FAQs

Yes, we always welcome new patients. Contact our office for additional information including which insurances we accept, and to request an appointment.

Our office is open Monday through Friday. We are also open Sunday morning for sick appointments only. As our daily schedule is subject to change, please call to confirm office hours.

There are several ways to get information or contact Valley Pediatrics:

• The Website is a good source for printing out forms, paying bills, getting news about flu clinics and other parenting information. 
• The Facebook page for announcements and news, e.g. when we are closed due to snow or interesting news concerning children's health. 
• Patient portal (current patients only). Check here for your child's vaccine record, growth charts, and visit notes. You can email non-urgent questions,  request medication refills  24 hours a day, and send in school, camp, & sports forms for completion. This is the place to self-schedule for flu shot clinics. 
• Phone. For any urgent question, or for same day appointments, please call. There is always someone on call when the office is closed.

There is always someone on call. Just call the office number. We use a service at night to answer questions and perform telemedicine visits after hours.

You can schedule an appointment by calling our office during regular business hours. (410-902-7710). 

Please refer to our insurance page to review a list of accepted insurance providers. You can also call the office to check. 

A pediatrician is a medical doctor who specializes in the care of children. Pediatricians complete a residency in Pediatrics after medical school. This includes over 12,000 hours of training in the health and illnesses of infants, teens and young adults. Pediatricians are certified by the American Board of Pediatrics after passing a comprehensive exam and are re-certified every 5 years.

Pediatricians provide preventive health care for children in good health and medical care for children who are acutely or chronically ill. They also provide parents with support and advice with issues such as growth and development, safety and prevention, nutrition, and emotional wellness to foster a lifetime of good health.

Every effort is made to arrange your child's well care and follow up visits with the clinician of your choice. When your child is ill, he or she may see any one of our clinicians.

Well-care visits or checkups, are one of the most important things you can do to keep your child healthy. Well-child visits are a good time for parents to ask questions and express concerns about a child's development or behavior, The clinicians will observe the progress of your child's growth and development, provide immunizations, screen for problems, and counsel on nutrition, safety and overall well-being.  Part of a check up is screening for problems which is why parents complete surveys prior to the visit. We strongly feel that keeping up to date with your child's check ups is important and is a requirement of staying in this practice. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this schedule for routine well-care visits:

• 3 to 5 days
• 2 weeks
• 1 month
• 2 months
• 4 months
• 6 months
• 9 months
• 12 months
• 15 months
• 18 months
• 24 months
• 30 months
• 3 years
• 4 years

And once every year thereafter for an annual health supervision visit that includes a physical exam as well as a developmental, behavioral, and learning assessment.

Immunizations are a series of shots given to children at different ages to help prevent serious, potentially fatal, childhood diseases. Making sure your child receives immunizations when scheduled is the best way to help protect your child. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, vaccinations have reduced the number of infections from vaccine-preventable diseases by more than 90% and saved millions of lives. If you're apprehensive about vaccinations, we are happy to discuss this with you.  Please do not hesitate to contact our office.

We follow the immunization schedule recommended by The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). This schedule has been proven effective by many research studies. Please discuss your immunization questions and concerns with any of our clinicians. 

For non-urgent referrals: when one of our clinicians refers you to a specialist, please schedule your appointment with the specialist, then call our office within five business days of your appointment. Your referral will be available within 3 business days. Most referrals are completed electronically and submitted directly to the specialist's office. Please check with our office staff to determine if your insurance plan processes referrals electronically.

For urgent referrals: when one of our doctors determines that you need an urgent referral, your referral will be initiated immediately. Please remain in our office while your referral is processed, then proceed to your specialist.

You will receive a call quickly with any lab results that require urgent attention. Other abnormal lab results will be addressed promptly by the provider that ordered the labs or tests. Normal values are reviewed and addressed by the physician that ordered them. You may received a portal message about the results. 

You can request refills of chronic medication through the patient portal. Please log on and follow the prompts for refills. Allow five business day for all routine prescription refills. For prescriptions that require prior authorization from your insurance company, please plan ahead to allow at least three to five days for refill approval. 

Breastfeeding is one of the most important things you can do to get the baby off to a good start. Breastfeeding helps defend children against infections, prevents allergies, and protects against a number of chronic conditions. We have a LACTATION CONSULTANT available in the office to help you get things going well. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for 6-12 months. While experts believe that breast milk is the best nutritional choice for infants, breastfeeding may not be possible for all women.

Some women have specific medical considerations that impede breastfeeding; others choose to feed by formula because of personal choices. In these cases, an iron-fortified, milk-based infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your child's well care visit, or please call during office hours to speak with our staff.

Yes, in fact we strongly encourage parents-to-be to visit our office for a prenatal appointment. This is a great way to get acquainted with our office and our doctors. During this visit, we will answer any questions that you have about our practice or your new child. Visit our expectant parent's page for more information.

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office 1-2 days after discharge from the hospital. Our staff understands the importance of this first visit and will make every effort to schedule this visit promptly.

As all children are different, we advise following several appropriate steps to advance your child's diet based on age and development. We discussed feeding at all check ups and this is a great time to discuss starting solids.