Pediatrician Question:

☛ How long have you been practicing?
☛ Do you have any sub-specialties?
☛ What are your hours? Do you offer evenings or weekends?
☛ Do you offer same-day sick appointments? How far in advance do well appointments need to be scheduled?
☛ What if my baby gets sick when the office is closed? Who covers in an emergency if you aren’t on call?
☛ Is this a solo or group practice? If it’s solo, who covers when you are gone? If it’s a group, how often will we see you, and how often will we see other members?
☛ Do you have separate sick and well waiting rooms?
☛ Do you respond to questions by e-mail? Do you accept calls for routine and non-emergency questions? If I leave a message, how long does it usually take you to return the call?
☛ Will your initial meeting with my baby be at the hospital or the first checkup? What is your schedule for well baby checkups?
☛ Will you discuss my child’s general growth and issues like discipline and social development?
☛ What are your views on… Bottle feeding? Circumcision? Parenting techniques? Getting babies to sleep? Alternative medicine? Antibiotics? Immunizations? Childhood obesity?
☛ What hospitals do you work with?
☛ Do you take my insurance? Is there an extra charge for…Advice calls during the day? Advice calls after hours? Medication refills? Filling out forms? Will any other fees apply?
☛ What are your policies for insurance claims, lab policies, payments and billing?
☛ What tests are handled in the office, and what is done elsewhere? Where?