General Policies
Food and drinks are not permitted in our office with the exception of water and breast milk / infant formula.

Appointment Policies
Our office sees patients by appointment only as walk-ins cause unfair delays to our scheduled patients. Walk-ins will be offered the next available appointment time in our schedule. If you are running late to your appointment, we ask that you notify us at least 15 minutes prior to your appointment time. Late arrivals may be asked to reschedule for another time or day when necessary. We require at least 24 hours' notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment. Appointments missed or cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice will incur a missed appointment fee. Excessive missed appointments within a family will result in discharge from our practice.

Sibling Appointments
We reserve time for each individual child which prohibits us from “squeezing in” a sibling of a scheduled patient. If you would like to add an additional child to your appointment, please call our office to schedule a time for them. We will schedule siblings in consecutive time slots whenever available, however, we may need to see additional children at another time or day. We expect all children scheduled to arrive to their appointment. Any siblings who do not arrive for their scheduled appointment will be assessed a missed appointment fee.

Well vs. Sick Visits
Please be specific about what your child needs when you schedule an appointment. Office visits are defined as visits for an illness, injury or problem. Well visits (check-ups or physical exams) are defined as healthy visits to maintain good health and update immunizations. If your child is scheduled for a well visit and becomes sick, please notify our office prior to your appointment so that we can adjust our schedule accordingly.

Phone Calls
We receive many calls each day and we do our best to answer calls as quickly as possible. Calls for appointments or simple medical questions are usually returned within 15 minutes. Questions regarding newborns, medication advice or complicated illness require the doctor’s expertise and will usually be returned before lunch or at the end of the day. Please restrict after-hours calls for urgent questions only.

Health Forms
A physical exam within the last year is required before any health forms or orders will be provided. Health forms such as school physicals, medication forms and PT/OT orders will be provided free of charge. Other letters and forms, including but not limited to, FMLA forms, will be subject to a $25 fee and will require at least 2 weeks for completion.

Prescriptions
We do not prescribe medication over the phone. If you feel your child may need medication, please call us during office hours to request an appointment. Refills are given during office hours only. Requests for refills after-hours will not be fulfilled until the next business day.  If your child takes daily medication or asthma controllers please request at least 5 days prior to their last dose being taken or when you fill their last remaining refill on file.

Primary/Secondary Insurance Policy
Our office bills primary insurance only. It is your responsibility to submit any unpaid charges to your secondary insurance carrier. By Illinois and federal law, Medicaid is considered a secondary insurance when you have other insurance coverage. It is your responsibility to give complete, accurate and up-to-date insurance information for your child. Fraudulent information may result in dismissal from our office.

Transfers
If you wish to transfer out of Palatine Pediatrics, please understand that by doing so you are agreeing to seek medical care elsewhere. Once a patient has transferred from Palatine Pediatrics, we will no longer be available to provide care to your child including scheduling appointments, refilling prescriptions or completing paperwork. A signed authorization is required before any records can be released and fees may apply.

Age Limits and Restrictions
Our practice is limited to minor children only. We see children until the age of 18 or when they have graduated from high school. Patients who become pregnant before the age of 18 are no longer considered “pediatric” patients and will be referred to an internal medicine practice.