Policies

Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment to complete registration, co-payment collection, insurance verification, and medical triage.

If you arrive later than 15 minutes after the appointment, you may be requested to reschedule at a later date and time.

Please note, because we try to run on time as best we can, we cannot accept walk-ins.  However, same day appointments for urgent medical issues are available.  If your child has an urgent medical issue and needs a same day appointment, please call us earlier in the day to schedule the appointment. 

Additionally, if you cannot keep an appointment, please contact us ahead of time to cancel or reschedule so that we may be able to give your appointment slot to another patient in need.  Failure to cancel an appointment will be considered a "No Show".  There is a $30 fee for no shows and well visit appointments cancelled less than 24 hours prior to the appointment.  Additionally, multiple no shows may result in dismissal from the practice.  

Copayments/Deductibles- Copayments and deductibles must be paid at the time of service.  We cannot send a bill at a later time.  Please call your insurance carrier to verify if you have a deductible or any other patient responsibilities.

Guarantor- Regardless of insurance status, the patient/parent is ultimately responsible for the balance of the account.  Please notify the office of any insurance changes.  

Credit Card Authorization- A valid credit/debit card is required to be kept on file for all patients.  The policy is designed to streamline the billing process so that we can focus on your child and their medical care.  We will first bill your insurance for the visit.  If your insurance applies any patient responsibility, you will be notified and the card on file will be charged for the balance due.

Newborns- Please call your insurance and add your child within the first 30 days of life to avoid denial of coverage.

Forms- The completion of school/camp/daycare/or any other health form is an extra service that is not covered by insurance.  There is a fee for form completion.  Additionally, because the forms are based on a current physical exam, please make sure your child is up to date with their routine physical exam.  Lastly, please give us up to 3 business days to complete your form.

~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 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.  With this said, Soha Pediatrics provides preservative/thimerosal free vaccines whenever we can.

~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 2014, with 667 cases from 27 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 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 Soha 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).