policies and procedures at ghp

Office Visits

Both well child checkups and sick child visits to the office are important parts of comprehensive pediatric care. More time is allotted for well child visits because there is more to be accomplished. During a well child visit, our objectives are:
  1. the observation of growth and development;
  2. early detection of illness by screening examinations;
  3. immunization maintenance;
  4. counseling and education of parents and children; and
  5. promotion of mental health.

During sick child visits, we will confine our attention to the acute condition.

Monday - Friday:
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. by appointment
Saturdays:
9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Sick patients by appointment
Sundays:
1:30p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Acute illnesses or injuries only
No appointment necessary

THE DOCTORS WILL BE OUT OF THE OFFICE ON THESE DAYS:
Monday - Dr. Triggs
Tuesday - Dr. Godfrey
Wednesday - Dr. Walters
Thursday - Dr. Ladd
Friday - Dr. Buie

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Suggested Schedules for Well-Child Visits

First Year:
3 weeks
2 months
4 months
6 months
9 months
12 months
Second Year:
15 months
18 months
24 months
Third Year and beyond:
Yearly visits thru age 18
*Please note that there may be exceptions to this schedule as we feel necessary. Well child visits and immunizations are vital to achieve and maintain the physical and emotional well-being of the children under our care.

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Telephone Calls

Our staff answers the office phone:
Monday through Friday
9 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Saturday
9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Sunday
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Our staff has been trained to gather the information necessary to appropriately handle your questions, concerns, appointments and other requests. Gathering this information requires our time and your assistance in providing clear, concise information. If you want our help deciding whether we need to see your child, we will assist you in this decision, rather than having our staff simply advise you to bring your child to the office.

Please keep the following points in mind:

  • We will always see your child if you and / or your doctor feel your child needs to come to the office.
  • All calls are reviewed by one of the doctors periodically throughout the day and the instructions are relayed to patients by the staff.
  • When you call, please have pharmacy number and writing materials at hand for noting instructions.
  • The hours 9 - 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. are the busiest times on our phones. If you have a non-urgent need (well-child appointment, routine questions, health forms, etc.), please call at other times.
  • Voicemail messages will be handled within 24 hours.

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Emergencies

During office hours, call us if it is possible and briefly state your situation. If it is a laceration or other trauma which we can handle here at the office, we will direct you to come immediately. If the problem requires another specialist, we will contact one of them and direct you where to go.

If you have an emergency and are unable to reach us:

  • come to our office, or
  • proceed to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital Emergency Room

Emergency calls after hours and on weekends should be made to our main telephone number 385-1451. You will be forwarded to a digital voice messaging system. You may leave a brief message and the doctor on call will be paged, and you will receive a return phone call.

After hours the doctor and nurse on call are responsible for the emergency needs of the entire practice.

Please respect and consider our personal lives before calling us after office hours. Calls about minor colds and coughs, constipation, diaper rash, conjunctivitis (pink eye), booster shots, tick bites, pinworms and head lice should all wait until office hours the next day.

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Problems After Hours

If you have an emergency after hours, call our main telephone number 385-1451. You will be forwarded to a digital voice messaging system. You may leave a brief message and the doctor on call will be paged, and you will receive a return phone call.

If your child sustains a serious injury and we cannot be reached immediately, go directly to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. They can start treatment and notify us of your child's situation.

Many of our emergency calls are about the ingestion of toxic substances, plants, or potentially dangerous drugs. For ingestion of a toxic substance, call us (385-1451) and/or the Poison Control Center at 936-2034 or dial nationally (800) 222-1222.

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Laboratory

We maintain a laboratory for simple bloodwork, urinalysis and cultures. More comprehensive tests are sent to outside labs.

We do not have any X-ray equipment in this office.

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Professional Fees and Billing

We make an earnest attempt to provide you with quality pediatric care at a fair fee. Fees for services are based on the amount of time involving the doctor and staff.

Billing and collections are a significant part of medical care costs. In the interest of controlling these costs, we require payment at the time of visit if:

  • Current insurance information and a current insurance card are not presented at the visit.
  • The patient has no insurance coverage.
  • We do not participate with your insurance plan.

If the need arises for special arrangements to pay your account, please contact the business office at 385-3443.

We kindly request that patient balances be paid within 30 days after insurance pays. Balances over 90 days without current payment are subject to further collection activity by Green Hills Pediatric Associates or an outside agency. We accept Visa and MasterCard for your convenience. A fee will be charged for returned checks.

Remember to add your newborn to your insurance policy within 30 days of his/her birth.

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Insurance

Your health insurance policy is a contract between you and your insurance company. It is very important that you understand its provisions. Please review your policy and become familiar with the benefits it provides. If you have any questions about the coverage, you should contact your company's member services department.

Questions regarding the filing of claims or the responsibility of payment may also be discussed with our business office staff. The parent or guardian is always responsible for payment, not the insurance company.

We are glad to work with you and your insurance company. To help make this process easier and create less stress for you, we would like to suggest the following guidelines:

  1. Provide a current insurance card at each visit. Some insurance plans have a card for each member. Therefore, be prepared to provide each child's card.
  2. If you have a co-pay please be prepared to pay this at the time of your office visit.
  3. If you have a secondary insurance, please let us know.

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Referrals

You are responsible for making certain a referral to a specialist has been arranged. If the doctor tells you that your child needs to see a specialist, you must take the responsibility to remind this office that your insurance requires a referral. Please call at least 2 working days before your appointment.

Referrals to a specialist must be obtained from this office before seeing a specialist. Please do not expect this office to obtain an authorization or a self-referral after you have seen a specialist.

We will be glad to help you in any way possible with your insurance. The business office direct line is 385-3443.

Please be sure to bring your child's insurance card with you for each visit.

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