Please take a moment to read our most commonly asked questions. For updates you can also visit our official Facebook page by clicking the following link: https://www.facebook.com/profi...
How often should my child see the pediatrician? Your child should be seen with concern of any illness and it is also important to schedule well-child-care exams regularly, beginning in infancy.
Seashore Pediatrics offers a comprehensive range of care from infancy through adolescence to help your child maintain optimal health and wellness. Below is a list of services we offer.
- Preventative services, such as well child checks, sports physicals, and other health screenings
- Complete immunization services from birth through adolescence, including the seasonal flu vaccines.
- Patient and parent counseling of health, nutrition, safety, parenting, and psychosocial issues
- Acute and chronic care, such as sick visits, chronic disease management, and follow-ups
- Medical clearances for dental or surgical procedures
- Referral coordination to Specialist
- In-house 24/7 after-hours call service directly to our providers.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this schedule for routine well-care visits:
- 24 to 48 hours after hospital discharge at 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
Is your office accepting new patients? Yes, we always welcome new patients.
Why does my child need to receive vaccinations? We believe in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives. We 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 and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Choosing not to vaccinate your child? At this time, we do see children that are not vaccinated. The parent must sign a declination form stating you choose not to vaccinate your child, you take full responsibility and you understand the potential consequences. If you refuse to sign this form, we will not be able to see your child as a patient.
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 a $20 administrative fee for the vaccine. This charge is in addition to any charges for the well visit itself.
INSURANCE We make every effort to accept most major insurances including North and South Carolina Medicaid. If your child has insurance through Medicaid, we ask that you update your insurance to include our office as your child's primary care provider. If you have Medicaid from a state other than SC or NC you are selfpay. It is your responsibility to know if we are in-network with your insurance. If we are out-of-network, you will be considered a self-pay patient. We do not bill vehicle insurance, workman’s comp, or liability insurances for accidents or on-the-job/school injuries. Payment is expected at the time services are rendered.
PROOF OF INSURANCE Without proof of insurance, you will be considered self-pay. 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. All babies without proof of insurance will be expected to pay in full beginning at their 2-month well visit.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS COVERED? It is important to know what your visit responsibilities are with your insurance. Here is a short glossary of terms to make sure you know what you will be expected to pay when you come for your visits. Payment is due at check in, regardless of who brings the child in.
- 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. 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 - This 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.
WELL AND SICK VISITS AT THE SAME TIME Some insurance companies may pay for well visits 100%, but sick benefits may include a copay, co-insurance, and/or deductible. If during a well visit your child has an medical problem that requires discussion and/or acute testing, 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.
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 provider. 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. If you have questions regarding your child's balance, please call our Billing Coordinator Stephanie at (843)716-2229 Option 5.
RETURNED CHECKS For all returned checks, a payment of the face value of the check, including a $35 returned fee, will be due immediately upon being notified and before any future appointments are made. Any family that has a check returned for insufficient funds will not be allowed to present checks as a valid form of payment.
Referrals: When your child is seen and the NP/MD/PA orders a referral, you will receive a call from the referral coordinator within 5 business days to coordinate with you the referral details. If you have not heard from our referral coordinator after 5 business days please call (843)716-2229 option 4. Once the referral is sent to the appropriate specialist, you should expect a call from the specialist to schedule the appointment. Referrals cannot be marked as Urgent or STAT without proper medical documentation to support the urgent need.
TRANSFER OF RECORDS AND FEES We do not charge a fee for faxing records to another medical office, but there are associated charges when a paper copy is requested. We make every effort to honor a request within 5 business days. If you are moving, a release of medical records can be signed at our office if you know the new physician’s practice information, or one can be signed at your new office and faxed to us from there.
AFTER HOURS Our physicians provide after-hours phone 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 prompt. If you feel that you have an emergency, please take your child to the nearest emergency room or call 911. Please do not call for routine matters such as referrals, shot record requests, or an appointment time after hours.
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. Refill requests are routine matters that must be handled during our normal business hours. Call the office your child visits and choose the option 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 filling out forms. In general, we require 24-48 hours to fill out forms needed for any purpose. In some cases, we may require an appointment to fill out a form.
Our goal is to provide quality individualized medical care in a timely manner. We would like to remind you of our office policy regarding missed/late/canceled appointments. This policy enables us to better utilize available appointments for our patients in need of medical care.
Late arrivals:
We understand that delays can occasionally happen; however, we must try our best to keep patient appointments on schedule. If a patient arrives more than 10 minutes past their scheduled time, we may reschedule to the next available appointment time. In some circumstances, depending on the type of appointment, we may not be able to reschedule for the same day. New patients will not be rescheduled if they are late for their first appointment.
Walk In/Work In:
If you walk in, you will be given the next available appointment time. If one of your children has an appointment and you need another child seen but do not have an appointment for both, the child without an appointment will be given the next available appointment time.
Cancellation Policy:
In order to be respectful of the medical needs of other patients, call us promptly if you are unable to show up for an appointment. Appointments are in high demand, and your early cancellation will give another patient access to timely medical care.
No Show Policy:
The term “no-show” is for patients who miss an appointment without calling to notify the office in advance. A “no show” will be recorded in your medical record. New patients that no show for their first appointment will not be rescheduled as a patient with our practice.
3 no shows/late arrivals/cancellations will result in the patient and/or family being discharged from our practice.
CHECKING IN
At your first visit, we will ask for and scan, at least one parent’s or legal guardian’s driver’s license and insurance card. We will ask that you verify your address and phone number at every visit. All your child’s personal information will need to be updated annually by filling out a new demographic form on each child in your family. Please present your insurance card at check-in at every visit. Without proof of insurance, you are expected to pay in full at the time of service. If the adult accompanying your child to our office is not already listed as authorized by you, you must send a letter signed by you and call our office ahead of the appointment to make us aware of this person.
WAITING TO BE SEEN
We have both a sick and well waiting room. We ask that only children that are coming for their well-child physical wait in the well room. If your child is also sick, please move to the sick room for the protection of the other infants and children. Even minor ailments, including rashes, may be contagious.