Our Answers
Below are answers to questions many parents ask about our practice. If you'd like to know more, please don't hesitate to call us at (910) 392-5634. Our providers are happy to sit down with you to answer your questions in person. We also welcome expectant or new parents to tour our office and meet with a provider at no charge.
HOW DO I MAKE AN APPOINTMENT?
At Cape Fear Pediatrics, we want to make sure every child is seen when it's most convenient for the child and the family. For non-urgent issues like wellness exams and chronic problems, we ask that you call in advance to schedule an appointment with the provider of your choice.
We also start each day with dozens of same-day appointments to ensure any sick child will be seen that day. When your child is ill, please call us as early as possible so we can find an appointment time that works best for you. If it's easier, you can always stop by our front desk to make an appointment in person.
Our Hampstead office is cozy, with two exam rooms and one provider. We see many same-day appointments in Hampstead, and our Hampstead patients are always welcome to visit the Wilmington office when it's more convenient.
We want to make sure your provider has time to fully address any concern you may have. Please let us know if more than one sibling needs to be seen so we can make each child his or her own appointment. We also like to know if you have multiple concerns or complex problems so we can be sure we give you the time you need.
We may ask patients who arrive more than fifteen minutes late for a scheduled appointment to reschedule for later the same day or for a different day.
Most importantly, please know we're committed to making certain we see any child who needs medical care. While we don't have "walk-in hours," we promise if your child is sick, your child will be seen!
HOW CAN I CONTACT YOUR OFFICE?
Please feel free to call our office at (910) 392-5634 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays with any questions or appointment requests. We have dedicated staff answering phones during those hours, although some calls may be answered by voicemail when call volume gets very heavy. Our staff checks and responds to voicemails continually.
Our evening calls go to Vitaline, a service of New Hanover Health Network . Vitaline nurses answer and record every call and then fax the information to our office. The Vitaline nurses can answer most of your urgent questions, including helping decide whether your child needs immediate medical attention. They are always in communication with a pediatrician from our call group for emergencies. As always, please call 911 for any life-threatening emergency.
HOW DO I PAY FOR SERVICES?
Our office participates in the vast majority of health insurance plans. Please call the billing office if you change insurance policies or have questions about whether we are participating providers for your insurance. Also, please bring your current insurance card to each office visit.
Copays are collected at check-in. At the end of your visit, you may request an itemized bill. We ask that you pay your bill on the day that your child is seen. We accept cash, checks, Visa, and Master Card.
WILL YOU SEE MY CHILD IN THE HOSPITAL?
All our physicians have privileges at New Hanover Regional Medical Center and Cape Fear Hospital. One of our physicians makes rounds daily on all our patients and is always available to respond to urgent situations. We will see your newborn baby within twelve hours of birth in most cases, sooner if needed. Neonatologists are also in the hospital 24 hours a day to care for very ill or premature babies. We also provide consultations in the emergency departments of both hospitals.
ARE YOU AVAILABLE ON WEEKENDS AND IN THE EVENINGS?
A pediatrician is available for your child 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Cape Fear Pediatrics is fortunate to partner with Carolina Pediatrics, Seaside Pediatrics, and The Pediatric Center to share night and weekend services. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, either Cape Fear Pediatrics or one of our partner offices is open to see ill patients on a walk-in basis. Likewise, a pediatrician from Cape Fear Pediatrics or one of our partner practices will see every hospitalized patient and every newborn daily, and one of us is always available for emergencies. Just call our office at 910-392-5634 and the Vitaline nurses will take it from there.
HOW CAN I GET MEDICATION REFILLS AND SCHOOL FORMS COMPLETED?
You can call our office at (910) 392-5634 or fax us at (910) 392-5654 with any requests. You may also drop forms off at our front desk. Many of these items require a provider's personal attention, so we ask that you give us 24 hours to complete them. Medications for ADHD have some special requirements, which you can view on our "Streamline Your Visit" page.
HOW ARE YOU USING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE PATIENT CARE AND SAFETY?
Cape Fear Pediatrics is committed to making sure our patients receive the best, most up-to-date care available. We now use a suite of information technology by industry leader EHS to ensure we have accurate information about our patients in real time wherever it's needed. Our electronic prescribing program tracks all our patients' prescriptions and automatically checks for drug allergies and interactions. Our internal messaging tracks appointments, labs, x-rays, and referrals. We have full electronic access to New Hanover Regional Medical Center's labs, x-rays, and patient records as well as lab results from NextWave Labs. And our electronic medical record means that even when we're away from the office your child's critical medical information is as close as the nearest computer screen.
WILL I ALWAYS SEE THE SAME PROVIDER?
At Cape Fear Pediatrics, each of us treasures our ongoing relationship with our patients. We love watching the children we care for grow and develop over time. We always try to schedule you with the provider of your choice, but we also feel one of the greatest assets we have as a practice is our teamwork. We encourage our patients to develop relationships with multiple providers on our team in order to take advantage of each provider's individual strengths and talents.
WILL MY CHILD CATCH SOMETHING FROM BEING AROUND SICK CHILDREN IN YOUR OFFICE?
At Cape Fear Pediatrics, we work hard to keep all our patients as healthy as possible. We have separate waiting rooms for well and sick patients and recently added a third area for newborns and nursing mothers. You may notice our waiting areas have no toys; because shared toys can spread illness among children, we ask parents to bring their own. We do keep toys and books in the exam rooms where we can clean them between patients. You will see alcohol hand sanitizer in every patient care area. Our providers and staff are compulsive to make sure that when children leave our office the only thing they pick up is a prize!