F.A.Q.
Appointments
Please call our office to make any appointment. Our staff will do its best to schedule an appointment in a timely fashion. We request that you call the office for any well or sick appointment. If your child is urgently ill or injured and there is no time to call the office, you may have to consider proceeding directly to the Emergency Room or calling 911.
We schedule well visits up to one year in advance. Please call well in advance of your desired appointment date. Children beyond the age of two years old should be seen annually for health maintenance exams.
Sick appointments are usually made on the same day of the phone call. We have significant capacity to see sick children usually within several hours of the phone call. Please call first before coming in so that we may give you an exact time. Your child will be seen by the next available provider at the time of the visit.
Getting Prompt Medical Service
During our office hours, please call the office for medical advice. Our regular phone hours are:
Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday 8:00am - noon
Any calls outside of these hours will be referred to our answering service. Please call our main phone number (784-5782) for instructions. Your call will be returned within an hour by one of our providers.
Transferring Medical Records
Transferring medical records works in two directions. Either records are being transferred to Pediatric Associates of Lewiston from another provider or records are being transferred from our office to another medical provider.
A signed authorization from a custodial parent is required before records may be released in either direction.
Our office has authorization forms for medical record transfer and you can download them off our website.
Insurance
Our practice participates in health plans with the following insurance companies:
- Aetna Health Plans
- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
- Benefit Plan Management
- Cigna
- Great West Healthcare
- Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare
- Mainecare
- Martin's Point
- Medical Network
- PHCS
- United Healthcare
Participation in these plans may change without notice. If you do not see your insurance plan listed, please call our office for updated information at 784-5782
School Forms
School forms are generally required when a student enters a new school and annually for sports participation. Usually, we can fill out the form if a well exam has been performed in our office with the past twelve months. Please drop off the form and we will fill it out within 48 hours. You can pick the filled out form up or we can mail it to you if you provide a self-addressed envelope with postage.
If your child has not had a physical in our office in the past twelve months, please set one up as soon as possible.
Referrals
If you feel that your child needs a referral to a specialist or to an ancillary health care provider, it is advisable that you talk to your primary provider within Pediatric Associates of Lewiston. At times, Pediatric Associates can provide the required service. Your Pediatric Associates provider is in the best position to refer your child to the appropriate specialist. Our hope is that we can coordinate the care that your child receives in the medical community.
Some insurance companies require that your primary care provider approves any request for a referral. Please refer to your insurance contract or contact us if you have any questions.
Camp Forms
Camp forms are very similar to school forms. If your child has had a well visit within the twelve months prior to camp, we can fill out the form. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope when you give us the form. If your child has not been seen for a well visit in the year before camp, you will need to set up an appointment. Please set up appointments as soon as possible prior to camp.
Medical Questions
The trained Pediatric Associates medical staff can answer most of your medical questions. When you call the office, our staff answers the phone during our office hours. If the nurse cannot answer your question, you will have the opportunity to speak to a provider or have a provider return your call.
If you call the office after office hours, you will be instructed to call the office during office hours. However, if your question is of an urgent nature, your call will be returned by one of our healthcare providers.
