Office Policies

Appointment Policy
At Lydig Pediatrics one of our  goals is to have an office that runs smoothly and does not have patients sitting in the lobby waiting for long periods of time. We cannot do this without your assistance. Please call (718) 772-0070 to schedule your child’s appointment. Please make the person scheduling your appointment aware of ALL problems you wish to discuss at your appointment. Alert us if your child has a complex or chronic issue to allow adequate time for the visit.
When you schedule an appointment, we reserve that time just for you. We are committed to honoring the appointment time of our scheduled patients, so it is critical that you
confirm your appointment within 24 hours of your appointment time and that you arrive 15 minutes earlier of the scheduled time.

Our Responsibility to You
We promise to work with you to find the time that works best for you.
We will call you in advance to remind you of your appointment.

Your Responsibility to Us
Appointments must be confirmed within 24 hours of the appointment time by responding to our confirmation call.
If you miss our confirmation call or need a different appointment time, please contact us as soon as possible to either confirm or reschedule based upon current availability.
Arrive on time or early for your appointment.
 
If you arrive for your appointment that has not been confirmed and/or you are more than 15 minutes late for your appointment, we will try our best to see you as a walk-in patient with priority over other patients who don’t require urgent care.
However, if you are more than 30 minutes late you will be seen as a walk-in patient and wait time will be based upon our current availability or, otherwise, you will need to reschedule.
Please contact us as soon as possible if you’re running late.


Sick Visits - We do our best to accommodate all sick children for the same-day visits. Please call as early as possible and we will try to schedule your child to be seen that day by our physician.
We welcome walk-ins, but for acute problems it may be necessary to wait while the provider sees scheduled patients so that we may honor their appointment time.  For chronic or non-urgent problems you may be offered an appointment on a different day.

To expedite your visit, we recommend you call in advance whenever possible.
   
Well Visits - Annual exams and sports physicals must be scheduled in advance. Plan ahead for yearly exams during the busy pre-camp/pre-school seasons.

We recommend you show up 15 minutes prior to your child’s appointment in order to fill out any paperwork. Please have your updated insurance card and information with you at all times.

We have a 24-hour cancellation policy. If you do not cancel within 24 hours of your appointment time or miss your appointment you may be assessed a Failed Appointment Fee.

Excessive missed or late-cancellations of scheduled appointment may result in discharge from the practice.

COPAYMENT AND DEDUCTIBLES - Many insurance plans require you to pay a copayment and/or meet a yearly deductible.  Copayments and yearly deductibles constitute a contractual obligation between you and your health plan provider. If the copayment obligation is not met, your health plan provider has the right to deny any and all charges, which could leave you responsible for all services rendered during your visit. Copayments are due at the time of service. 

TELEPHONE CALLS
After hours phone calls We provide 24-hour coverage as a service to our patients. For urgent medical issues that arise after business hours or on weekends, call the main office phone number and leave voicemail. Physician on call will receive message and return your call as soon as possible. For medical emergencies, please dial 9-1-1.

Calls during office hours: We encourage you to call the office with your questions during working hours. You can talk to a medical assistant, or you may leave a message for your primary care doctor.  When you leave a message during office hours, we will do our best to get back with you as quickly as possible. Let the medical assistant know if your call is urgent. Lengthy discussions are best done at scheduled appointments.
 
PRESCRIPTIONS - No new medications, including antibiotics, are prescribed without first being examined by our physician.  For chronic conditions, we will be more than happy to refill your prescription, provided that we have been following your child for this condition.  Please try to call during regular business hours for prescription refills.

REFERRALS - We are proud of providing comprehensive care to our patients but there are times when it is necessary to refer to specialists for further evaluation and treatment. If you are enrolled in a managed care plan, a referral from your primary care physician to a specialist must be provided by our office in order for your services to be covered under your insurance. We will provide referrals to physicians participating in your insurance plan after evaluating the clinical complaint. When a referral is required, we request at least 48-72 hours to process the request. Most referrals can be faxed, but some must be picked up. If you know, please leave the name of the doctor with whom your child has the appointment, the telephone number, fax number, the doctor's NPI number, the date of the appointment, and your current insurance information. 

MEDICAL RECORDS/HEALTH FORMS/LETTERS - Should you wish to acquire a copy of your child's medical records, you must submit your request in writing. Please, allow 5-7 business days for your form to be completed. Concerning forms for school, camps, and day care, as well as prescription refills for daily or chronically used medications, please allow 2-3 days to fill out these non-urgent items. We will call to let you know when it is ready to be picked up.  If you would rather have us mail your health form, please provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
When possible, we will do our best to complete the health form during your visit with the doctor.
When picking up any medical records, health forms, doctor's letters, or prescriptions, you must present photo identification.

FINANCIAL POLICY
It is our goal to make sure you receive the maximum financial benefit from your insurance provider and to make sure that your account is handled in the most efficient manner possible. In order to accomplish this goal it is important that we have your understanding and cooperation in adhering to our financial policies.
Account Responsibility
As the parent or guardian of a child registered with Lydig Pediatrics, you are agreeing to be
responsible for all balances incurred on behalf of your child’s medical care. All balances are due upon receipt of a statement from our offices. If you feel your statement is incorrect or you are having financial difficulties, please contact our office within 15 days. If your insurance company denies your claim or does not pay your claim within 45 days after we have filed the claim, the outstanding balance becomes your responsibility. Please contact us immediately if you are having a dispute with your insurance company or you think your claim has been denied in error.
Parent Payment Responsibility
The parent authorizing treatment for a child will be the parent responsible for those charges. If a divorce or custody decree requires the other parent to pay all or part of the costs, it is the authorizing parent’s responsibility to collect from the other parent. If the non-custodial parent is responsible for medical treatment charges on behalf of the child, we advise that the non-custodial parent or guardian responsible for payment of charges for a child’s medical treatment be present at the first patient visit of the child to sign the necessary papers. Otherwise, the parent authorizing the treatment will be responsible for those charges, until such time as the appropriate forms are signed by the parent responsible for medical treatment costs and such signed forms are delivered to our office. Lydig Pediatrics will not intervene to determine a parent’s responsibility for payment.
 
Payment for Services
Payment in full is due at the time of service. Payment is expected in full at the time of service for:
Copayments and/or insurance deductibles
If we are not contracted with your insurance company
If you do not have insurance coverage
If we are unable to verify your insurance eligibility or we do not have your new insurance information on file
Payment is due within 15 days of receipt of your statement. If your account becomes past due we reserve the right to send you to collections and you will be responsible for all collection and fees that the practice incurs as a result. We reserve the right to refuse to see any patient that has been placed into collection.

Insurance Coverage
In order to provide your child medical services we are contracted with insurance companies. We agree to file your claim in the proper manner and to reasonably assist you if there are questions with your claim. It is your responsibility to know and understand your insurance coverage. We will contact your insurance company to verify that you have coverage but
we cannot be responsible for contacting them to obtain your benefit coverage.

Services Rendered
If your child is being seen for a well check up or preventive visit and another condition is treated
during the same appointment, we will bill for each service of the services performed.

Refunds
Overpayments will be refunded to responsible parties.