Looking for an inside glimpse into what happens when you visit Center for Pediatric Medicine? How we prepare for your arrival? What’s going on while you’re waiting in the exam room or even after you leave the office?
Follow along and let’s explore a day a Center for Pediatric Medicine!
Transferring to CPM
Transferring to CPM is very easy. Please provide the office with any record release information before arriving on your first visit. CPM welcomes new and transferring patients. Unfortunately, our Medicaid patient panel is currently closed. However, if you are a newborn with Medicaid insurance you are eligible to register as a new patient. Please continue to contact the office in regard to our insurance policies as they change from time to time. Please contact one of our two office locations to schedule your first visit. Our staff will assist you on how to have your records transferred and what to expect on your first visit.
Before You Arrive
Our providers and Clinical Team Members (“CTM”: RNs, LPNs and MAs) start preparing for your visit up to a week before your appointment. We like to familiarize ourselves with your child’s background and medical needs to most effectively prepare for your visit. All of our Providers have a CTM assigned to them and their patients daily. CTMs review schedules, make sure your charts are up-to-date, and check to see that we’ve received any outstanding reports (lab results, specialist visits, or emergency room/ hospital discharge summaries). When the CTMs have finished, we have a clearer picture of your child’s medical history and can inform the provider of any pertinent information. The provider will then review the chart and history before you even walk in the door.
Our front desk staff also prepares for your visit ahead of time. In each office a member of our team reviews the schedules several days in advance. During this time they are working to verify insurance and note any changes from previous visits (when they identify these things ahead of time, it saves you time at Check-In!). We will also make sure all registration paperwork is up to date, clinical reports are scanned into the electronic chart, and everything is ready for the CTMs and providers. When all the information is verified the front desk will ensure that you are contacted via your chosen contact method (call, text, email, etc.) to confirm the date, time, and location of your appointment.
At the Front Desk
Your appointment day has arrived! Our front desk staff will greet you as you enter the office and get any updated information, collect forms and any payments (copays, outstanding balances, etc) that are due, and get you checked into our computer system. At the front desk we like to verify your contact information at every visit. We want to guarantee we can reach you if needed — you might be surprised how often addresses, phone numbers and emails change! We will also ask to see your insurance card –especially if a new year has passed. Insurances can also change quite frequently and we want to ensure you are being billed correctly to avoid any hassle for you!
In the Reception Area
In the Exam Room with Our Clinical Team
In the Exam Room with Our Clinical Team
When your provider enters the room they will review your child’s history with you to ensure everything is correct and ask if you have any additional questions or concerns. Sometimes additional concerns arise – we understand!
We can usually address these concerns at the appointment; however, sometimes more time is required to fully address separate concerns that may come up during a visit.
At Check-Out
After You Leave
Even though you’ve walked out the door, we still haven’t completed your visit! A few important things are still happening inside our office.
First, your provider completes their Office Visit note or Physical Exam note by entering all the information from your visit into your electronic chart. Once the visit notes are complete they are reviewed by our Billing Department, who attach charges to bills and make sure they’re correct before submitting them to your insurance company.
Once the bill has been submitted, our Billers follow the charges and update your account after payment has been received from your insurance company. Sometimes certain charges or parts of your bill may be charged back to you due to your insurance policy. This could include additional deductible amounts, coinsurance charges, etc. Every insurance policy is different and some things covered by one plan may not be covered by another. If there’s a balance due, our Billers will look into your account for your preferred payment/billing methods. Many patients prefer to leave a credit card or HSA card on file with our Business Office to make billing transactions fast and easy. If your card is on file, the Biller will automatically charge your account; otherwise, the Biller will prepare and send a paper statement to your billing address. You can also pay balances through your Patient Portal account.
When You Call With a Concern
If that happens, they will consult with one of our providers to get you the best possible care advice.
All the care advice they discuss with you is recorded into your electronic medical record and reviewed by a provider. Because of those electronic medical records, we can access your information and treat you with the same great care no matter which office location you visit.
And Now You Know!
That’s a look behind the scenes of what happens before, during, and after your visit to Center for Pediatric Medicine. We hope it gives you some idea of how we operate, and of all the people who work together as a team to keep you and your children as healthy and happy as we can.
If you want to know more, or if you have any questions, feel free to ask us in the office anytime!
Classes & Events
Birth & Beyond
Monthly Classes
CPM offers prenatal newborn classes. Classes have limited space each month. Please call our main office today to request our availability.
