Frequently Asked Questions

Our office is open Monday through Saturday. As our daily schedule is subject to change, please call to confirm office hours. One of our physicians is always on call after hours.

Yes, we welcome new patients.

Our medical providers are available 24 hours a day. After hours, call the office at (609) 581-5100 to reach our answering service; your message will be immediately forwarded to our doctor on call. The on-call doctor is always a physician in our practice. Please be aware that after-hours calls are intended for urgent medical issues that cannot wait until the next business day. Referral and appointment requests will not be addressed via pager.

Every effort is made to arrange your child's well care and follow up visits with the physician of your choice. However, when your child is ill, he or she may see any one of our physicians.

A checkup or well-care visit is an opportunity for you to ask questions and for the physician to perform a physical exam. We will typically schedule a visit for your infant within two to three days after discharge from the hospital, and then at ages 2 and 4 weeks; and 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24, 30 months; followed by annual checkups while a child is a patient in our practice. You may also schedule a visit when your child is sick.

For non-urgent referrals:   when one of our doctors refers you to a specialist, please schedule your appointment with the specialist, then call our referral coordinator in our office within five business days of your appointment. Your referral will be available in three business days. Most referrals are completed electronically and submitted directly to the specialist's office. Please check with our office staff to determine if your insurance plan processes referrals electronically.

 

For urgent referrals:   when one of our doctors determines that you need an urgent referral, your referral will be initiated immediately. Please remain in our office while your referral is processed, then proceed to your specialist.

Advocare participates with most major insurance plans. As participation varies by region, specialty, and physician, we recommend that you contact either our office or your insurance company representative to verify that your insurance plan is accepted.

To help protect your child from many serious infectious diseases, we follow the immunization schedule recommended by the  American Academy of Pediatrics. Please discuss your immunization questions and concerns with any of our pediatricians.

You will receive a call right away with any lab results that require urgent attention. Other abnormal lab results will be addressed promptly by the provider that ordered the labs or tests. You will be notified of normal lab results via telephone.

Please call our main office number and follow the prompts for our prescription refill line. Allow one business day for all routine prescription refills. For prescriptions that require prior authorization from your insurance company, please plan ahead to allow at least three to five days for refill approval. Prescription refills for controlled substances such as pain medications are refilled Monday through Friday only.  Prescription refills are also availabe through our online patient portal.  Please click on the patient portal tab on our home page to sign up if you do not already have an account.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding babies for the first six to twelve months. Breastfeeding helps defend children against infections, prevents allergies, and protects against a number of chronic conditions. While experts believe that breast milk is the best nutritional choice for infants, breastfeeding may not be possible for all women. Some women have specific medical considerations that impede breastfeeding; others choose to feed by formula because of discomfort, work schedule, or lifestyle choices. In these cases, infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your well care visit, or please call during office hours to speak with our experienced nursing staff.

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office within two to three days after discharge from the hospital. Our staff understands the importance of this first visit and will make every effort to schedule this visit promptly.

As all children are different, we advise following several appropriate steps to advance your child's diet based on age and development. Please discuss these steps with our providers at your well care visit.