Patient Resources

No Show or Missed Appointment Policy

We know there may occasionally be extenuating circumstances that prevent you from bringing
your child to a scheduled appointment, but we request that whenever possible, you notify us at
least 24 hours in advance when this happens. This will allow us to schedule another patient who
needs to be seen.
We will do our best to send you reminders of upcoming appointments. Please keep your contact
information, including phone numbers, email address, and home address, current and up-to-date
with our office so that you do not miss these reminders or other important communications.
A “No-Show” appointment is one that is not kept and was not canceled at least 24 hours in
advance. No-Show appointments can cause delays in providing your child with recommended
care and services. They are also disruptive to our office operations, as the health care provider
reserved time in their schedule specifically for your child.
If you miss a scheduled appointment, one of our Patient Service Representatives will call and/or
we will send you a letter to remind you of the missed appointment and our No-Show policy. We
will do our best to reschedule the appointment at our earliest convenience, but please understand
that given our providers’ busy schedules, an appropriate appointment time may not immediately
be available.
In cases where there is a pattern of No-Show appointments or multiple No-Show appointments
over a twelve-month period, we reserve the right to review the pattern and to terminate our
relationship with your child. If it is determined that termination from the practice is the best
solution to avoid ongoing or future issues, we will send you a certified termination letter. That
letter will notify you that we will continue to see your child for emergency medical care for 30
days from the date of the termination letter.

Separated or Divorced Parents Policy 

At Children's Health Care, our goal is to partner with parents for healthy children. We appreciate that children and families with divorced or separated parents may have unique challenges, and our highest priority is the care of our patients. It is our intent to work cooperatively with parents in accordance with any legal orders that are in place. Please note the following policies: 

1. The providers, medical assistants, nurses, office, and billing staff will not get involved in disputes between parents either over the phone or in the office. 

2. We ask that both parents communicate with each other before visiting the office and reach an agreement regarding health decisions, including appointments, insurance, vaccination, office procedures, or any changes in medical care or treatment plan, as we will not mediate disagreements.

3. In the absence of legal orders, we expect that both parents will cooperate with each other in the best interests of the child. We are unable to restrict communication with any parent without court documentation or documentation from the Department of Children and Families, and only in situations where there is a documented court order will one parent be denied access to the minor's health record or visits at the office. Children's Health Care must have a copy of the court order on file in the minor's medical record.

4. It is both parents' responsibility to communicate with each other about the patient's care, office visit dates, and any other pertinent information relevant to the patient. It is not the responsibility of Children's Health Care to communicate visit information to each custodial parent separately. 

5. Our providers will not call the other parent prior to an appointment to gain consent regarding appointments scheduled, nor will they call the other parent following an appointment. We will not restrict either parent's involvement in the patient's care unless authorized by law; however, we also will not duplicate information delivery unless directed by law.

6. We will send reminders of upcoming appointments by text and/or phone call. We can send this reminder only to the primary phone number listed on the patient's account. [The parent or guardian who completes and signs our new patient packet will be the chart guarantor and therefore receive these reminders.

7. All copays, deductibles, coinsurances, and any other fees are due at the time of the visit and are the responsibility of the parent accompanying the patient to the appointment. If the court agreement states the other parent is responsible for copayments or splitting payments, it is the accompanying parent's responsibility to pay at the time of the visit and collect reimbursement from the other responsible parent. We will be happy to provide a receipt. 

8. If disputes regarding your child's medical care interfere with our ability to care for your child or become disruptive to our practice, we reserve the right to ask you to transfer care to another practice. 

VACCINE POLICY

• We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illnesses 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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. This schedule is published at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/imz-schedules/index.html

• We firmly believe, based on all available medical literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental issues or disabilities. ● We firmly believe that thimerosal, a preservative which has been in vaccines for decades and remains in a small number of vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental disabilities. 

• We firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health-promoting intervention we perform as healthcare providers, and that you can perform as parents and caregivers. 

• If you refuse to vaccinate your child against our medical advice, we will ask you to sign a “Refusal to Vaccinate” acknowledgement. Please recognize that by not vaccinating you are putting your child at unnecessary risk for life-threatening illness, disability, and even death. 

• We do not recommend “alternate” vaccine schedules. Delaying or breaking up the vaccines to give one or two at a time over two or more visits goes against expert recommendations, can put your child at risk for serious illness, and goes against our medical advice as providers at Children’s Health Care. Such additional visits may also require additional co-pays on your part. Please realize that you will be required to sign a “Refusal to Vaccinate” acknowledgement in the event of lengthy delays. 

You should feel free to discuss any concerns regarding the recommended vaccines with your provider at Children’s Health Care. In addition, please find below links to some reliable sources of information about vaccines: 

https://www.vaccineinformation.org/ 

https://www.chop.edu/vaccine-education-center 

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines-children/index.html 

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/default.aspx

COVID-19 UPDATES:

Updated 8/19/2022:

VACCINES ARE HERE FOR CHILDREN 6 MONTH-4 YEARS OF AGE!

We will be vaccinating children ages 6 months through 4 years of age in our offices during weekend and evening clinics. Clinics will be announced on our social media pages (Facebook and Instagram). As of right now, we will be giving the Moderna vaccine.

If your child receives the vaccine outside of our office, please bring the card to their next appointment so we can record it into their health record.

For information about the vaccine, vaccine safety, and getting the vaccine after Covid-19 infection, please refer to the CDC FAQ page.

To book a vaccine outside of our office, please click HERE to schedule your vaccine or call 211 or 877-211-6277 for assistance. For more information on eligibility and how to schedule an appointment click HERE.

For information about the Covid-19 vaccine and how it works please see this presentation: covid-19 vaccine

COVID ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE PROTOCOLS

The CDC has a covid quarantine and isolation calculator that can help you determine your specific isolation and quarantine requirements.

Click HERE for the calculator.

In summary:

IF YOU TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 (this applies to vaccinated or non-vaccinated individuals): You must isolate for 5 days (day 0 is the day of the positive test) and monitor your symptoms. If you have no symptoms or have been fever free for 24 hours and your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you may leave your house but must be masked around others through day 10.

IF YOU ARE EXPOSED: You must wear a mask around others for 10 days. The CDC recommends testing on Day 5 after exposure (day 0 is the last day of exposure). You must continue to wear a mask through day 10 even if your test is negative.

If you develop symptoms, test immediately and isolate if even testing is negative.

If a person is continuously exposed to a person who tested positive and cannot be isolated from that person, the exposed person's quarantine does NOT start until the COVID-19 positive person completes their 10-day isolation period. 

Please consult our medical library as well as articles we have written on common childhood illnesses and fever. We also provide dosing information for common medications.

Our blog, written by used and for our patients, provides evidence-based information and real-world parenting tips on a variety of parenting topics, mental health and behavioral topics, safety recommendations, and common childhood ailments including headaches, constipation, rashes, and eye conditions and injuries. We also provide information on managing fever and determining the appropriateness of using an ER or Urgent Care. We also have advice, tips, and education on grief, coparenting, traveling with children, and helping a child through a medical appointment or procedure.

Additionally, we provide parents resources on LGBTQAI+ positive parenting, racism and health, medical literacy, and evaluating medical information.

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Oral Health Resources

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Mental Health Information

Navigating a Mental Health Crisis

Lahey Behavioral Crisis Number: 978-521-7777

Community Behavioral Health Center: 933-773-2445 (call or text) or WebChat

24/7 Samaritans Helpline: call or text 877-870-4673

National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Lahey Behavioral Health Walk In Clinic: 978-620-1250

NH Rapid Response Access Point Hotline: 833-710-6477 (call or text), or chat at www.nh988.com

To find a Community Behavioral Health Center, search by zip code HERE.

For help finding a local mental health provider, please utilize the Network of Care Massachusetts.

For more information about mental health see our Behavioral and Mental Health Resources here.