Before you arrive, your physician and her support team will review your child’s chart to plan for your visit. We’ll note needed immunizations, screens, and assessments, as well as review any reports (eg lab results, specialist visits, emergency room visits, etc) we may have received since your last visit.
Our front desk will update demographic information, collect forms and co-pays, and get you checked into our computer system. We verify your contact info every visit to make sure we can get in touch with you if we need to — you might be surprised how often phone numbers and email addresses change — and we will also ask to see your insurance card.
We will ask you to complete a wipe off board that collects a variety of information about your child if not completed in advance. Children aged 14 years and older will be asked to do this on their own! If you have not yet completed CHADIS you will be asked to do so as well (please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your scheduled visit if you are completing CHADIS in office.)
While you’re waiting in our reception area (or car), our staff is caring for other patients and preparing the exam room for your visit. Because we have multiple physicans seeing patients at one time, you may not be called back into an exam room in the order that you arrived or were checked in. If someone goes back before you, they’re probably seeing a different physician who’s running on a different schedule. We make every effort to run on time – we recognize your time is valuable too – but we can’t predict when a patient will need more time due to a significant problem or when an emergency will arise. We will let you know when we are running behind schedule, but please feel free to ask for an update if it seems like you’ve been waiting for a long time (this is quite rare!)
Once your child is brought back to the Exam Room, one of our MAs will get a complete set of vital signs (height, weight, temperature, and blood pressure), check hearing and vision (if indicated), and do a finger or toe prick for bloodwork (if indicated). The Well Visit area of our website lists what procedures and vaccines are done at each year’s physical.
Once your pediatrician reviews the history and asks if you have any other questions or concerns, they begin their exam. After the exam, your child may need immunizations, testing, or treatments in the office. If that’s the case, your pediatrician alerts your MA, who will prepare — and then deliver — whatever we need to complete your appointment. Our pediatricians will personally give any vaccines or draw any blood that is needed for send-out labs.
Once your child has completed their visit, they are allowed to visit pick out a reward for helping us keep them healthy. Younger children should select one of the larger toys that do not pose a choking hazard. More upsetting procedures, such as blood draws, may earn a visit to our special treasure chest as well!
When your well child exam is complete, you head back to the front office to check out. This is the perfect time to make your next appointment(s) and pick up any informational sheets we have printed (these are also posted to your portal account for easy access at anytime). Prescriptions and referrals are all completed electronically- no need for paperwork! Your child’s CT well visit form will be completed and posted to the portal within 3 business days for school/camp purposes.
Once you walk out the door, we still haven’t completed your visit; a few important things are happening inside our offices. First, your pediatrician completes the Office Encounter by putting all the notes and documentation into your chart. When the visit notes are complete, you can see a summary of them in your Patient Portal account. (Though they’re usually available by the end of the day, notes can sometimes take up to 2 or 3 days to appear on the Portal.) We then submit the charges for all the care we’ve provided to your insurance company. A few weeks later, your insurance company will send both you and us an Explanation of Benefits which details which services your insurance plans covers and which are your responsibility. If there’s a balance due, we will prepare and send you a bill. Bills outstanding over 30 days will be charged to your credit card on file.