Whether you’re an expectant parent, new to the area, or not happy with your current doctor, here are 5 tips for picking the right pediatrician for you and your child.
1.Get a Notebook & Start Taking Notes. List areas of greatest concern to you about your child’s health and well-being. Co-sleeping, Breastfeeding, Immunization Schedules, Diet, Homeopathic Remedies, Exercise, Medication, School, Sports, etc. Look for a doctor who's on the same page as you when it comes to these issues & your parenting style.
2.Meet and Greet. A good pediatrician is willing to meet with parents for an informal interview session. Take your notebook with you when you interview doctors to keep track of what you like and dislike. Observe how the office operates. Is the staff friendly, welcoming, and happy that you are considering coming to their practice? Does the doctor seem to genuinely love what he or she does? Is the waiting room clean, patient-friendly, and stocked with toys for the little ones?
3.Stay Close to Home (or Work). Most patients choose a pediatrician near their home or work. When your child is sick, you don’t want to schlep them across town to see the doctor. Keep in mind if you have a newborn that during their first year of life, you will be making frequent visits for well checks, immunizations, etc., so you’ll want the commute to be convenient.
4.Check Your Insurance. Make sure the pediatrician is covered by your insurance. Contact your insurance plan to ensure that the pediatrician you’re interested in is a provider on your plan. You don’t want to get too far down the road with a doctor you really like just to find out they will be out-of-network.
5.Trust Your Instincts. Listen to your intuition. If you walk into a pediatrician’s office and feel at ease in the waiting room, with the doctor’s bedside manner and the rapport between you, that’s great. If you feel uncomfortable, like you’re being rushed, or that the environment is uncomfortable in any way, keep searching. You will be discussing a wide range of issues with your child’s doctor for many years to come, and you’ll need to feel like you can call them at 2 in the morning if the need arises. Choose with care.
As the largest, independent pediatric practice in Virginia, we at Pediatric Partners of Virginia are advocates of doing your due diligence when choosing a pediatrician. We would also be honored if you would consider PPV in your search.
The physicians and employees of the following 6 practices joined together in an integrated group practice on January 1, 2014 to form Pediatric Partners of Virginia.
The 6 practices & 7 locations currently part of Pediatric Partners of Virginia are:
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Associates in Pediatrics (Glen Allen)
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Huguenot Pediatrics (Midlothian)
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James River Pediatrics (Midlothian)
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Pediatric Associates (Richmond and Midlothian)
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Pediatric Partnership (Glen Allen)
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West End Pediatrics (Richmond)
This merger allowed our 6 practices the opportunity to better serve you, our families and our patients, as we move into this new era of healthcare. All practices are now on a common electronic health record (EHR) which allows our physicians to better care for our patients. In the near future, we will introduce a patient portal for better access to our practices via the internet. Our 25 plus pediatricians and providers can also focus on providing great care for kids without worrying about the day-to-day operations of their practice, since PPV has a corporate office to help with the business side of medicine.
PPV offers a number of services that you might not think about during a typical pediatric office visit. Among them :
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Available 24 Hours / 7 Days a Week
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Onsite Lab
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Onsite Hearing /Visual Screenings
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Some Offices are Multi-lingual (English/Spanish/French and more)
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Same Day Appointments Available
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Most Major Insurances Accepted
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Ear Piercing
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Immunizations
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Nurse Consultations
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Educational /Nutritional Services
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Complimentary Prenatal Consultations
