FAQs

Yes, in fact we strongly encourage parents-to-be to visit our office for a prenatal appointment. This is a great way to get acquainted with our office and our doctors. During this visit, we will answer any questions that you have about our practice or your new child. Visit our expectant parent's page for more information.

Please speak with our receptionists to verify that we take your insurance.

To make an appointment, please call our office. To ensure the best use of time, for both our physicians and patients, all of our office visits are by appointment only. We ask that new patients arrive at our office 10 - 15 minutes prior to the scheduled appointment time. This will allow for completion of any necessary paperwork as well as time for updates to demographic and insurance changes. For appointment cancellations, please notify us as soon as possible so we can offer that time to someone else.

Please be mindful that as a medical office, we sometimes have to address emergencies as they arise. We will advise you if there is going to be a delay in seeing the provider. If your schedule won't allow you to wait, we will be happy to reschedule the appointment. We do appreciate your patience and cooperation during our busy times and we will make every effort to keep your wait time to a minimum.

Every effort is made to arrange your child's well care and follow up visits with the provider of your choice. When your child is ill, he or she may see any one of our providers.

To help protect your child from many serious infectious diseases, we follow the immunization schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Please discuss your immunization questions and concerns with any of our pediatricians.

A pediatrician is a medical doctor who specializes in the care of children. Pediatricians have undergone training in the health and illnesses of infants, teens and young adults. The majority of pediatricians are certified by the American Board of Pediatrics after years of training and passing a comprehensive exam.

Pediatricians provide preventive health care for children in good health and medical care for children who are acutely or chronically ill. They also provide parents with support and advice with issues such as growth and development, safety and prevention, nutrition, and emotional wellness to foster a lifetime of good health.

As all children are different, we advise following several appropriate steps to advance your child's diet based on age and development. Please discuss these steps with our providers at your well care visit.

Immunizations are a series of shots given to children at different ages to help ward off serious, and potentially fatal, childhood diseases. Making sure your child receives immunizations on schedule is the best way to help protect your child from potentially fatal diseases. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, vaccinations have reduced the number of infections from vaccine-preventable diseases by more than 90%. If you're apprehensive about vaccinations, please do not hesitate to contact our office to schedule an appointment to discuss your concerns.

Yes, we always welcome new patients to our practice! If your child is new to the practice and needs a well visit, please note that we would like to have all prior records sent to our office before making your appointment. This gives our doctors adequate time to prepare prior to your appointment for more effective office visit. It also allows for us to give an appropriate amount of time for the appointment in case there are additional issues to discuss. If the entire chart is not available in time, we ask that you please have your former provider fax the vaccine records and last well visit summary to our office in the meantime. Thank you and welcome aboard!

Yes, we promote breastfeeding. Our lactation consultant is available to help support breastfeeding parents. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding babies for the first six to twelve months of life. Breastfeeding helps defend children against infections, prevents allergies, and protects against a number of chronic conditions. While experts believe that breast milk is the best nutritional choice for infants, breastfeeding may not be possible for all women.

Some women have specific medical considerations that impede breastfeeding; others choose to feed by formula because of discomfort, work schedule or lifestyle choices. In these cases, an iron-fortified, milk-based infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your child's well care visit.

Please use our patient portal to request medication refills. Allow three to five business days for all routine prescription refills. For prescriptions that require prior authorization from your insurance company, longer wait times may be involved. Prescription refills for controlled substances must be sent through the electronic prescribing program. Please note the name and location of the pharmacy when requesting a medication refill.

We have a physician on call 24 hours a day. After the office is closed, please call our office line to page the on call doctor. You will be prompted to enter a call back number and to leave a brief message. If a return call is not received within 30 minutes, please contact the operator at Northwest Health Porter Hospital for assistance in paging. Paging after office hours is for urgent problems that cannot wait until regular office hours. Refill of routine medications and referrals will not get handled after hours.

IN THE EVENT OF A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY, CALL 911.

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office 2-3 days after discharge from the hospital. Our staff understands the importance of this first visit and will make every effort to schedule this visit promptly.

For non urgent referrals:

The referral process may vary depending on the policy of the specialist's office. When one of our providers refers you to a specialist, instructions will be provided to you by our staff regarding the next steps. Most referrals are submitted directly to the specialist's office, either by fax or electronically.

For urgent referrals: 

 When one of our doctors determines that you need an urgent referral, your referral will be initiated immediately. Please remain in our office while your referral is processed, then proceed to your specialist.

Our Valparaiso office is open Monday through Saturday. We have extended office hours on Tuesday and Wednesday and we are open until noon on Saturday. 

Our Portage office is open Monday through Friday with extended office hours on Thursday.

As our daily schedule is subject to change, please call to confirm office hours.

When lab results are received depends on the type of test being done and whether the test is run in the office, at a hospital or whether it needs to be sent out to a different laboratory. You will receive a call quickly with any lab results that require urgent attention. Other abnormal lab results will be addressed promptly by the provider that ordered the labs or tests. Normal values are reviewed and addressed by the physician that ordered them.