We have reason for optimism! Total number of cases of COVID-19 are falling and vaccination rates are rising. Thankfully, children are generally being spared the worst of this pandemic, and schools are committing to reopening plans. Dr. Fauci has projected that teenagers will be vaccinated by next fall, and younger school kids by early 2022. Despite this good news, we know that we must remain vigilant with our patient and staff protection protocols to assure that everyone who comes to our office feels safe and secure.
Masking will remain mandatory, of course, and all families coming to the office must fill out the COVID pre-screener prior to their appointment as well as sign the paper secondary screen while in the office. For the time being, we also cannot allow more than one caregiver per child for children over 2 months.
Given the current rates of infections in the community, the vaccination status of our staff, and our proven track record of protecting all, we are prepared to welcome more patients into our offices. Effective immediately, for almost all visits where the COVID-19 screen raises no concerns, we will be scheduling in-office visits at all of our locations. This includes, but is not limited to, well visits for all ages, most rashes, weight concerns, injuries, and chronic condition follow up visits.
To support an increased number of in-person visits, we will be scaling back our telemedicine availability. Although we recognize that many families LOVE this type of appointment, we believe that most pediatric care is still best provided in person. Additionally, many insurers are now shifting cost for these visits back to you, the policyholder.
Telemedicine hours will be available on Saturday and Sunday mornings, as well as weekday afternoons. Space will be limited, and appointments can be scheduled on our website or by calling our office.
We recognize that many children are currently behind on well visits as a result of the pandemic – in fact, approximately 10% of our patients have not been seen in keeping with their recommended schedule. Keep in mind that we cannot complete camp or school forms for any child that has not been seen within the last 13 months. You can request an in-office appointment for your well visit on our website.
This past year has not been easy! We have all faced a myriad of challenging emotions and hardships. Hopefully, we are on the path to recovery!
See you in the office.
Schedule Your Appointment Today
| Has your child missed their annual well visit or do they require more frequent follow-up due to a chronic condition? All locations have availability for all ages! You can request an in-office appointment on our website, or by contacting your preferred location directly by phone. No camp, day care or school forms will be completed for patients who are not current with their care. Schedule your appointment today! |
Preregistration for COVID Vaccines at CHOP
| Currently, COVID vaccines are only available to individuals aged 16 and older. Additionally, per the state of Pennsylvania guidelines, most institutions are only giving immunizations to those in phase 1A or 1B. However, if your teen has a high-risk medical condition (kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, immunocompromised, cardiac disease, obesity, smoking, Down Syndrome, Cancer, or COPD) they may be eligible to receive a vaccine when available. Please go to this website to complete a pre-enrollment survey at CHOP: Pre-Enrollment Survey (chop.edu) Please be aware, that currently we do not have safety or efficacy data on the COVID vaccine for individuals less than 16 years of age. Please continue to check our website for updates. |
Patient Chat Text Feature Is Now Here!
At Center City Pediatrics we are always looking to better leverage technology to improve our families’ experiences. And we are excited to announce that we can now text our patients/caregivers!
Please note that we can only text families who have a cell phone number on file. If you do not have a current, active cell phone number on file, please give us a call to update your contact information.
You may receive a text message from us for a few reasons including but not limited to:
- An incomplete COVID screener
- Billing related issues
- Office emergencies, including emergency closures due to weather
- Reminders if your child is behind on a well visit or requires chronic care follow-up
- Normal lab results
Be assured that if you receive a text message from us, we will always let you know who we are and why we are reaching out. Please note that the text sometimes does not show our office as the caller, but rather 1-(833)-711-0747. Save us in your contacts and never miss a message!
You can respond to our text messages any time before 9pm the day the text message is received. After 9pm, the conversation will “expire”, and you will need to call our office to reply. At this time, patients cannot initiate text message you will only be able to respond once we start the conversation.
Billing For Provider Phone Calls
Since the onset of the pandemic, insurers have allowed us to bill for provider phone calls – just as concierge practices and exclusive private medical groups have always done. With this ruling, we have been submitting provider phone call encounters to insurance companies. Please review with your specific carriers how these encounters will be handled.
33 Rock Hill Rd
1740 South Street
2365 East York Street