Policies

• We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives.
• We firmly believe in the safety of our vaccines. 
• We firmly believe that all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). 
• We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
• We firmly believe that thimerosal, a preservative that has been in vaccines for decades and remains in some vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental disabilities. 
• We firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you can support as parents/caregivers.

The recommended vaccines and the schedule of administration are the results of years and years of scientific study and data-gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.

The vaccine campaign is truly a victim of its own success. It is precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that we are even discussing whether or not they should be given. Because of vaccines, many of you have never seen a child with polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, or even chickenpox, or known a friend or family member whose child died of one of these diseases. Such success can make us complacent or even lazy about vaccinating. But such an attitude, if it becomes widespread, can only lead to tragic results.

Over the past several years, many people in Europe have chosen not to vaccinate their children with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine after publication of an unfounded suspicion (later retracted) that the vaccine caused autism. As a result of under-immunization, there have been small outbreaks of measles and several deaths from complications of measles in Europe over the past several years. The United States experienced a record number of measles cases during 2019, with 1282 cases from 31 states reported to CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). This is the greatest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000.

Furthermore, we firmly believe that by not vaccinating your child, you are taking selfish advantage of thousands of others who do vaccinate their children, which decreases the likelihood that a child will contract one of these diseases. We feel such an attitude to be self-centered and unacceptable. Even delaying or “breaking up the vaccines” to give one or two at a time over additional visits goes against expert recommendations, is not supported by any scientific data, can lead to unnecessary delays and errors, and can put your child, other children, and adults at risk for serious illness (or even death). It is therefore against our medical advice as professionals at TruCare Pediatrics.

As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and young adults. We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We are more than willing to discuss any questions you may have about vaccines, but do require all new patients to our practice to adhere to the vaccination schedule endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

It is the parent/legal guardian's responsibility to keep demographic information updated and to bring the following to every appointment:

• Current health information card
• Photo ID
• Payment in form of cash or credit/debit card to cover co-pays, etc.

Insurance

As a courtesy to our patients, we will file the necessary forms so that you receive the full benefits of your medical coverage. We ask that you read your insurance policy to be fully aware of any limitations of the benefits provided. If your insurance company denies coverage or determines that a rendered service is not a covered benefit of your plan, you are responsible for the remaining balance. Remember that your coverage is a contract between you and your insurance company and/or your employer and your insurance company. Although we will make a good faith effort to assist you in obtaining your benefits, we cannot force your insurance company to pay for the services we have provided to you.

It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to add their newborn to their health insurance policy. This is not done automatically. Newborns not added to insurance policies within 30 days may be subject to self-payment.

Please note that co-pays and co-insurance payments are due at time of service. 

Self-Pay/Non-covered Expenses

We are happy to work with families that prefer to pay directly for services or do not have insurance. For such patients, a time of service discount will be applied to the bill if settled in full on the day of service. This discount does not apply after the day of the visit. The same discount will be applied to any non-covered charges for patients with insurance if paid at the time of service. This discount does not apply toward the “patient responsibility portion of covered charges as those charges have already been discounted through the contract we have with your insurer.

No Show Policy

Please kindly provide 24 hours notice if you will no longer be available for your appointment. If you cancel your appointment with 24 hours notice, you will not be charged. We appreciate that sometimes emergencies happen. First-time no-shows will not be charged a fee. After that, you will be charged a $30 fee for missed appointments. Please note that THREE no shows in a 12 month period (i.e., you do not show up for your scheduled appointment and you do not call to cancel or reschedule) will result in discharge from the practice.

Divorce/Separation

TruCare Pediatrics does not get involved in disputes between divorced, separated, or custodial parenting arrangements regarding financial responsibility for their child's medical expenses. We bill one guarantor and do not handle billing or insurance coverage disputes between parents. The individual bringing in the child for services will be financially responsible for any copayment or unpaid charges.

Outstanding Balances

Any outstanding balance that is due from the patient is payable in full upon receipt of the statement. In the event a patient presents for a visit and has an outstanding balance, a request for payment will be made. If the account is severely delinquent, the collections process will be initiated. Should the account be referred to collections, you will pay all reasonable fees and collection expenses, and you understand that all delinquent accounts bear interest at the legal rate. You will be able to receive emergency care for your children for 30 days but will not be able to schedule appointments until the account is settled.

Well Visits

Please be aware that a well visit is conducted when your child is feeling well and is intended to prevent health problems.  A well visit includes: review of your child's medical history with updates as needed, screenings of overall health and development, preventative health counseling, and immunization review and administration.

If during your well visit it is uncovered that there are any illnesses or other problem-oriented concerns that may require further evaluation or management (ex: ADHD/ADD, depression, anxiety, ear infection, etc.) you may be asked to reschedule your child's well visit to a later date so that we may properly address your concerns. If the provider's schedule allows, we may be able to address these concerns at the same time as the well visit. However, please be advised that in order to stay compliant with insurance billing policies you will be charged both a well visit and a problem-oriented (or sick) visit. This may incur a co-pay, deductible, or coinsurance depending on YOUR insurance plan. 

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

DISCRIMINATION  IS AGAINST THE LAW.

TruCare Pediatrics LLC complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, or sexual orientation. Trucare Pediatrics does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, or sexual orientation. 

Same Day Sick Visits

To help provide timely service to our patients, we prefer to schedule all visits. Same day sick appointments are available. We do not offer walk in appointments.

Late Policy

If you are more than 10 minutes late for your appointment, we will do our best to accommodate you and work you back into the schedule. However, on certain days it may be necessary to reschedule your appointment for another day.

No Show and Cancellation Policy

We value the time we have set aside to see and treat your child. If you are not able to keep an appointment, we require a 24-hour notice. If you are more than 15 minutes late for your appointment, this constitutes a no show. You may call the office to cancel/reschedule or you may do so through your reminder text/email from Phreesia. Please be advised that if you fail to keep your scheduled appointment THREE times in a 12 month period and fail to notify the office that you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, this will result in your dismissal from the practice.

IF AN EMERGENCY SHOULD ARISE, PLEASE CALL 911.

Emergencies are considered to be those conditions that are life-threatening: loss of consciousness, severe bleeding, seizure, etc.

In the case of minor emergencies (lacerations, cuts, mild fractures, sprains), please call our office first for instructions.

Dr. DIOGENE TAKES EMERGENGY CALLS FROM HER HOME AFTER  HOURS.

Call the main office number, and our answering service will page her to call you back. Please save routine questions (mild illness, appointments, prescription refills) for the morning.

We encourage you to refer to our website first, when practical, before calling the office.

To keep your children healthy, it is important to bring them in for regular checkups.

We recommend that you contact our office well in advance so you may choose the date that best fits your needs. We also make every effort to schedule your next well visit before you leave to ensure these important visits are not overlooked. 

We encourage you to refer to our website first, when practical, before calling the office.