Pediatric urgent care is an important consideration when you’re trying to pick a new pediatrician. Emergencies happen without a warning and you need to know if you can count on your pediatrician or not. To help you figure out if you and your pediatrician are a professional fit or if it’s time to find someone else, here are four things to consider, in light of child emergencies that might happen in the future:
- Location. Healthy Children Org says it’s crucial to find a pediatrician’s office that’s conveniently located? Meaning, it shouldn’t be too far from your own home. Aside from the practical advantage of having quick and easy access to your pediatrician, allowing you to bring your kids for an appointment at almost any time, there’s also the emergency factor. Kids often get into all sorts of scrapes and if yours come home with a bleeding wound or a broken arm, you can bring your kid to your pediatrician and have that treated right away. That’s going to be easier to do if the travel time to your pediatrician’s office only takes about 30 minutes. More than an hour is too far, though. That’s inconvenient, especially in case of an emergency.
- After-hours call. As parents, you know more than anybody else how inconvenient fevers and tummy aches can be. They can spring without warning and leave your kid sick with a high fever in the middle of the night. What you need to know, then, is if you put a call to your pediatrician, would he answer? Or would his nurse pick up the call?
- Insurance processing. Ask how the insurance forms are processed. Some pediatricians might not proceed with the treatment unless your insurance files are all in order. In an emergency, that kind of delay can put your kid’s life at risk. So make sure you know how these things work well ahead of time. That way, you’re in a better position to prepare for future emergencies.
- Emergency services. Does your doctor offer pediatric urgent care? If your kid comes down with a bad case of cough in the middle of the night or a high fever can you call your doctor and bring your kid for treatment right away?
These are just 4 considerations you’ll need to factor in when you choose a pediatrician. To learn more about pediatric urgent care services in Carlsbad, call us at Children’s Primary Care Medical Group. Our staff will be happy to provide you with any assistance you need.
