FAQs

Please take a moment to read our most commonly asked questions. We're always available to answer your questions and encourage you to contact our office if you have a question that is not answered below.

What is a Pediatrician? A pediatrician is a medical doctor who specializes in the care of children. Pediatricians have undergone special training in the health and illnesses of infants, teens and young adults, and the majority of pediatricians are certified by the American Board of Pediatrics after passing a comprehensive exam. Pediatricians provide preventive health care for children in good health and medical care for children who are acutely or chronically ill. They also provide parents with support and advice with issues such as growth and development, safety and prevention, nutrition, and emotional wellness to foster a lifetime of good health.

How often should my child see the pediatrician? Your child should not only see the pediatrician for an illness. It is also important to schedule well-child-care exams regularly, beginning in infancy. These routine examinations provide the best opportunity for the doctor to observe the progress of your child's physical and mental growth and development; to counsel and teach parents; to detect problems through screening tests; to provide immunizations, and to get to know one another. Well-care visits are strongly recommended as part of preventive pediatric care.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this schedule for routine well-care visits:

  • 24 to 48  hours after birth
  • 1 to 3 weeks old 
  • 1 month
  • 2 months
  • 4 months
  • 6 months
  • 9 months
  • 12 months
  • 15 months
  • 18 months
  • 24 months
  • And once every year thereafter

What is the best way to schedule an appointment with your office? You can schedule an appointment by calling our office during regular business hours.

Is your office accepting new patients? Yes, we always welcome new patients. Contact our office for additional information or request an appointment.

Why does my child need to receive vaccinations? Immunizations are a series of shots given to children at different ages to help ward off serious, and potentially fatal, childhood diseases. Making sure your child receives immunizations when scheduled is the best way to help protect your child from potentially fatal diseases. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, vaccinations have reduced the number of infections from vaccine-preventable diseases by more than 90%. If you're apprehensive about vaccinations, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

WHAT IS SEASHORE PEDIATRICS FINANCIAL POLICY  We request eligibility status from your insurance the day prior to the visit. Most insurances will show us what your responsibility may be from deductible, copay, coinsurance, etc.  We accept credit/debit cards, cash, or check. We require this payment when checking in for your child’s appointment.

WHO BRINGS PAYMENT Payment is due at check in, regardless of who brings the child in. For separated or divorced parents, financial responsibility belongs to the parent bringing that child in.

PROOF OF INSURANCE Without proof of insurance, you will be charged for the visit in full. For newborns pending commercial insurance, we charge you as a self-pay patient until proof of coverage is provided. For newborns pending SC or NC Medicaid, bills will be held for 60 days and sent to the insurance company once it can be verified that your newborn has coverage. All babies without proof of insurance will be expected to pay in full for their 2-month well visit and any prior balance.

WELL AND SICK VISITS AT THE SAME TIME While some insurance companies may pay for well visits 100%, sick benefits may include a copay, co-insurance, and/or deductible. If during a well visit your child has an issue/problem, and he/she needs treatment outside of the well visit criteria, your provider may bill the insurance company for both services. You will be responsible for any charges for the sick visit portion. Most typically, for your convenience and the child’s welfare, they will perform both visits together. If the concern is not of an immediate nature the provider will continue with the well visit, but may have you make another appointment when more time and attention can be focused on the issue.

INSURANCE We are in network with most major insurance companies. It is your responsibility to find out if we are an in-network provider with your child’s insurance. If we are out-of-network, you will be responsible for any out-of-network charges. We do not bill vehicle insurance, workman’s comp, or liability insurances for accidents or on-the-job/school injuries. Payment will be expected in full at the time of service, and our billing department can provide you with the appropriate paperwork to use for sending claims to the responsible parties.

BALANCES The following are our policies regarding outstanding balances. All outstanding balances not paid within 90 days may be turned over to a collection’s agency, and your child will be discharged from our practice as a patient allowing you 30 days to find another office. Depending on the amount of the balance, payment plans may be granted on an individual basis. Any payment plan obligations not met will be immediately turned over to collections and patient care terminated.

WHAT DO THESE INSURANCE TERMS MEAN:

CO-INSURANCE - This is a fee you pay based on a percentage of the reimbursement from your insurance company.

CO-PAY - This is a set fee that your insurance company requires you to pay.

DEDUCTIBLE - The amount you have to pay before the insurance will pay. Deductible responsibilities are collected at the time of service. It is hard to know the specific deductible charge your insurance will allow for a sick visit; a $65 deposit will be collected if your insurance response shows a remaining deductible.

COST SHARING - These types of plans vary, but it usually means your insurance company will pay a flat fee toward whatever our charges are, and you pay the rest. These plans may also limit how many visits you can come for in a year.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS COVERED? When you have a new plan, it is important to discover what your per visit responsibilities could be. Here is a short glossary of terms that you should be familiar with to make sure you know what you will be expected to pay when you come for your visits.  

RETURNED CHECKS For all returned checks, a payment of the face value of the check, including a $30 returned fee, will be due immediately upon being notified and before any future appointments are made. Any family that has a 2nd check returned for insufficient funds will not be allowed to present checks as a valid form of payment.

TRANSFER OF RECORDS AND FEES We do not charge a fee for faxing records to another office, but there are associated charges when a paper copy is requested. We make every effort to honor a request within 10 business days. If you are moving, a release of medical records can be (1) signed at our office if you know the new physician’s practice information, or (2) one can be signed at your new office and faxed to us from there. For any portion of your child’s record less than 5 pages that needs to faxed to you, to a school, to a non-medical office, or elsewhere, we will require a signed release from a parent or legal guardian before doing so. There is no charge for this service. If you request a personal copy of your child's complete record, fees include a fee for processing, a per page fee, and a mailing fee if records are to be mailed.

VACCINES AND THE UNINSURED If your child does not have insurance, the cost of your vaccines will be picked up under the Vaccines For Children (VFC) program. There will be an administrative fee for each vaccine. The charge is currently $20 but may change according to state guidelines. This charge is in addition to any charges for the well visit itself.

MESSAGES LEFT FOR OUR STAFF Return calls are prioritized, or triaged, in order of medical significance. It is important to leave detailed information on any message so this process can be done accurately. Calls may be returned as soon as 30 minutes or within 24 hours. A good rule-of-thumb is that we will try to return morning calls by our lunch break and afternoon calls by the end of day.

AFTER HOURS Our physicians currently provide after-hours phone triage service. After our normal business hours, you will need to call our main line like you would during the day and follow the instructions on the voice mail message. In the event you are unable to reach us, please leave a detailed message and if you do not receive a call back within 30 minutes, please call back again. If you feel that you cannot wait, please take your child to the nearest urgent care center or emergency room or call 911. We currently have no plans on using an outside nursing company to cover our after-hours calls. Please do not call for routine matters such as referrals, shot record requests, or an appointment time.

REFILLS If your child needs a medication refill, we ask that you call us at least 5 days before he/she will run out of medicine. This extra time allows us to process the refill, allows for any changes in your insurance company’s preferred drug list, allows for any shortages that the pharmacy may have, and prevents your child from having to go without any medication. Refill requests are routine matters that must be handled during our normal business hours. Call the office your child visits and choose the option to leave a message for a nurse. Please leave your child’s name, date of birth, complete name of medication needed including the dosage, and the pharmacy name and phone #.  Please wait 24 hours and check back with the pharmacy to see if the prescription is ready. For ADD/ADHD prescriptions, you will be required to come for a follow-up visit every 3 months. 

 NEED A FORM? We currently do not have any charges for the actual filling out of forms.  In general, we require 48-72 hours to fill out forms needed for any purpose. In some cases, we may require an appointment to fill out a form. Please call and choose the option for a nurse and leave a detailed message. 




Our Locations

Find us on the map

Hours of Operation

Our Regular Schedule

Loris, SC

Monday - Wednesday, Friday:

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Thursday:

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday, Sunday:

Closed

Longs, SC

Monday - Wednesday, Friday:

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Thursday:

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday, Sunday:

Closed

Shallotte, NC

Monday - Wednesday, Friday:

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Thursday:

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday:

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

sick visits by appointment only

Sunday:

Closed

Southport, NC

Monday - Wednesday, Friday:

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Thursday:

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday, Sunday:

Closed