Frequently Asked Questions

Call the office and the receptionist at the front desk will get information regarding your child’s medical needs, and will give you instructions on the process of transferring medical records to our office prior to your child’s appointment. You may also check our Facebook page for the next scheduled “Meet and Greet” or Baby Care class.

If you would like to meet a specific provider before your baby is born, call our office and schedule a complimentary prenatal consultation. You are welcome to attend our baby care class and meet Ivy Bagley (FNP, MSN, IBCLC). We support breastfeeding and Ivy is an excellent Lactation Specialist who can answer any questions you may have.

Our physicians make special visits to the hospital to see all newborns who are born at Vidant Medical Center. Depending on what time of day the baby is born, our doctors will visit the hospital either before office hours (5-7 a.m.) or after office hours (after 5:30 p.m.).
If your child/adolescent is admitted to the hospital, our doctors will see your child and remain their primary attending doctor while in the hospital.

If you have a question about a medical issue after hours, simply call our office at (252) 329-7337, and you will be transferred to the After Hours Nurse Triage service, where you can speak directly to a registered Nurse regarding your situation. She/he will assess your child’s symptoms and give you clinical advice, and if needed, will direct your child to the ECU After Hours clinic for an immediate appointment. This clinic is located in the ECU Pediatric Outpatient Center at the Brody School of Medicine, which is open 7 days a week from 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

We accept all major insurance plans, including: Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, Medcost, United Healthcare, Medicaid, N.C. Healthchoice, Coventry, Atlantic Integrated Health, Multiplan, and Private Healthcare Systems (PHS).Please familiarize yourself with your child’s specific insurance plan and your out-of-pocket expenses, such as co-payments, co-insurance, deductible, and any non-covered services. Most insurance and HMOs require that a co-payment be made at every office visit. It is your responsibility to know what services are covered under your insurance plan. If you are unsure, check with your employer or call your insurer.

Parents: be sure to register your newborn on your insurance plan as soon as you are discharged from the hospital. Generally, in-office care for your newborn is not covered by insurance until the infant is officially registered on your plan. This should be done before your infant is 30 days old.

Our physicians follow the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the vaccine schedule set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We highly recommend that you protect your child/children from deadly, communicable diseases that can be prevented by modern vaccines. If you have any questions or health concerns about vaccines, our providers will be happy to discuss your concerns. However, if you should decide to decline vaccinations as they are recommended, you will be required to sign a waiver so we are not held liable if your child becomes ill.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a “well child visit” at each of the following ages: 3-5 days old, 1 month old, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months, and then annually through their 18th birthday (or 22 if they’re attending college). These well care check-ups are important for quality preventative medicine throughout your child’s formative years. During these visits, we perform important screenings to closely monitor your child’s growth, development, behavior and overall state of health. You can print out the official Well Child Schedule here so you know when to bring your child in for routine appointments: https://www.aap.org/en-us/Documents/periodicity_schedule_oral_health.pdf

You will receive a courtesy reminder call 2 days prior to your child’s appointment. If you anticipate that you will be unable to make the appointment, please call us at least 24 hours in advance so we can offer the appointment to another patient. If you do not call or show up on the day of your appointment, this is considered a “No Show” and you will be billed a fee of $65.00, which you will be expected to pay before your child’s next office visit.
Please note that our No Show fee policy is not meant to be a burden to our patients. We like to keep costs down for our patients’ families as much as possible. However, our pediatricians’ time is very valuable, and they only have a limited number of hours in the work day to meet the demands of many patients. If a patient doesn’t show up, they are losing an hour of time when they could have been treating another child. This is why we ask parents to take their appointments seriously and do their best to stay committed to their reserved appointment time.

As always, we understand that there are emergencies and unpredictable circumstances that may arise, so we try to be as flexible and understanding as possible.

When you are seen at our office, the receptionist will ask you for your preferred method of communication. We will typically get in touch with you by phone, but we also encourage you to utilize our online Patient Portal. After you set up a username and password, you will be able to log in, view your records, update your information, and communicate with the office regarding your child’s prescription refills and appointments. You can connect with us on our Facebook page as well to see the most recent social media updates from inside the office!