After Hours

After Hours

Our practice utilizes a nurse triage service to handle our after ours calls. If you have an urgent issue that cannot wait until our office re-opens, then call our regular office number (410-992-9339) and the call will be forwarded to our after hours medical partner, Hello Pediatrics. This service provides after hours telemedicine appointments and overnight nurse triage that is billed through your insurance. They will connect with us for specific issues related to our in office care, and they provide clinical records to us in real time for all interactionos.

Please save routine questions (mild illness, appointments, prescription refills) for the next business day. Also, DO NOT send urgent messsages via the patient portal after hours. We only view portal messages when our office is open. Phone calls which are not regarding urgent medical issues are subject to be assigned a $50 charge.

We encourage you to refer to our website first, when practical, before calling the emergency number. If your urgent issue is regarding the ingestion of a substance, then please contact

Poison Control directly at 1-800-222-1222. 

Should your after hours issue result in a prolonged direct converstion with a physician, such an encounter may be billed to insurance based on the length and the content of the call. This will typically occur when we need to be more comprehensive during phone conversations, and we cannot have the benefit of an in person visit to obtain information that will assist in the assessment. This challenge translates to more time on the phone and a greater number of decisions that affect your child’s treatment. You will be informed when an after hours conversation meets criteria for billing,and you may be responsible for some or all of the associated insurance charge because of a co-pay, a deductible, or non-coverage. 

On Call Providers

The pediatricians and clinicians take emergency calls from their homes after hours.

Call the main office number, and our answering service will contact the on-call care provider to call you back. Please save routine questions such as mild illness, appointment scheduling, and prescription refills for regular office hours.

We encourage you to refer to our child health resources, when practical, before calling the office.

Emergencies

If an emergency should arise, please call 911.

Emergencies are considered to be those conditions that are life-threatening: loss of consciousness, severe bleeding, seizure, etc. In the case of minor emergencies (lacerations, cuts, mild fractures, sprains), please call our office first for instructions.