Office Policies
Visits
Routine Visits
Well visits should be scheduled with your chosen primary care pediatrician as often as possible so that one physician knows your child well. We will care for patients until they have completed college or reached the age of 22 years. Some patients may be asked to seek the care of an adult physician sooner if the patient’s medical issues would be better treated by an adult physician. It is your responsibility to know when your child needs routine check-ups: see East Bay Pediatrics Routine Well and Vaccine Schedule. More frequent routine visits are recommended for ADHD, Asthma, and other chronic illnesses. Please call the Future Appointments line or send a portal message request to schedule your appointment.
Non-Routine (sick) Visits
Sick visits are scheduled by our phone advice nurses. In some cases, the nurses can answer your questions over the phone and you may not need to come to the office. If you or they are still worried, the nurses will schedule your child for an appointment either on the same day or in the near future for less urgent issues. Some visits may be scheduled as Telemedicine Visits (see below). Non-urgent visits may be requested by a phone call to our nurses or by sending a patient portal message request. Portal messages are not appropriate for urgent questions or health concerns.
Urgent Care
Many urgent issues can be handled at East Bay Pediatrics, including asthma exacerbations, laceration repair (stitches), fracture treatment (casts), and other problems. Urgent issues warrant a call, not a portal message. During office hours, call our phone nurses schedule an appointment. After 6pm and on weekends and holidays, please check the After Hours page for ways to schedule an Urgent Care appointment on your own. If needed, you can also call after hours for triage support.
Morning urgent care is available in both locations on regular weekdays Monday through Friday from 8am - 9am and on weekends and some holidays until noon. Appointments are by online sign up - see the After Hours page or Home Page for links.
Emergencies
In a life-threatening emergency call 911 immediately.
If your child does need to go to the hospital, East Bay Pediatrics recommends UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. The Children’s Hospital Emergency Room is staffed by Pediatric Emergency Room Physicians. They notify our office of any visits.
Telemedicine Visits
Telemedicine visits may occur in the form of patient portal messages, telephone conversations, or online video visits. All visits must comply with HIPAA regulations (see our Privacy section below) and require the verbal consent of a parent or guardian or a patient over 18 years of age. The consenting party may withhold or withdraw consent at any time.
Of note, a patient- or parent/guardian-initiated portal message implies consent to communicate by telemedicine. Telephone calls, either with a physician or a nurse, may be billed as telemedicine visits according to the rules established by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS). Insurance will be billed and financial responsibility is no different than for in-person visits.
Either the treating physician or the consenting party may convert the visit to another form of telemedicine visit. The treating physician may recommend an in-person visit if the telemedicine visit is not adequate for proper medical care.
Telemedicine visits are not recorded except in the usual way that healthcare providers document in patient charts.
Late Arrivals and Missed Appointments
If you are late for your appointment, the office will attempt to reach you by phone to make sure that there is no confusion regarding the appointment time and to make sure that you and your child are safe. If you arrive late, the staff will consult with the doctor to see if we can accommodate you at a later time or if we need to reschedule your appointment.
Please call our Receptionist to reschedule or cancel appointments. Missed appointments may incur a fee. Multiple missed appointments may be grounds for dismissal from the practice.
Patients Visiting Without a Parent or Guardian
East Bay Pediatrics strongly recommends a parent or guardian to be present at all routine well visits. These visits are an opportunity for patient, family, and physician to review the patient’s health and well-being as well as discuss anticipatory guidance.
In the event that a parent or guardian cannot be present at a visit, the consent to treat form signed annually allows another person, such as a grandparent, nanny, or other adult to bring the patient in with the understanding that the adult can relay the proper information to the parent or guardian.
Patients 16 years of age or older may be seen without an adult present. The physician will contact a parent for verbal consent before any significant procedures, including vaccinations, are given to patients 16 and 17 years of age. 16 and 17 year old siblings are not considered consenting adults for younger patients. See our Privacy Policy for patients 18 years and older.
Hospitalizations
The physicians at East Bay Pediatrics have admitting privileges at both Alta Bates Hospital (for newborns only) and at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland (including the Summit Hospital unit).
If your baby is born at Alta Bates Medical Center, the hospital will notify our pediatricians. You should see a pediatrician each day while you and your child are in the hospital. Your pediatrician will coordinate discharge and follow up appointments.
If your child is admitted to Children’s Hospital, a physician from our practice should see your child each day he or she is hospitalized. Our pediatricians coordinate care with the resident doctors at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. ***on hold during COVID-19 pandemic
Well visits should be scheduled with your chosen primary care pediatrician as often as possible so that one physician knows your child well. We will care for patients until they have completed college or reached the age of 22 years. Some patients may be asked to seek the care of an adult physician sooner if the patient’s medical issues would be better treated by an adult physician. It is your responsibility to know when your child needs routine check-ups: see East Bay Pediatrics Routine Well and Vaccine Schedule. More frequent routine visits are recommended for ADHD, Asthma, and other chronic illnesses. Please call the Future Appointments line or send a portal message request to schedule your appointment.
Non-Routine (sick) Visits
Sick visits are scheduled by our phone advice nurses. In some cases, the nurses can answer your questions over the phone and you may not need to come to the office. If you or they are still worried, the nurses will schedule your child for an appointment either on the same day or in the near future for less urgent issues. Some visits may be scheduled as Telemedicine Visits (see below). Non-urgent visits may be requested by a phone call to our nurses or by sending a patient portal message request. Portal messages are not appropriate for urgent questions or health concerns.
Urgent Care
Many urgent issues can be handled at East Bay Pediatrics, including asthma exacerbations, laceration repair (stitches), fracture treatment (casts), and other problems. Urgent issues warrant a call, not a portal message. During office hours, call our phone nurses schedule an appointment. After 6pm and on weekends and holidays, please check the After Hours page for ways to schedule an Urgent Care appointment on your own. If needed, you can also call after hours for triage support.
Morning urgent care is available in both locations on regular weekdays Monday through Friday from 8am - 9am and on weekends and some holidays until noon. Appointments are by online sign up - see the After Hours page or Home Page for links.
Emergencies
In a life-threatening emergency call 911 immediately.
If your child does need to go to the hospital, East Bay Pediatrics recommends UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. The Children’s Hospital Emergency Room is staffed by Pediatric Emergency Room Physicians. They notify our office of any visits.
Telemedicine Visits
Telemedicine visits may occur in the form of patient portal messages, telephone conversations, or online video visits. All visits must comply with HIPAA regulations (see our Privacy section below) and require the verbal consent of a parent or guardian or a patient over 18 years of age. The consenting party may withhold or withdraw consent at any time.
Of note, a patient- or parent/guardian-initiated portal message implies consent to communicate by telemedicine. Telephone calls, either with a physician or a nurse, may be billed as telemedicine visits according to the rules established by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS). Insurance will be billed and financial responsibility is no different than for in-person visits.
Either the treating physician or the consenting party may convert the visit to another form of telemedicine visit. The treating physician may recommend an in-person visit if the telemedicine visit is not adequate for proper medical care.
Telemedicine visits are not recorded except in the usual way that healthcare providers document in patient charts.
Late Arrivals and Missed Appointments
If you are late for your appointment, the office will attempt to reach you by phone to make sure that there is no confusion regarding the appointment time and to make sure that you and your child are safe. If you arrive late, the staff will consult with the doctor to see if we can accommodate you at a later time or if we need to reschedule your appointment.
Please call our Receptionist to reschedule or cancel appointments. Missed appointments may incur a fee. Multiple missed appointments may be grounds for dismissal from the practice.
Patients Visiting Without a Parent or Guardian
East Bay Pediatrics strongly recommends a parent or guardian to be present at all routine well visits. These visits are an opportunity for patient, family, and physician to review the patient’s health and well-being as well as discuss anticipatory guidance.
In the event that a parent or guardian cannot be present at a visit, the consent to treat form signed annually allows another person, such as a grandparent, nanny, or other adult to bring the patient in with the understanding that the adult can relay the proper information to the parent or guardian.
Patients 16 years of age or older may be seen without an adult present. The physician will contact a parent for verbal consent before any significant procedures, including vaccinations, are given to patients 16 and 17 years of age. 16 and 17 year old siblings are not considered consenting adults for younger patients. See our Privacy Policy for patients 18 years and older.
Hospitalizations
The physicians at East Bay Pediatrics have admitting privileges at both Alta Bates Hospital (for newborns only) and at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland (including the Summit Hospital unit).
If your baby is born at Alta Bates Medical Center, the hospital will notify our pediatricians. You should see a pediatrician each day while you and your child are in the hospital. Your pediatrician will coordinate discharge and follow up appointments.
If your child is admitted to Children’s Hospital, a physician from our practice should see your child each day he or she is hospitalized. Our pediatricians coordinate care with the resident doctors at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. ***on hold during COVID-19 pandemic
Medication & Forms
Medications and Refills
Please learn your child’s medications, including names and dosages. If you can’t remember (or can’t pronounce) medication names, write them down or bring all medications to your appointments. Both prescription and over the counter medications have many different formulations; informing your doctor of which medications your child is on can help with both diagnosis and further treatment.
During your visit, your doctor will most likely "e-prescribe" meaning send your prescription online through our electronic health record directly to your pharmacy. Please provide the name and location of your preferred pharmacy during your visit.
Refill requests for chronic medications can be made by calling your pharmacy. They can contact East Bay Pediatrics through our electronic health record. If your refills have expired, you can send a portal message request or call our nurses through the phone advice lines. Please be ready to give your child’s name, date of birth, medication name and dose, and your pharmacy name and location.
Chronic medications including asthma medications, birth control pills and acne medications will not be refilled if your child has not had a physical exam in over one year. In general, antibiotics and controlled medications will not be refilled without your child being seen by a pediatrician.
ADHD Medications usually can only be prescribed up to three months ahead. If your child is up to date on both annual physical exams and medication review visits (scheduled appointments at least every 6 months), your child’s ADHD medication prescriptions can be ordered at the pharmacy. We cannot guarantee that we can electronically prescribe to pharmacies outside of California. Urgent requests for ADHD medications must be made at least 24 hours in advance. Please remember that ADHD medications cannot be refilled. You must ask the pharmacist to “fill the medication on hold” for the patient.
Medical Records
A records release form must be completed or a signed note from the parent, with your name, complete address, the names of each patient whose records are to be released and the physician, health care provider, or other medical facility and the complete address to whom the records are to be released. A summary is usually sufficient for transfer of records and is sent free of charge. Full records will incur a fee per our Financial Policies (see below). Records will be released within 15 business days. We do not fax medical records (see our privacy section below).
Camp and School Forms
A completed generic camp/school form is provided at every well visit for children 4 years and older free of charge. This form can be used for most school and camp applications. Specific camp or school forms brought to the practice during a patient’s well visit will not incur any fees.
Camp or school forms not presented at the time of a well visit may be sent to the practice by mail, in person, or by the patient portal. A processing fee per our Financial Policies (see below) will be assessed for completion of these forms. Medication forms will not incur this fee. Please allow 10-14 days for your form to be processed. Urgent form requests will incur additional fees per our Financial Policies (see below).
Please learn your child’s medications, including names and dosages. If you can’t remember (or can’t pronounce) medication names, write them down or bring all medications to your appointments. Both prescription and over the counter medications have many different formulations; informing your doctor of which medications your child is on can help with both diagnosis and further treatment.
During your visit, your doctor will most likely "e-prescribe" meaning send your prescription online through our electronic health record directly to your pharmacy. Please provide the name and location of your preferred pharmacy during your visit.
Refill requests for chronic medications can be made by calling your pharmacy. They can contact East Bay Pediatrics through our electronic health record. If your refills have expired, you can send a portal message request or call our nurses through the phone advice lines. Please be ready to give your child’s name, date of birth, medication name and dose, and your pharmacy name and location.
Chronic medications including asthma medications, birth control pills and acne medications will not be refilled if your child has not had a physical exam in over one year. In general, antibiotics and controlled medications will not be refilled without your child being seen by a pediatrician.
ADHD Medications usually can only be prescribed up to three months ahead. If your child is up to date on both annual physical exams and medication review visits (scheduled appointments at least every 6 months), your child’s ADHD medication prescriptions can be ordered at the pharmacy. We cannot guarantee that we can electronically prescribe to pharmacies outside of California. Urgent requests for ADHD medications must be made at least 24 hours in advance. Please remember that ADHD medications cannot be refilled. You must ask the pharmacist to “fill the medication on hold” for the patient.
Medical Records
A records release form must be completed or a signed note from the parent, with your name, complete address, the names of each patient whose records are to be released and the physician, health care provider, or other medical facility and the complete address to whom the records are to be released. A summary is usually sufficient for transfer of records and is sent free of charge. Full records will incur a fee per our Financial Policies (see below). Records will be released within 15 business days. We do not fax medical records (see our privacy section below).
Camp and School Forms
A completed generic camp/school form is provided at every well visit for children 4 years and older free of charge. This form can be used for most school and camp applications. Specific camp or school forms brought to the practice during a patient’s well visit will not incur any fees.
Camp or school forms not presented at the time of a well visit may be sent to the practice by mail, in person, or by the patient portal. A processing fee per our Financial Policies (see below) will be assessed for completion of these forms. Medication forms will not incur this fee. Please allow 10-14 days for your form to be processed. Urgent form requests will incur additional fees per our Financial Policies (see below).
Vaccinations
East Bay Pediatrics supports vaccinating all children. Immunizations have greatly reduced the illness and death from infectious disease for children and the community.
Some families desire to spread out immunizations; however, the practice has set a minimum vaccine requirement in order to protect all of our patients and ensure proper advice is given to all families in the event of illness.
A. The following vaccines must be given by the age group listed.
B. A newborn’s first series of vaccinations (first DTaP, Hib and PCV) must be completed by 4 months of age.
C. Additional visits due to delayed schedule require a visit with a physician. This may incur a co-pay.
D. If your child is behind the practice's routine vaccine schedule, please notify any health care provider, even within our practice, when discussing your child's health or an illness. Medical decisions may depend on whether your child has been fully vaccinated.
East Bay Pediatrics is happy to work with you to make sure that all the necessary vaccines have been given for your child’s age. If your family refuses to meet our minimum requirements, we will help you find another health care provider to meet your needs. If you have any questions about this policy, please discuss with your primary care physician.
In 2021, East Bay Pediatrics will coordinate with the California Immunization Registry (CAIR). This will make patient immunization records more easily accessible between East Bay Pediatrics, your insurance carrier and any other providers that you give consent to. All families will be asked to identify a “custodian” for purposes of the registry.
Some families desire to spread out immunizations; however, the practice has set a minimum vaccine requirement in order to protect all of our patients and ensure proper advice is given to all families in the event of illness.
A. The following vaccines must be given by the age group listed.
- Diptheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (DTaP) - 3 doses before 24 months of age, 5 doses before 6 years of age
- Hemophilus Influenza, type B (Hib) - 3 doses before 12 months of age, 4th dose before 24 months of age
- Pneumococcus (PCV) - 3 doses before 12 months of age, 4th dose before 24 months of age
- Hepatitis B (Hep B) - 3 doses by 6 years of age
- Inactivated Polio (IPV) - 3 doses before 24 months of age, 4th doses by 6 years of age
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) - First dose before 24 months of age, Second dose before 6 years of age
- Varicella (VZV or chicken pox) - 1st dose before 24 months of age, 2nd dose before 13 years of age
- Tetanus, Diptheria, and Pertussis (Tdap) - 1 dose before 13 years of age
- Meningococcal (MCV4) - 1 dose prior to 18 years of age
B. A newborn’s first series of vaccinations (first DTaP, Hib and PCV) must be completed by 4 months of age.
C. Additional visits due to delayed schedule require a visit with a physician. This may incur a co-pay.
D. If your child is behind the practice's routine vaccine schedule, please notify any health care provider, even within our practice, when discussing your child's health or an illness. Medical decisions may depend on whether your child has been fully vaccinated.
East Bay Pediatrics is happy to work with you to make sure that all the necessary vaccines have been given for your child’s age. If your family refuses to meet our minimum requirements, we will help you find another health care provider to meet your needs. If you have any questions about this policy, please discuss with your primary care physician.
In 2021, East Bay Pediatrics will coordinate with the California Immunization Registry (CAIR). This will make patient immunization records more easily accessible between East Bay Pediatrics, your insurance carrier and any other providers that you give consent to. All families will be asked to identify a “custodian” for purposes of the registry.
Privacy
Privacy Policy
The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (better known as HIPAA) protects information about your child's health and medical record. At East Bay Pediatrics your privacy is our priority. You and your child will be able to discuss your child's health with a physician behind closed doors. We try to keep hallways clear in order to facilitate the privacy of conversations.
Paperwork with medical information cannot be faxed from our office. Completed forms with health information must be mailed to you (not faxed) or picked up in person. Email must be communicated through a secure server. Please use our patient portal for electronic communication.
If you have any questions or concerns about privacy, please contact our Privacy Officer at (925) 438-1100 & choose option 8 (Hours: 9:30am-12:30pm, Monday thru Friday).
Privacy for Minors
Trust is an essential aspect of medical care and we at East Bay Pediatrics seek trust in all of our health care encounters. Parents and their children are both entitled to this trust. One way that physicians maintain trust is by keeping communications with patients and their families confidential.
Under California law, however, adolescents who are 12-17 years of age have special statutory rights that entitle them to confidential communications with their physicians. This means that they can discuss confidential topics with physicians which they do not wish to tell their parents or other adults, and the physician is required to keep that discussion confidential. The only exception to this right of confidentiality is when the physician determines that the adolescent is in danger of hurting himself or herself, hurting other people, or being hurt by someone else.
Also under California law, patents under 12 have special rights to confidentiality in connection with pregnancy and contraception.
California law also has specific regulations regarding parental consent and notification requirements and state reporting requirements for a variety of adolescent healthcare issues. The attached chart sets out the restrictions and requirements for consent, notification and reporting.
Adult Patients
A patient 18 years and older is a legal adult. All correspondence, communication, and consent for treatment and immunizations with these patients is between only the physician and the patient. Parental notification or consent is not required. Including parents in conversations and discussions of youth 18 years of age and older is always encouraged by our physicians.
Adult patients may choose to allow their physician to discuss medical information with a parent or guardian by completing the consent form for 18 and over on our forms page.
The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (better known as HIPAA) protects information about your child's health and medical record. At East Bay Pediatrics your privacy is our priority. You and your child will be able to discuss your child's health with a physician behind closed doors. We try to keep hallways clear in order to facilitate the privacy of conversations.
Paperwork with medical information cannot be faxed from our office. Completed forms with health information must be mailed to you (not faxed) or picked up in person. Email must be communicated through a secure server. Please use our patient portal for electronic communication.
If you have any questions or concerns about privacy, please contact our Privacy Officer at (925) 438-1100 & choose option 8 (Hours: 9:30am-12:30pm, Monday thru Friday).
Privacy for Minors
Trust is an essential aspect of medical care and we at East Bay Pediatrics seek trust in all of our health care encounters. Parents and their children are both entitled to this trust. One way that physicians maintain trust is by keeping communications with patients and their families confidential.
Under California law, however, adolescents who are 12-17 years of age have special statutory rights that entitle them to confidential communications with their physicians. This means that they can discuss confidential topics with physicians which they do not wish to tell their parents or other adults, and the physician is required to keep that discussion confidential. The only exception to this right of confidentiality is when the physician determines that the adolescent is in danger of hurting himself or herself, hurting other people, or being hurt by someone else.
Also under California law, patents under 12 have special rights to confidentiality in connection with pregnancy and contraception.
California law also has specific regulations regarding parental consent and notification requirements and state reporting requirements for a variety of adolescent healthcare issues. The attached chart sets out the restrictions and requirements for consent, notification and reporting.
Adult Patients
A patient 18 years and older is a legal adult. All correspondence, communication, and consent for treatment and immunizations with these patients is between only the physician and the patient. Parental notification or consent is not required. Including parents in conversations and discussions of youth 18 years of age and older is always encouraged by our physicians.
Adult patients may choose to allow their physician to discuss medical information with a parent or guardian by completing the consent form for 18 and over on our forms page.
Financial Policies
East Bay Pediatrics contracts with PedsOne for medical billing. Billing questions can be directed to PedsOne by calling (866) 371-6118.
The parent or guardian signing this document is fully responsible for payment for services for each patient. The accompanying parent or guardian present at the time of visit is responsible for providing current insurance information for the patient being seen.
We accept check or credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and Amex). You may pay your bill online by clicking this link.
Insurance, Co-Pays and Deductibles
We bill participating insurance companies as a courtesy to you. You are expected to pay your co-payment at the time of service. Late co-pays will incur a fee.
A credit card on file is required for all families. East Bay Pediatrics partners with CardConnect to securely save your credit, debit or FSA/HSA card on file to cover any balance due after insurance benefits are applied. All medical claims are first submitted to your insurance. East Bay Pediatrics will send a statement to you with the balance due after insurance processing. You will have 30 days to respond to insurance if needed or to pay by check or online if you desire. After 30 days, any remaining balance will be charged to the card on file.
If you'd like more information about the security of your card please visit www.cardconnect.com/cardsecure/
Insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act, do not process well checks with a co-pay; however, some well visits will incur a co-pay or deductible if a “significant abnormality is found during a visit.” Examples of significant abnormality may include but are not limited to acute illness requiring a prescription, chronic issues with a flare during the visit, referral to a specialist, above and beyond the normal amount of counseling. In most cases, our physicians will not discuss whether additional payment may be incurred because they are focused on giving the best care possible, not the compensation for that care.
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact PedsOne at (866) 371-6118.
Fees
Fees are discussed in various parts of this policy. A basic list of fees is reviewed here:
Overdue payments and Collections
As stated above, any balances must be paid within 10 days of receipt of statement. Any balance remaining unpaid sixty (60) days after the date of service are considered past due. If there is a past due balance on a patient’s account, that patient will not be allowed to schedule an appointment without talking to the billing company first. We will make every effort to contact the person responsible for the delinquent balance and arrange an equitable payment schedule. However, non-payment of charges could result in the account being turned over to a collections agency and the family will be discharged from the practice.
Divorce/Separation
A divorce decree is a legal agreement binding only upon two parties who made the agreement. Therefore, East Bay Pediatrics is not a party to that contract. Both parents remain responsible for the child's bills and that responsibility will be determined by the person signing this financial policy. Please notify our practice of divorce or separation and update any contact or mailing information. If your divorce or separation agreement includes restricted access to patient records, specific financial responsibility or other specification, please send that information in writing.
The parent or guardian signing this document is fully responsible for payment for services for each patient. The accompanying parent or guardian present at the time of visit is responsible for providing current insurance information for the patient being seen.
We accept check or credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and Amex). You may pay your bill online by clicking this link.
Insurance, Co-Pays and Deductibles
We bill participating insurance companies as a courtesy to you. You are expected to pay your co-payment at the time of service. Late co-pays will incur a fee.
A credit card on file is required for all families. East Bay Pediatrics partners with CardConnect to securely save your credit, debit or FSA/HSA card on file to cover any balance due after insurance benefits are applied. All medical claims are first submitted to your insurance. East Bay Pediatrics will send a statement to you with the balance due after insurance processing. You will have 30 days to respond to insurance if needed or to pay by check or online if you desire. After 30 days, any remaining balance will be charged to the card on file.
If you'd like more information about the security of your card please visit www.cardconnect.com/cardsecure/
Insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act, do not process well checks with a co-pay; however, some well visits will incur a co-pay or deductible if a “significant abnormality is found during a visit.” Examples of significant abnormality may include but are not limited to acute illness requiring a prescription, chronic issues with a flare during the visit, referral to a specialist, above and beyond the normal amount of counseling. In most cases, our physicians will not discuss whether additional payment may be incurred because they are focused on giving the best care possible, not the compensation for that care.
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact PedsOne at (866) 371-6118.
Fees
Fees are discussed in various parts of this policy. A basic list of fees is reviewed here:
- Form completion $10 - For 10-14 day max turnaround (medication forms exempt)
- Urgent forms $25 - For 24-48 hour turnaround
- Full record request fee $30 - Summary is free
- Missed appointment fee $100 - Missed appointments may incur a fee. Multiple missed appointments may be grounds for dismissal from the practice.
- Missed Co-pay fee $15
- After Hours Nurse Calls $10
Overdue payments and Collections
As stated above, any balances must be paid within 10 days of receipt of statement. Any balance remaining unpaid sixty (60) days after the date of service are considered past due. If there is a past due balance on a patient’s account, that patient will not be allowed to schedule an appointment without talking to the billing company first. We will make every effort to contact the person responsible for the delinquent balance and arrange an equitable payment schedule. However, non-payment of charges could result in the account being turned over to a collections agency and the family will be discharged from the practice.
Divorce/Separation
A divorce decree is a legal agreement binding only upon two parties who made the agreement. Therefore, East Bay Pediatrics is not a party to that contract. Both parents remain responsible for the child's bills and that responsibility will be determined by the person signing this financial policy. Please notify our practice of divorce or separation and update any contact or mailing information. If your divorce or separation agreement includes restricted access to patient records, specific financial responsibility or other specification, please send that information in writing.
