Policies

New Patients

New patients are always welcome! Our goal is to provide you with the best medical care for your infant, child, or teenager on an ongoing basis, whether it be for routine, ill, or urgent care. We provide care for all children from newborns through teens to age 21. Routine physical exams are scheduled 1-2 weeks in advance depending on availability. For sick or urgent visits, we make every effort to see you the same day you call for an appointment.

Please check with your insurance plan to make sure that the physician you have chosen at South East Bay Pediatrics is part of your insurance network. If you have trouble finding out whether or not we are a part of your plan, please feel free to contact us directly with your insurance information and we may be able to help you.

Appointments

Please call ahead for appointments and let us have a brief idea of your problem so that we can schedule appropriately. Please make it clear if you need a full physical check-up, a sick visit, or a follow-up. If several family members are ill and need to be seen, please let us know – squeezing them in without an appointment will keep others waiting. To help the office run on schedule, we greatly appreciate your prompt arrival for your appointment. Please arrive 30 minutes early if you have a change in address or insurance so forms can be updated. If you are more than 30 minutes late for your scheduled appointment, we may need to reschedule your visit. There is a fee for missed appointments.

On weekday mornings Monday through Friday we offer Drop-In Office Hours between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. for urgent issues only (e.g. fever, vomiting, ear ache, sore throat, etc… – no well-checks nor follow-ups) and only for established patients (no new patients). You can walk in anytime during these hours for:

• Children older than 3 months
• Symptoms fewer than 3 days
• Routine health problems (such as sore throat, ear ache, cough, fever, rash, or stuffy nose)
• Only for established patients (no new patients)
• No follow-up or well-checks

No appointment is necessary during these hours. For these office hours, patients will be seen on a first come first served basis; therefore arriving early will ensure prompt service. Space is limited however, and you may be asked to schedule an appointment after 9:00 a.m. depending on patient flow. If the drop-in office hours are filled and cannot immediately accommodate you, you will be given the first available regular appointment later that morning.

Because of the extra, more time-consuming care they require, children younger than 3 months, with symptoms longer than 3 days, and/or with chronic or complex health problems (like asthma, headaches, stomach aches) cannot be seen during Walk-in Hours. For these cases, our staff will be happy to schedule a regular appointment.

Urgent Issue/Emergencies

It is always best to call the office during office hours if your child becomes ill during the day. Same-day visits will be scheduled for urgent problems. If you have an urgent problem or if your child becomes ill after hours or on holidays or weekends, please call our main office number. You will be put into contact with a pediatric advice nurse or the doctor on call who will help to direct your child’s care.

There is a charge of $35.00 for telephone advice provided outside of normal clinic hours. We have limited office hours on most holidays, weekends, and evenings for urgent issues. During weekend office hours, please try to call as early as possible after 9:00 A.M. as appointment slots fill rapidly. There are no Drop-In Office Hours on weekends and holidays.

Drop-Ins

During regular office hours, we do not accept “drop-ins.”

Should you come to the office without an appointment during regular office hours, we will do our best to schedule your child with the next available appointment. There can be a 1-2 hour wait before this availability occurs; therefore, we always encourage you to call for an appointment first.

Telephone Advice. We are happy to answer any questions and to address any concerns that you may have about your child. Please call the office during office hours if your child becomes ill during the day, for non-urgent problems, for ongoing problems, and for routine child care issues (e.g. feeding, sleep, and behavior questions). Your doctor or a staff member will call you back with advice or will advise a future appointment if necessary. There will be a charge for all telephone advice provided outside of normal clinic hours.

Telephone Advice

We are happy to answer any questions and to address any concerns that you may have about your child. Please call the office during office hours if your child becomes ill during the day, for non-urgent problems, for ongoing problems, and for routine child care issues (e.g. feeding, sleep, and behavior questions). Your doctor or a staff member will call you back with advice or will advise a future appointment if necessary. There will be a charge for all telephone advice provided outside of normal clinic hours.

Prescription Refills

For prescription refills, please contact your pharmacy first and ask them to fax us a refill request. Our fax number is (510) 792-3420.

Privacy Policy

It is the policy of our practice that all physicians and staff preserve the integrity and the confidentiality of protected health information (PHI) pertaining to our patients. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that our practice and its physicians and staff have the necessary medical and PHI to provide the highest quality medical care possible while protecting the confidentiality of the PHI of our patients to the highest degree possible. Patients should not be afraid to provide information to our practice and its physicians and staff for purposes of treatment, payment and healthcare operations (TPO).

Our Privacy Policy describes how our practice and its physicians and staff will accomplish this. Read the complete Privacy Policy.

Red Flag Rules

Per the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) effective August 1, 2009, businesses, including physician practices, will be required to implement identity theft prevention measures. At South East Bay Pediatrics these measures will include the following changes which will affect you directly:

1. Identity verification will be required at the time patients are checked into the office.  Parents and/or legal guardians bringing patients in for an appointment will need to present a photo identification in order to be registered.
2. If parents are unable to bring their children in for an appointment and instead designate another adult (over 18 years of age) to serve as the child’s guardian during the appointment, parents are required to bring a signed Consent for Treatment by Designated Guardian Form at the time of the visit. The designated guardian will need to bring appropriate photo identification for verification.

We understand that forms and paperwork are becoming an increasing burden to our families. However, we all need to adhere to state and federal regulations in order to continue serving our families. Thank you very much for your understanding.