Our Office

Learn More About Office Policies and Procedures

Locally owned and operated since 1997, Pediatric Associates of Brunswick knows the importance of your time. Our staff strives to make your visits as smooth as possible. For more about our policies such as lateness and billing, please read the information below.

Appointment Details

Available Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM, Pediatric Associates of Brunswick office visits are by appointment only. However, walk-ins may be seen dependent upon availability.

All children under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian for Well-Child Checks.

Appointments are required in order to ensure your child is seen with the least wait time possible.

Our professionals understand that your time is valuable and therefore we will always see your child when necessary and make every possible effort to ensure your child is seen on time.

However, it is not always possible to predict how much time will be required for an appointment as the degree and volume of an illness is not always predictable.

You can help us determine the proper amount of time for your child's appointment by providing us with the most accurate and detailed information possible.

This includes defining the purpose of the visit, the specific nature of the health concern and letting us know in advance, if you would prefer tests be performed or discussed during your visit.

Please note that videoing is not allowed.

Billing Procedures

In order to guarantee your information is up to date, Pediatric Associates of Brunswick verifies your most recent billing and contact information each time you visit.

Our team will also request a copy of your insurance card. However it is your responsibility to inform our staff if vaccines are covered under your insurance policy.

All claims are submitted directly to your insurance company. We collect co-payments and outstanding balances at your appointment and mail monthly statements to accounts with balances.

If necessary, a payment plan can be set up to allow you to pay an outstanding balance.

Payment in full is due at the time of service for patients without insurance.

Sick and Well Visits, Including Sibling Sick Visit

The timeframe allotted for sick children is shorter than the more extensive well-child visits. However, if your child already has an appointment for a well visit and happens to be ill, Pediatric Associates of Brunswick can usually still do the check-up.

In order to accommodate every patient's needs, our schedule has been structured to allow for work-in slots each day. This allows us to potentially see two siblings at the same time.

If you already have a scheduled sick visit for one child and a sibling is also experiencing an illness, call ahead and depending on the available time in the schedule, both children may be seen during the original appointment time.

Missed Appointment Guidelines

Each appointment with Pediatric Associates of Brunswick is exclusively reserved for you and your child. Standard procedure includes reminder calls regarding your upcoming appointment.

However, we understand issues may arise that force you to miss your scheduled appointment time. Should you realize you'll have to miss your appointment, we ask that you please let us know at least 24 hours in advance by contacting our office during regular business hours.

By giving us notice, you're allowing us the opportunity to see other patients who would otherwise need to wait.

Please note, if three visits are missed without prior notification within an 18-month time period, Pediatric Associates of Brunswick reserves the right to dismiss you and your family from our practice.

Additionally, please do not cancel an appointment using our after-hours answering service.

Late Arrival Policy

If you arrive 15 minutes or later after for your appointment time, the Pediatric Associates of Brunswick team may not be able to accommodate the shift in schedule and you may be required to reschedule your visit.

If you realize there is a possibility you will be late for your appointment, please contact our office as soon as possible so that we may determine if accommodations can be made or your visit will need to be rescheduled.

Consultations for Chronic Conditions

If your child has a chronic, ongoing illness, the allotted time for a standard sick visit appointment may not be enough to allow for proper treatment and discussion.

If so, a consultation may need to be scheduled that allows for a longer appointment time. However, because of the extended timeframe needed, it may not be possible to schedule a same day accommodation.

Examples of common chronic conditions that require consultations include headaches, behavior concerns, stomach problems, new patient with existing chronic illness diagnosis such as asthma or diabetes.

Triage Nurse Processes

Trained to handle your questions, the Pediatric Associates of Brunswick nursing staff is happy to assist you with your inquiries. As the first point of contact, our nursing staff will determine if your child needs to be seen in office or if there are available home treatments you can attempt first.

To get started, contact our receptionist, who will gather all of the relevant information and enter input it into our Electronic Medical Record. If your child is ill, please have his or her temperature recorded so we can ensure you're helped as quickly as possible.

After your information has been entered into the system, the triage nurse will call you back as quickly as possible. The goal of Pediatric Associates of Brunswick is to return all messages within one hour.

However, during peak treatment hours, our nurse may need to prioritize calls by level of urgency which could result in non-urgent calls being returned within four hours instead. Examples of non-urgent calls that may be delayed include feeding issues or camp form related questions.

Emergency Situations and After-Hours Availability

If you believe you have a life threatening emergency, dial 911 immediately or go to your nearest emergency room.

For non-emergency but urgent needs after standard operating hours, please contact our physician on-call through our answering voicemail direct number at (912) 265-2036. The physician will return your call as soon as possible and appropriate recommendations will be provided.

Please note, answering service voicemail systems are not flawless, so if your after-hours call has not been returned within 20 minutes, please call back and leave another message to ensure the physician receives it.

Specialist and Testing Referrals

When applicable, the Pediatric Associates of Brunswick team can help you determine if it's necessary for your child to be seen by a specialist or an outside testing facility. For your convenience, our team will help you locate either resource and will work closely with them to care for your child's needs.

Depending on your specific situation, our physician can discuss your child's needs and options during an office visit or you may request to discuss the circumstances with our triage nurse.

Medical Record Requests and Releases

All medical records for existing Pediatric Associates of Brunswick patients are maintained with strict adherence to patient confidentiality laws. If you need to request a copy of your child's medical records, a written request is required and must be signed.

If you're relocating or transferring to a different physician, a signed medical records release form is required in order for our office to send the records. While we have up to 30 days to process the request, it will typically be completed earlier.

Regarding new patient records, previous medical records should be obtained prior to their first Well Check visit and scanned into the new patient's Electronic Medical Record within our system. However, a new patient that needs to be seen for a sick visit can be seen before the medical records are received.

If your child recently required medical care while out-of-town or after-hours from a different physician, please provide copies of any applicable visit information to the office or request any necessary paperwork be mailed or faxed to us. This allows us to ensure you child's medical record is complete.

Convenient Patient Form Services

If you need forms filled out for your child, please provide the applicable forms at your next visit, fax them to the office, or drop them off for our staff to complete them for you. Generally, forms will be completed free of charge in three to five business days, and you can either pick them up from the office or request they are faxed, per your request.