Ready or Not…Here Comes 2024!
As 2023 winds down, I am feeling grateful!
I am grateful that Center City Pediatrics continues to thrive as an independent practice. The news is now filled with stories of takeovers of independent practices by hospital systems, large corporations, and private equity groups. Clinicians are feeling disenfranchised and burnt out, and patients are noticing a significant decline in their personal healthcare.
I am grateful that our continuous growth, mostly spurred on by “word of mouth” endorsements, has allowed us to remain independent, even as the margins between our expenses and the insurance carrier payments to us has narrowed because we lack the negotiating power of the large systems.
I am grateful that despite the mentioned challenges, we have multiple staff members who have been part of our team for over 15 years, and many more for over 10 years, during this age when people tend to jump from job to job. We even have multiple team members who previously left us and then returned when they discovered the “grass was not greener on the other side.”
I am grateful that in this climate of “no margin, no mission” medicine, we have been able to strengthen our commitment to caring for children at the highest level, even when insurance companies have made this difficult. We have remained steadfast in offering the newest and best vaccines and treatments, such as the new Prevnar20, Covid, and RSV (Beyfortus) shots, even amidst uncertainty of reimbursement and against challenges of procurement.
I am grateful that we have hired new, wonderful providers who will be starting in February. They will be joining a Fishtown team that has already grown this year and will benefit from a newly expanded Bala Cynwyd office space. This growth will allow us to extend our satellite hours and avoid closures. Attracting experienced clinicians is particularly remarkable at this time when the US is approaching a primary care crisis with large swaths of the country, and even pockets in Philly, lacking primary care providers. Offices are closing, not expanding, like ours.
Clearly, I am grateful that we have finally emerged from the fear and constraints of the pandemic, and we are thriving in 2023!
Finally, I am grateful to all of you who entrust us with the health of your kids and allow us to do what we love.
Happy holidays.
Eric and the Center City Pediatrics Team
It’s Not Too Late…Protect Your Kids From The Flu
Flu season is in full swing and the best way to protect your children from serious illness is by getting them the annual flu vaccine.
Already have a well visit scheduled? Let the reception team know at check-in that you would like to add the flu shot to your appointment. Don’t have a visit planned? Use the links on our website to self-schedule an appointment for a nurse visit. It’s not too late! Schedule you appointment today.
Got Questions? We Have Answers!
We know that questions don’t always come up during office hours and that phone tag is not how you want to spend your free time. That’s why we are excited to introduce our new virtual assistant, designed to get you information quickly and easily, whenever you need it!
Our virtual assistant is available 24/7 on our website, so you can get answers whether the office is open or not. It draws its responses exclusively from our website and from content authored by our providers for our patients, so the information is always accurate and up-to-date. Along with your information, the assistant will even share a link to our site, highlighting where you can read more. And if it can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, our staff, triage nurses and on-call providers are still just a phone call away!
Holiday Closures
Please note that our office will observe the following closures over the winter holidays.
Keep in mind that if only 1 location is closed, the other locations will still have triage nurse support and sick visit availability during normal office hours. Whenever all locations are closed, you can reach an on-call provider by dialing 215-735-5600 and following the prompts.
Sunday, December 24th: All locations closed
Monday, December 25th: All locations closed
Friday, December 29th: Bala Cynwyd location closed
Monday, January 1st: All locations closed
Have a safe and healthy holiday!
School is Always in Session!
In-person parent education workshops are in full swing at both our South Street and *Bala Cynwyd locations. Advanced registration is required for all classes. You do not need to be a patient of practice to join! Visit our website for details, facilitator bios and registration links.
Saturdays 1/6 OR 2/3 OR 3/2 9:30am – 11am
Sundays *1/7 OR *2/4 OR *3/3 9:30am – 11am
Thursdays 9:30-11am
