New Patient Guide

As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and young adults. We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We are more than willing to discuss any questions you may have about vaccines, but do require all new patients to our practice to adhere to the vaccination schedule endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives.

We firmly believe in the safety of our vaccines.

We firmly believe that all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.

We firmly believe that thimerosal, a preservative that has been in vaccines for decades and remains in some vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.

We firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you can support as parents/caregivers.

The recommended vaccines and the schedule of administration are the results of years and years of scientific study and data-gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.

The vaccine campaign is truly a victim of its own success. It is precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that we are even discussing whether or not they should be given. Because of vaccines, many of you have never seen a child with polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, or even chickenpox, or known a friend or family member whose child died of one of these diseases. Such success can make us complacent or even lazy about vaccinating. But such an attitude, if it becomes widespread, can only lead to tragic results.

Over the past several years, many people in Europe have chosen not to vaccinate their children with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine after publication of an unfounded suspicion (later retracted) that the vaccine caused autism. As a result of under-immunization, there have been small outbreaks of measles and several deaths from complications of measles in Europe over the past several years. The United States experienced a record number of measles cases during 2019, with 1282 cases from 31 states reported to CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases(NCIRD). This is the greatest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000.

Furthermore, we firmly believe that by not vaccinating your child, you are taking selfish advantage of thousands of others who do vaccinate their children, which decreases the likelihood that a child will contract one of these diseases. We feel such an attitude to be self-centered and unacceptable. Even delaying or “breaking up the vaccines” to give one or two at a time over additional visits goes against expert recommendations, is not supported by any scientific data, can lead to unnecessary delays and errors, and can put your child, other children, and adults at risk for serious illness (or even death). It is therefore against our medical advice as professionals at Pediatric Associates of Greater Salem.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Our Vaccine Policy follows the schedule outlined by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

We work hard to not overuse antibiotics. We educate families on appropriate use of antibiotics, but follow evidence-based guidelines and don’t automatically treat ear pain or a green snotty nose with antibiotics.

We do not routinely prescribe antibiotics over the phone as we do not believe that is good medicine. We will prescribe an antibiotic when we believe it is an appropriate treatment.

We work hard to provide comprehensive medical care and serve as your medical home. To that end, we expect that you contact our office FIRST before seeking specialty care, or heading to another provider for urgent care. We want to be involved in either providing care in our office where appropriate, or referring you to the most appropriate specialist and helping to coordinate your care.

Whenever you do see a specialist, we ask that you request a report be sent directly to our office so we may stay informed and have the most up-to-date information in your medical record.

Our practice prides itself on efficiency through use of technology. You will be encouraged to consult our website, register for and use our patient portal, and effectively use automated reminders for appointments and for routine care/immunizations that are due.

We make every effort to meet the needs of our patients, offering both routine well visits and sick visit appointments. 

To ensure we provided you with the most efficient care we highly recommend you call ahead to schedule an appointment.

Please familiarize yourself with our office hours to see if they work for your family.

Make sure we participate with your insurance plan. 

It is your responsibility to know the limits and coverage of your particular health insurance policy, to show your cards to us at each visit, and be prepared to pay any copays at the time of service.

Our billing staff will do their best to assist you with insurance questions; however, If you have questions about your coverage, it is best check with your specific insurance company. Our office does not want you to be surprised by a bill, but must always bill your health plan based on federal guidelines and the actual services provided.

Please read our Financial Policy for more information regarding insurance.

Insurance copays are expected to be paid at the time of service. If you are unable to comply, you must speak with the billing department prior to the visit to set up a payment plan.

For acute care, call the office to speak with triage staff, who will listen to your concerns and schedule an appointment for you. Sometimes an appointment may not be needed, and staff will advise you regarding your issue, or check with the physician and call you back.

If our nurse is on with another caller, you will be asked to leave a message and you will receive a return call.

Well visits may be scheduled up to 18 months in advance, making it easier to plan ahead and keep your child’s routine care on track. As your child becomes due for a physical, follow-up visit, recheck, or other recommended care, you may receive automated reminders from our office. These reminders are designed to help you stay up to date with your child’s healthcare needs.

We encourage families to schedule appointments in advance whenever possible to ensure the best choice of dates and times.

Our practice makes every effort to run on time because we believe everyone’s time is equally valuable. As a courtesy, we will send reminders about your upcoming appointments.

We ask that you arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time to allow adequate time for check-in. We understand that circumstances beyond your control may occasionally cause you to be late. However, depending on your arrival time and the provider’s schedule, you may be asked to reschedule your appointment.

Cancellations & Missed Appointments

Missed appointments affect our practice as well as other patients who could have been seen during the time reserved for you. If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, we ask that you provide at least 24 hours’ notice whenever possible.

We reserve the right to charge a fee for canceled or missed appointments in accordance with practice policy.

• A fee may be charged for any missed appointment.
• Three consecutive missed appointments may result in discharge from the practice.