These links will provide you with lots of great information that will facilitate the more mundane tasks of working with a medical office. (Not that we are mundane by any means!)
Scheduling Appointments
We are in the office Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM -5:00 PM and we see patients starting at 9:00 AM. Our office staff breaks for lunch from 12:00 PM -1:30 PM.
Same-Day Sick Visits
The doctors have appointments available each day for same-day sick visits. We encourage you to call for an appointment as early as possible. These appointments can fill up quickly.
Well Care Appointments
Our schedule for Well Care is based on the guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
For children under 3: The following visits are recommended for children under 2: Approximately 1 week, 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months,12 months, 15-18 months, 2 years, and 2 1/2 years (30 months).
For children 3yrs through 18 years: A yearly well care visit is recommended.
Please schedule check-ups 2 to 4 weeks in advance. Please feel free to schedule your appointment with whomever you or your child feels most comfortable.
We are happy to address illnesses during a Well Care appointment however they will be billed separately from the well visit and may trigger a copay. Please see our financial policy for more details.
Other Appointments
Less urgent issues such as acne, warts or more chronic conditions (long standing abdominal pain or headaches, constipation, behavioral problems, eczema, etc.), should be scheduled in advance.
We will make every effort to have your child’s care provided by his/her pediatrician. If your doctor is not available, we will set up an appointment with our available doctor.
ON-LINE APPOINTMENTS
We offer online appointments for certain types of visits. Please click on our link to start an online visit with one of our doctors.
It's the Law
The law requires that all patients be accompanied by parent or legal guardian to every appointment. We can accept a written note with your signature allowing a friend or family member to authorize care for your child. Patients between the ages of 16-18 years may be seen unaccompanied by an adult with the parent’s written permission.
Medical Advice
During business hours, we are happy to answer general questions over the phone. For more complex questions, please make an appointment so that we may evaluate your child and provide you with the most accurate information and the best care. Urgent matters will be addressed before the day is over. For less urgent matters we will return your call within 24-48 hours.
Another option for non-urgent advice is our Patient Portal. You may log into the portal through the Athena website.
For after hours advice, you may contact our nurse advice line at (408) 275-0480 who can help with most after hours matters. For more complex matters, there is always a provider on call who can be contacted by the after hours nurse when necessary.
Insurance Information and Billing Questions
We work with many insurance plans, and may not know the specifics of your particular plan. Please become familiar with the details of your insurance coverage such as:
- The type of plan (PPO, HMO, POS, EPO, etc.)
- The type of coverage (Are well visits covered?)
- The amount of your copay, etc.
Please bring your insurance card to every visit so that we may verify your coverage. If we do not have the proper insurance information at the time of the visit you may be charged for the visit.
Click here for a list of insurance plans we accept.
Billing Questions
If you have any questions about your bill, please contact our billing department at (386) 313-5287.
Late Arrivals
Please Arrive on-time. We understand that your time is limited and important. We make every effort to see all of our patients in a timely manner. In order to provide you with prompt service, please arrive 5-10 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time in order to complete any required paperwork and verify insurance.
If you arrive more than 10 minutes late for an appointment you may be asked to reschedule the appointment, or you may be given an appointment with another provider who is available.
Cancellations & Missed Appointments
Your appointment time has been reserved exclusively for you. We do our best to ensure that your child is seen as quickly as possible. Therefore, we require 24 hours notice for cancellations. If you miss an appointment without appropriate notification you may be charged a $40 fee.
Immunization Policy
At Almaden Pediatrics, Inc, we strongly believe in the importance of immunizations and fully support the childhood immunization schedule established by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Therefore, our policy requires that every patient within our group receive the vaccinations listed below:
By 18 months of age, your child will receive the following:
Hepatitis B: 3 doses
Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (DTaP)4 doses
Polio 3 doses
Haemophilus influenza (HIB) 4 doses
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Prevnar)4 doses
Chicken Pox1 dose
Measles, Mumps and Rubella(MMR)1 dose
Hepatitis A 2 doses
By the age of 5 years your child will receive these additional vaccines:
DTaP: 5th dose
Polio: 4th dose
MMR: 2nd dose
Chicken Pox: 2nd dose
For Preteens-To be started at 11 years old:
Tetanus, Pertussis (TdaP)
Meningitis
HPV (Gardasil)
We are aware of the concerns about vaccine safety that has been voiced by a very small yet vocal minority. These claims have no scientific or statistical basis. To date, there have been over 30 scientific studies, which have proven, conclusively, that vaccines are safe.
Patient Information Forms
The registration form provides us with your family and contact information. Please complete this form online (use the Tab key to move around the form), print it and bring to your first appointment.
Download the form here.
School and Sports Forms
We are happy to complete required forms for school, camp, athletics, etc. The charge is $10 for most forms. Forms will generally be completed within 48 hrs.
For forms that need to be completed on the same day, the charge is $20.
We understand that children have a way of springing things on you at the last minute. If your child has not had a well care visit within the previous year and you need the form completed urgently, we are happy to complete the form provided a well care visit scheduled for a near future date.
School Entry Form
California law requires a health examination for school entry. Complete the parent/guardian portion of this form and bring it to our office for completion.
Download the form here.