How to Choose a Pediatric Provider
WiseCare Experts Offer Timely Advice and Insider Tips for How to Choose a Pediatric Provider.
This information is intended for new parents, and parents who recently moved into Anne Arundel County and are searching for a pediatric provider.
Depending on the needs of your child, you can expect to be in the pediatrician’s office at least 15 times during the first five years of your child’s life.
When it comes time to take your child to the doctor, it can be very hard to find one that provides comprehensive reliable care, or that does not have a waiting room backlogged for hours. Most of all, we know that seeing your child suffering from an illness or injury can be incredibly stressful, and at times, frightening.
Where Do We Begin?
Choosing a pediatrician might seem like a daunting task, but in the long run, it’s an important decision that can be made simpler with a bit of pre-work to help you identify what’s important to you as a parent, and which style of a pediatrician is a good match for you and your child.
WiseCare believes medical care is a partnership between parents and pediatricians. Choosing a pediatric provider is one of the most important long-term investments. You owe it to yourself and your child to find a good partner.
Decide What Qualities Are Important to You
It has long been said that parents look for the “3 As” in a pediatric provider: affability, ability, and availability. Beyond these points, do some soul searching of your own. Make a list of what qualities you need in your child’s doctor. Are you a new parent without a lot of experience? Do you lack confidence like many new parents do when it comes to childhood development quirks and common childhood illnesses?
Nearly all first-time parents tend to worry (a lot!), and so they might be looking for an empathetic listener who will seriously address all of their concerns. Or, maybe you’re a veteran parent who is firmly rooted in your parenting style and philosophy – so perhaps you are searching for a pediatric provider who is like-minded.
Other factors that may impact your list is the pediatric provider’s basic parenting philosophy and approach to medicine. You may prefer a provider who likes to think outside the box, or provides alternative approaches to treatment and prevention. Or one that is at least open to your ideas.
More key factors include distance and availability. Are you willing to drive further for higher quality, or do you prefer a provider office that is close to home or work?
At WiseCare, our pediatric provider’s schedule is visible online at wisecaremd.com and you can see available appointments. So if this kind of transparency is important to you, it makes sense to choose a provider who will not make you wait weeks and weeks for an appointment.
Check Pediatrician’s Credentials
The quickest way to verify a provider’s credentials (license) is to visit online your state’s Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. You can also Google your provider and review any ratings, education, etc. based on what’s available as public information.
Many parents rely on word-of-mouth and ask the most experienced, or like-minded parents in their neighborhood, church, or social circle to get references about providers. When asking for references from other parents, it helps to include questions about availability, how much time the provider commits to each appointment, etc.
If your child has special needs, or a chronic illness such as diabetes it will be important to search for a pediatric provider who has the expertise and experience to serve not only as a resource, but a medical partner for you and your child.
Schedule a Face-to-Face Interview
WiseCare Pediatric Provider Rachel Inman, MSN, CRNP
One of the reasons so many parents select WiseCare for their child’s pediatric needs is because our medical centers are centrally located, and our providers are available when most others are not. Also, because WiseCare offers walk-in urgent care services, parents can trust their children’s health to WiseCare for routine and emergent medical needs. Many pediatric providers do not offer walk-in urgent care after hours like WiseCare does.
When you are calling to schedule your face-to-face interview with a prospective pediatric provider, first ask if they are accepting new patients. (WiseCare is currently accepting new pediatric patients.)
Next, ask how soon you can meet the provider in their office. Is this timeframe acceptable to you as a new parent? If the provider cannot meet new parents within a week or two (or longer!), it might be a sign they are typically over-scheduled and you might have to endure long-wait times for appointments, and again when you finally get into the doctor’s office.
Once you’re in the office and are interviewing the pediatric provider, be sure to go beyond general questions and ask about the evening and weekend hours, after-hours coverage, and hospital affiliations.
Check Your Insurance
WiseCare accepts most insurance plans and has an affordable self-pay option for all of the services we offer. If you have insurance, check your provider directory to confirm which providers are participating members.
But you need to go a step further and confirm participation with the provider’s office since many insurance directories are not updated more often than 1-2 times per year.
Trust Your Intuition
For all the hype that mother’s intuition gets, you’d think it’d be easier to figure out. But many parents struggle to know if they’re really listening to their gut and if what their gut is saying makes sense.
When selecting a pediatric provider, the parents’ trust of pediatric care is strengthened when their personal experiences and personal empowerment are confirmed and recognized.
Bring your child along to the appointment if you recently moved to the area or are switching pediatric providers. Watch the provider interact with your child, and take cues from your child.
Once you’re in the office and are interviewing the pediatric provider, ask a few leading questions to get a feel for the type of parenting advice the provider will likely give you in the coming years. Such as “how important is breastfeeding”, or “do you believe in the cry-out method, or do you have another idea for helping my baby learn to sleep well?”
These questions may not really have right or wrong answers, so you will get a sense if the provider’s advice will fit well with what you feel is right for your baby.
One More Tip
At WiseCare, our doctors are compassionate and highly experienced at providing pediatric care with primetime appointments slots available. Your child’s comfort and overall health is our top priority. We strive to alleviate your anxiety by helping your child regain their full health quickly.
Our staff is prepared to handle virtually any type of non-emergency health situation your children needs medical attention for. We provide primary care and urgent care to our youngest patients in our advanced and comfortable office. With our on-site lab and on-site x-ray capabilities, we are a one-stop-shop for all your pediatric needs.
Our Pediatric Primary Care services include:
Well-Child Exams, Vaccinations and Physicals
Minor Injuries: Splinter removal, suture removal, treatment of minor broken bones, sprains, strains, minor burns, wounds, abrasions, cuts, and lacerations
Respiratory Problems: Treatment of bronchiolitis, bronchitis, congestion, cough, and mild asthma attacks
Minor Infections: Treatment of thrush, cold, flu, ear infections, earache, cold and mouth sores, strep infections, sore throat, urinary tract infections, sinus infections, and pink eye
Skin Problems: Treatment of diaper rash, ringworm, eczema, itching and rash, poison ivy, athlete’s foot, sunburn, and scabies
Treatment of Acute or Chronic Illness Conditions
Most importantly, we are here for you and your entire family. Easily book an appointment online www.wisecaremd.com or call today at 410.255.7900 to schedule a primary care appointment for your child.
WISECARE IS HERE FOR YOU 365 DAYS A YEAR
Our Board Certified physicians are available 7 days a week including nights and weekends, and can provide customized treatment for patients of all ages. To schedule a non-urgent medical appointment – book online at www.wisecaremd.com or call 410.255.7900 today.
Our Severna Park and Pasadena medical centers offer immunizations and primary care services provided by our caring, board certified physicians and physician assistants. Our highly trained professional staff are focused on putting you at ease about your medical needs for patients of all ages.
WiseCare offers quality medical care 7 days a week to your employees in Severna Park and Pasadena and surrounding communities. In addition to immunizations, WiseCare can also serve as a “medical home” whenever you have urgent or non-urgent medical needs. We treat all ages, 7 days. a week, including nights and weekends. Our medical center services include primary care, pediatric care, urgent care, physicals, vaccinations, x-rays, in-house lab testing, IV fluid hydration, immigration physicals, occupational medicine, DOT physicals, drug screening DOT and non-DOT, travel vaccines and more.