FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ARE YOU TAKING NEW PATIENTS?
Currently we are NOT accepting any new patients. We will be able to take only siblings of existing patients. We are not sure when this will change in the future, but when it does, we will update the website.
WHAT TYPE OF INSURANCES DO YOU TAKE?
If you are an existing patient and need to switch your health insurance, we take the majority of private insurances as well as the Tufts Health Together Boston Children’s Hospital ACO plan. The following are insurances that we know we do not take:
-BCBS of Rhode Island HMO **We do take the PPO**
-Tufts Spirit
-Tufts Select Network EPO
-Fallon Direct
-BMC Healthnet
Due to the amount of new plans coming out, we highly recommend calling your new insurance before switching to make sure that we are “in-network” and you are able to see one of our physicians. If you have any questions on this, please feel free to call the office for clarification.
If you are uninsured or underinsured, we do offer a sliding fee scale that can help you afford healthcare. If you need assistance on obtaining health insurance for your child, please call the office and ask to speak to someone regarding assistance.
WHAT IF MY CHILD IS SICK AND NEEDS TO BE SEEN AFTER YOU CLOSE?
You are welcome to call our office 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If our office is closed, our phone lines will direct you to our answering service where they will connect you with our nurse triage service or the after-hours covering physician. They will then provide you with options for your child to be seen, whether it be with the on call covering physician, the local urgent care center or the emergency room. They will also be able to give you advice if you just need to speak with a nurse.
WHAT IS YOUR VACCINE POLICY?
We at Cove Pediatrics feel very strongly about fully vaccinating your child within the time guidelines recommended by the AAP. Feel free to take a look at our vaccine policy under the policy tab for more details.
I HAVE FORMS THAT NEED TO BE FILLED OUT BY MY PCP, CAN IT BE DONE TODAY?
We require a notice of at least five business days to fill out any patient document requested and it will be completed at the discretion of the physician. We may get this to you sooner than five days but it depends on the complexity of the forms that need to be filled out.
I NEED A PRESCRIPTION FILLED, CAN IT BE WRITTEN TODAY?
Please allow up to 48 hours for all refills of medication, especially controlled medication prescriptions. These do need to be hand written by your own physician and to allow this happen, we need to have at least a two day notice. Thank you for your consideration on this.
DO YOU HAVE AN ATTENDANCE POLICY?
Because we are a small practice with limited spots, we ask that you call us at least 24 hours to cancel your appointment so that we can use these spots for sick children needing to be seen. If you miss your appointment without calling or you are more than ten minutes late, this is considered a “no-show” visit. After three “No-show” visits, we have the right to ask you to leave the practice. We definitely do not enjoy doing this and understand that things come up but to be fair to everyone, we will enforce this policy.
DO I HAVE TO ACCOMPANY MY CHILD TO THEIR APPOINTMENT?
If you are unable to bring your child in for an appointment, you are able to have another reliable adult attend the appointment with them. If you do not have a “permission to treat” form completed, we will need your verbal or written permission to do vaccines or any procedures if the child is under the age of 18 years of age so please keep your telephone handy as we may need to speak with you directly.
CAN I SET UP A PAYMENT PLAN TO HELP OUR FAMILY PAY OUR BALANCE?
We totally understand that healthcare is expensive but we are legally required to collect co-payments and deductibles. We cannot write them off or alter them at our discretion. We will be glad to set up a payment plan to help you with this burden. Please call our office and ask for the office manager to set this up.