor you prefer. For sick or emergency visits your child will be seen but none of the doctors is here every day and sometimes the one you prefer has a full schedule of physicals. Most people like all of our doctors.

UP TO WHAT AGE CAN MY CHILDREN CONTINUE TO COME HERE?

Through age 18 up to age 19.

PROCEDURES

WHY DOES THE FRONT DESK VERIFY MY INFORMATION EVERY SINGLE TIME I COME IN?

Sometimes people move and forget to tell us, change their phone numbers, have a new insurance policy, have a different emergency contact, etc. In order to contact you for lab results or other medical matters, send a reminder for your next physical and bill your insurance, we have to have current information. We know it may be annoying but it is for your child’s welfare.

WHY DO I HAVE TO CHECK OUT IF I DON’T NEED TO PAY?

Checking out is not necessarily for payment but for the receptionist to mark that your child is leaving and to make any future appointment that you doctor may have requested.

WHAT HOSPITALS DO YOU USE?

We see newborns at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial, which also has an excellent emergency room which is certified to care for children. Both those departments are excellent. However, at this time there is no pediatric unit. If your child needs to be hospitalized we usually use Tarzana Medical Center. For more complex issues we might send a child to UCLA, Children’s Hospital or another specialized unit.

HOW DO I SEND MY RECORDS TO ANOTHER DOCTOR IF I MOVE?

You can request your records through the form on this website (record request form). There is a small fee for this service and it will take 7-10 business days. If you know ahead of time when you are moving, the most efficient is for you to pick them up yourself.

BILLING

CAN I PAY MY STATEMENT ONLINE?

You can now pay your statement online here. Available Soon!!

WHAT TYPE OF PAYMENTS DO YOU ACCEPT?

Cash, Mastercard, Visa or checks.

WHY DO YOU CHARGE FOR FILLING OUT FORMS OR UPDATING A VACCINE CARD?

We do not charge if this is done in the course of your child’s visit. If you need a form for camp, school, sports, etc, at another time, the doctor must review the chart to see if there has been a checkup within the appropriate time, fill out the form, print relevant information, scan it into the chart and give it to a staff member. The staff member then calls you or mails the form.

This takes time for both the doctors and staff and employee time equals cost.

WHY DO WE HAVE TO PAY ANOTHER COPAY IF THE DOCTOR TOLD US TO COME BACK?

Your insurance company requires a co pay every time you see a doctor.  We cannot legally waive this. Also, your insurance company requires that you pay your deductible at every visit until it is met.

WHAT IF I HAVE TO CANCEL AN APPOINTMENT?

If you cancel a well check or another appointment 24 hours or more before, there is no charge, but if you call the same day or miss the appointment, there is a charge. This is based on the fact that we could not give this appointment to somebody else.

 

PATIENT PORTAL FAQ's

1.       HOW DO I SIGN UP TO USE THE PATIENT PORTAL? 

Next time you come to our office, our receptionist will ask for your email address and automatically “web-enable” you.     She will provide you with a computer generated username and password.  Instructions will also be provided on how to sign in the first time. 

2.       I HAVE MORE THAN ONE CHILD THAT COMES TO YOUR OFFICE.  DO I NEED A SEPARATE LOG IN FOR EACH OF THEM? 

Yes, you need an individual log in for each child.  Just ask our receptionist to ‘Web Enable’ each child. 

3.       CAN I CHANGE MY PASSWORD?

Yes and we recommend that you do so periodically.  Click here for directions.
**Please note that changing your password will temporarily lock you out of your account until the password is accepted by our office staff.  Allow at least 15 minutes before attempting to log into your account again. 

4.       WHAT IF I FORGET MY PASSWORD?

Our staff does not have access to your password.  If you forget your password, please follow these directions. 
**Please note that changing your password will temporarily lock you out of your account until the password is accepted by our office staff online.  Allow at least 15 minutes before attempting to log into your account again.

5.       WHAT IF I FORGET MY USERNAME? 

For your protection, if you forget your username, you must come into the office to obtain this information. 

6.       I LOCKED MYSELF OUT OF THE PORTAL.  WHAT DO I DO?

The system will lock you out with 3 failed attempts to enter the portal.  Please call our office to unlock your portal account.  Once your account is unlocked, please allow at least 15 minutes before attempting to log into your account again.  None of your login information will change when your account is unlocked.

7.       CAN I ACTUALLY SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT ONLINE?

The portal does not have our actual doctor schedule online.  You can request well care appointments and specify a preferred time and date.  We will then confirm the time and date for you during our regular business hours.  If you have an urgent problem, please call us on the phone so we can work you in as soon as possible.
**An appointment request is not a scheduled appointment.  Please wait to be contacted by our office with confirmation of a scheduled appointment date and time.

8.       HOW DO I SIGN UP FOR APPOINTMENT REMINDERS?

This is an automatic function. You will receive an email reminder 5 days and 2 days before any appointment.  This email will be sent to the address on file and will not contain any actual appointment information.  Details can be seen by logging into the patient portal.
**Because it will take some time to web enable all of our patients you will continue to receive a telephone reminder as well. We apologize for the inconvenience.

9.       HOW DO I REQUEST MEDICATION REFILLS?

Please see these directions.  If you are eligible for refills, we will fax them to your pharmacy within 48 to 72 business hours.  If you are not eligible for refills, someone from our office will contact you.
**Please note that ADD/ADHD medications cannot be handled through the Patient Portal.  Please call our office and follow the prompts on our telephone system.

10.       I SENT A MESSAGE AT NIGHT.  WHEN WILL I GET A REPLY? 

It can take 24 to 48 business hours to receive a response. We try to reply to portal messages first thing when we get to the office. However if we need a doctors approval on a request, we will reply as soon as the doctor sees it.
** If this issue cannot wait, please call our office immediately.  

11.       ARE THE MESSAGES I SEND YOU OVER THE PORTAL RECORDED IN MY CHILD’S RECORD?

Yes.  Everything you send us and any messages we send you are retained in your child’s record.

12.       I CAN’T SEE MY CHILDS ENTIRE CHART. 

At this time the portal does not allow you to view all portions of your child’s record online. We expect that the portal will continue to develop over time.

13.       WHERE CAN I ACCESS THE PATIENT PORTAL? 

On any cell phone or PC with internet access and at our office.