FAQ's

Well-Child Care is the backbone of strong pediatric care. Preventive care includes monitoring growth and development to catch potential problems early, providing education and resources for safety, parenting, string families and resilience and providing immunizations against vaccine-preventable diseases.

While your questions and concerns guide the visit, these are some of the things you can expect:

• Height and weight measurements (and head circumference for infants and toddlers)
• Questionnaires and developmental screening forms for you to complete.
• Discussions about safety, development, relationships, behavior, sleep, nutrition, active and creative play and much, much more.
• A head-to-toe exam.
• At some ages there may be screening tests, such as hearing, vision or hemoglobin measurements.
• Vaccines, per the CDC and AAP recommended guidelines.

Absolutely! We encourage parents-to-be to visit us before their baby arrives. It’s a great way to get to know our office and team of pediatricians. Just give us a call to schedule a free meet-and-greet appointment.

Yes, most of our doctors are accepting new patients at this time. Contact our office for more information about scheduling an appointment.

When preparing for your child’s first visit, you’ll need to bring a few items, including:

• Insurance cards
• Your child’s complete immunization records
• Any medical records from a previous pediatrician’s office

Absolutely! We believe strongly in the important role immunizations play in protecting your child’s health. We trust the overwhelming predominance of scientific and epidemiologic evidence that shows that vaccines are safe, they are effective at preventing serious illness and long-term disability and they save lives.

As parents ourselves, we know how important it is to hear back about all of your child’s test results, normal or not. We do not believe in the adage “no news is good news.” Our policy is to notify you of all test results in a timely manner and we will contact you with both normal and abnormal results.

Our nurses and medical assistants will be calling you with the results of your laboratory, imaging, or other tests, and will let you know if the doctor has any concerns or follow-up plans. If for any reason you haven’t heard from us, please call or message the advice nurse. You can also see results on the patient portal. 

When you and your pediatrician decide that your child should be seen by a specialist, our Referral Coordinator steps in to pave the way. They will coordinate with your pediatrician to determine the best pediatric specialist that fits your child’s needs and communicate your options to you. They will help you find a specialist who is participating in your insurance network and a location that will work best for you. Please keep in mind that insurance criteria are constantly changing, and you should always verify that the specialist is covered by your particular policy.

The Referral Coordinator will confirm the specialty office can provide the services necessary, get insurance authorization if it is required, and make sure the specialist has all the relevant medical records they need to inform their care. This process can take up to two weeks. If it has been more than two weeks or you have a question for our Referral Coordinator you may call the office or send them a portal message.

Navigating medical care is no easy task, and it is especially difficult when you have a child with complex health needs who sees multiple specialists, or you are trying to keep up with appointments and medications while managing a serious injury, mental health challenges, or a cancer diagnosis. Our Care Coordinator is a Registered Nurse who is here to help. From finding medical supplies, answering questions, and checking in with you regularly before problems arise, they are your go-to person. They will also make sure your pediatrician is up-to-date on your child’s and family’s needs and progress. If you have a question for our Care Coordinator you may call the office or send a portal message. 

The easiest way to request a refill is to send us a portal message and choose the Medication Refill Request option. We will let you know when the refill has been sent, or if your pediatrician has questions or recommendations. You may also request refills through your pharmacy, or you may call our office and leave a message on the refill line. Our medical assistants check these daily. Please notify us at least 2-3 business days before you need your medication. 

Urgent Care offices do play an important role, especially in the hours after we close, and at times may be a better option than the emergency room. However, not only do they not know your child or have access to their medical records, most Urgent Care providers have little pediatric experience. The diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients is very different from that of adults; for that matter, the care of adolescents is very different than that of young children, and infants are again completely different. When possible, getting medical care from a pediatrician in an office that knows you and your child is going to be the best care.

That depends on a number of factors.

• Check your insurance coverage; most insurances will limit you to a certain hospital system/s and if you go elsewhere you could end up with a higher bill.
• How serious is it? Can you drive farther to go to a pediatric ED, or should you go to the nearest one?

Ideally, we recommend pediatric Emergency Rooms, such as Randall Children's Hospital, Doernbecher Children's Hospital, and Providence St. Vincent.

No, we’re not. While our office is located on the Adventist Health campus, we’re an independent office and not connected to the hospital. Being independent lets us focus entirely on pediatric care, creating policies based on quality, evidence-based and compassionate care—not a hospital’s bottom line. 

 We’re happy to provide newborn care and checkups for babies born at Adventist Health Portland.