Reading Pediatric Associates

52 Haven Street
Reading, MA

Our Policies

APPOINTMENTS

Walk-in Sick Hours: Not available at this time.

Regular Hours: 8:30AM – 5:00PM

Saturday Hours: 8:30AM – 12:00PM

Sundays: Closed

Walk-in Sick Hours: 

Not available at this time.

Regular Hours: 

 8:30AM – 5:00PM

Saturday Hours:

 8:30AM – 12:00PM

Sundays:

 Closed

We want to accommodate our patients and families. We can fit you in if your child needs to be seen that day and speak to a medical professional for advice until your appointment. We are here to serve you!

Please notify the office ahead of time should you need more than one child seen during a scheduled appointment visit so we can plan accordingly. This is to ensure waiting time is kept to a minimum.

We have Saturday office hours from 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM by appointment only. During the winter months, these appointments are reserved for sick only; however, during the summer, check-ups may be scheduled.

Please allow ample time for well-visits. This is time specifically put aside for your child and we want to make sure you leave with all your questions answered. We are happy to spend as much time as necessary with each and every patient.

AFTER HOURS COVERAGE

Answering Service:

 Monday-Friday: After 5:00PM

Saturdays: After 12:00PM

 Sundays: All Day

After hours calls are handled by our answering service. During this time, one of our covering physicians or nurse practitioners is available to handle your calls. You can feel confident knowing that all our covering physicians are from within the practice, know your family, and have access to your child’s medical records.

We prefer that you always call us before heading to the Emergency Room, or visiting the urgent care. 

In the case that you need to visit an urgent care, we prefer that you stay in network by using Winchester Hospital, Urgent Care Wilmington Family Medical Center, or Urgent Care Woburn Baldwin Park II. As a reminder, Hallmark Health Medical Center Reading is not an in network urgent care facility. We always prefer for patients to visit in network facilities in order to maintain better communication and management of our patients.

                                                                                                             CALLING OUR OFFICE

We encourage you to call with any questions or concerns. There are no questions that are too small. There is always someone to answer the phone during normal business hours- no recordings or machines.

After hours and weekend calls, go directly to our answering service. The on-call provider will be paged and return your call within 15 minutes. Any life threatening emergency, dial 911 or go directly to the ER where the physician who sees you will contact us directly.

                                                                                                CANCELLATION/NO SHOW POLICY

If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, particularly a well-visit, please do so at least 24 hours in advance. A significant amount of time has been allotted for these appointments and we would like to offer this time to other patients if you are unable to keep your appointment time. There is a $50 fee for no show or cancelling with less than 24 hours notice.

                                                                                                                    LATE POLICY

We want to do our best to stay on schedule and keep your waiting time to a minimum. For this reason, it may be difficult to accommodate late patients. Arriving late to an appointment can cause subsequent patients to have to wait longer. If you are late to your child’s appointment, you may be offered our next available appointment or be asked to reschedule non-urgent visits.

                                                                                                         PRESCRIPTION REFILLS

In order to provide continuity of care to our patients, we are requesting that prescription refills for Attention Deficit Disorder, Depression, and Anxiety be completed by the physician or nurse practitioner that is following the patient for that condition. We believe by doing this we are able to provide these service to our patients in the most effective and safest way possible.

Therefore, we are asking our patients to call 48-72 hours (2-3 days) in advance for refills , Monday through Friday only. This way the prescribing provider will be able to take care of the refill. In the event that the prescribing provider is unavailable, another provider will be able to process the refill. At that time, a message will be sent to the prescribing physician to inform them that the prescription was refilled. In this way, we feel that we can provide our patients with the best continuity and quality of care.

We appreciate your help in this matter so that we may serve you better!

                                                                                                                     REFERRALS

For all non-emergency referrals, please contact our office at least one week in advance. For all emergency referrals, please contact our office the following business day as your HMO or POS insurance company requires a referral by your primary care physician. Our office can not provide authorization for visits retroactively beyond 30 days. When it is necessary for you to obtain an emergency referral from our physician, your insurance company will require that our office provide them with certain information. Our staff will need to ask you questions such as the time, place, and date of the emergency visit as well as the reason for the visit, etc. Our office is affiliated with Winchester Hospital and Tufts Medical Hospital. Staying within these facilities helps our doctors stay in closer contact with the specialist caring for your child.

                                                                                           VACCINATION POLICY

Reading Pediatrics is dedicated in providing the best and most comprehensive medical care to all our patients from birth to age 24. We follow the guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC and the State of Massachusetts.

Immunization is an essential component of a child’s medical care. It is our office policy to ensure that all patients receive the recommended immunizations:
• to prevent the development of serious preventable illnesses
• to protect those with impaired immune system
• to protect our communities

We welcome every one to Reading Pediatrics.  Our policy may not be compatible to those who have no interest in immunizing their children.  Failure to comply with our vaccination policy could lead to dismissal from our practice.   Our providers are available to discuss concerns on the safety of immunization. Please call our office for questions on vaccine safety. 

                          POLICY REGARDING CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS ARE DIVORCED, SEPARATED OR UNMARRIED

Our goal is to partner with families for the health and well-being of our patients.  Families experiencing a separation, divorced, or termination of a relationship may be presented with unique challenges; this policy will help navigate those unique situations in the best interest of minor children.

• Providers and staff cannot mediate disputes between parents/guardians.

• Please provide current legal documents related to managing your child’s care.  Ensure documents are signed by legal authority; include effective dates and custody provisions.

• We cannot remove or change contact information without legal provisions (custodian or parent consent) or both parents’ agreement.  All requests for changes must be in writing, dated and signed by both parents or legal provisions.

• Communication for appointments, scheduling and follow up medical calls will be made to the parent listed as primary contact or parent accompanying child during an office visit.  It is that parent’s responsibility to communicate with the other parent.

• We cannot withhold medical information from a parent without legal provisions.

Custody:  Custody decisions are made between parents and/or with the help of the courts or the Department of Children and Families (DCF).  In the absence of legal orders, both parents must cooperate with each other in the best interest of the child . We are unable to restrict communication with any parent without court provisions or legal documentation (court or DCF stipulations).

Communication:  We ask that both parents agree on major health decisions before an office visit.  Parents are expected to communicate with each other regarding appointment scheduling, insurance an any changes in medical care or treatment plans.  Without legal documentation, we assume the accompanying parent can make medical decisions.  Please create a shared email account with a shared password for email communications with us.  

Billing:  Payments will be collected at the time of service by the accompanying parent.  If the court agreement states the other parent is responsible for copayments, it is the accompanying parent’s responsibility to pay at the time of the visit and collect reimbursement from the responsible parent.  We will be happy to provide a receipt. 

Disputes:  Our providers and staff will not get involved in parental disputes.  If parents become disruptive to our practice or there is non-compliance with this policy, we reserve the right to discharge the family from the practice.

Please remember separation is hard on children and your cooperation with each other is important to your child’s mental and physical health. 

After hours calls are handled by our answering service. During this time, one of our covering physicians or nurse practitioners is available to handle your calls. You can feel confident knowing that all our covering physicians are from within the practice, know your family, and have access to your child’s medical records.

We prefer that you always call us before heading to the Emergency Room, or visiting the urgent care. 

In the case that you need to visit an urgent care, we prefer that you stay in network by using Winchester Hospital, Urgent Care Wilmington Family Medical Center, or Urgent Care Woburn Baldwin Park II. As a reminder, Hallmark Health Medical Center Reading is not an in network urgent care facility. We always prefer for patients to visit in network facilities in order to maintain better communication and management of our patients.

 CALLING OUR OFFICE

We encourage you to call with any questions or concerns. There are no questions that are too small. There is always someone to answer the phone during normal business hours- no recordings or machines.

After hours and weekend calls, go directly to our answering service. The on-call provider will be paged and return your call within 15 minutes. Any life threatening emergency, dial 911 or go directly to the ER where the physician who sees you will contact us directly.

                                                                                                CANCELLATION/NO SHOW POLICY


If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, particularly a well-visit, please do so at least 24 hours in advance. A significant amount of time has been allotted for these appointments and we would like to offer this time to other patients if you are unable to keep your appointment time. There is a $50 fee for no show or cancelling with less than 24 hours notice.                                                                         

 LATE POLICY


We want to do our best to stay on schedule and keep your waiting time to a minimum. For this reason, it may be difficult to accommodate late patients. Arriving late to an appointment can cause subsequent patients to have to wait longer. If you are more than 15 minutes late to your child’s appointment, you may be offered our next available appointment or be asked to reschedule non-urgent visits.

PRESCRIPTION REFILLS


In order to provide continuity of care to our patients, we are requesting that prescription refills for Attention Deficit Disorder, Depression, and Anxiety be completed by the physician or nurse practitioner that is following the patient for that condition. We believe by doing this we are able to provide these service to our patients in the most effective and safest way possible.

Therefore, we are asking our patients to call 48-72 hours (2-3 days) in advance for refills , Monday through Friday only. This way the prescribing provider will be able to take care of the refill. In the event that the prescribing provider is unavailable, another provider will be able to process the refill. At that time, a message will be sent to the prescribing physician to inform them that the prescription was refilled. In this way, we feel that we can provide our patients with the best continuity and quality of care.

We appreciate your help in this matter so that we may serve you better.

 REFERRALS

For all non-emergency referrals, please contact our office at least one week in advance. For all emergency referrals, please contact our office the following business day as your HMO or POS insurance company requires a referral by your primary care physician. Our office can not provide authorization for visits retroactively beyond 30 days. When it is necessary for you to obtain an emergency referral from our physician, your insurance company will require that our office provide them with certain information. Our staff will need to ask you questions such as the time, place, and date of the emergency visit as well as the reason for the visit, etc. Our office is affiliated with Winchester Hospital and Tufts Medical Hospital. Staying within these facilities helps our doctors stay in closer contact with the specialist caring for your child.

  VACCINATION POLICY

Reading Pediatrics is dedicated in providing the best and most comprehensive medical care to all our patients from birth to age 24. We follow the guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC and the State of Massachusetts.

Immunization is an essential component of a child’s medical care. It is our office policy to ensure that all patients receive the recommended immunizations:

• to prevent the development of serious preventable illnesses
• to protect those with impaired immune system
• to protect our communities

We welcome every one to Reading Pediatrics.  Our policy may not be compatible to those who have no interest in immunizing their children.   Failure to comply with our vaccination policy could lead to dismissal from our practice.  Our providers are available to discuss concerns on the safety of immunization. Please call our office for questions on vaccine safety. 

POLICY FOR CHILDREN WITH DIVORCED,  SEPARATED OR UNMARRIED PARENTS

Our goal is to partner with families for the health and well-being of our patients.  Families experiencing a separation, divorced, or termination of a relationship may be presented with unique challenges; this policy will help navigate those unique situations in the best interest of minor children.

• Providers and staff cannot mediate disputes between parents/guardians.

• Please provide current legal documents related to managing your child’s care.  Ensure documents are signed by legal authority; include effective dates and custody provisions.

• We cannot remove or change contact information without legal provisions (custodian or parent consent) or both parents’ agreement.  All requests for changes must be in writing, dated and signed by both parents or legal provisions.

• Communication for appointments, scheduling and follow up medical calls will be made to the parent listed as primary contact or parent accompanying child during an office visit.  It is that parent’s responsibility to communicate with the other parent.

• We cannot withhold medical information from a parent without legal provisions.

Custody:  Custody decisions are made between parents and/or with the help of the courts or the Department of Children and Families (DCF).  In the absence of legal orders, both parents must cooperate with each other in the best interest of the child . We are unable to restrict communication with any parent without court provisions or legal documentation (court or DCF stipulations).

Communication:  We ask that both parents agree on major health decisions before an office visit.  Parents are expected to communicate with each other regarding appointment scheduling, insurance an any changes in medical care or treatment plans.  Without legal documentation, we assume the accompanying parent can make medical decisions.  Please create a shared email account with a shared password for email communications with us.  

Billing:  Payments will be collected at the time of service by the accompanying parent.  If the court agreement states the other parent is responsible for copayments, it is the accompanying parent’s responsibility to pay at the time of the visit and collect reimbursement from the responsible parent.  We will be happy to provide a receipt. 

Disputes:  Our providers and staff will not get involved in parental disputes.  If parents become disruptive to our practice or there is non-compliance with this policy, we reserve the right to discharge the family from the practice.

Please remember separation is hard on children and your cooperation with each other is important to your child’s mental and physical health. 

After hours calls are handled by our answering service. During this time, one of our covering physicians or nurse practitioners is available to handle your calls. You can feel confident knowing that all our covering physicians are from within the practice, know your family, and have access to your child’s medical records.

We prefer that you always call us before heading to the Emergency Room, or visiting the urgent care. 

In the case that you need to visit an urgent care, we prefer that you stay in network by using Winchester Hospital, Urgent Care Wilmington Family Medical Center, or Urgent Care Woburn Baldwin Park II. As a reminder, Hallmark Health Medical Center Reading is not an in network urgent care facility. We always prefer for patients to visit in network facilities in order to maintain better communication and management of our patients.

                                                                                        CALLING OUR OFFICE

We encourage you to call with any questions or concerns. There are no questions that are too small. There is always someone to answer the phone during normal business hours- no recordings or machines.

After hours and weekend calls, go directly to our answering service. The on-call provider will be paged and return your call within 15 minutes. Any life threatening emergency, dial 911 or go directly to the ER where the physician who sees you will contact us directly.

                                                                           CANCELLATION/NO SHOW POLICY

If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, particularly a well-visit, please do so at least 24 hours in advance. A significant amount of time has been allotted for these appointments and we would like to offer this time to other patients if you are unable to keep your appointment time. There is a $50 fee for no show or cancelling with less than 24 hours notice.

                                                                                               LATE POLICY

We want to do our best to stay on schedule and keep your waiting time to a minimum. For this reason, it may be difficult to accommodate late patients. Arriving late to an appointment can cause subsequent patients to have to wait longer. If you are late to your child’s appointment, you may be offered our next available appointment or be asked to reschedule non-urgent visits.

                                                                                    PRESCRIPTION REFILLS

In order to provide continuity of care to our patients, we are requesting that prescription refills for Attention Deficit Disorder, Depression, and Anxiety be completed by the physician or nurse practitioner that is following the patient for that condition. We believe by doing this we are able to provide these service to our patients in the most effective and safest way possible.

Therefore, we are asking our patients to call 48-72 hours (2-3 days) in advance for refills , Monday through Friday only. This way the prescribing provider will be able to take care of the refill. In the event that the prescribing provider is unavailable, another provider will be able to process the refill. At that time, a message will be sent to the prescribing physician to inform them that the prescription was refilled. In this way, we feel that we can provide our patients with the best continuity and quality of care.

We appreciate your help in this matter so that we may serve you better!

                                                                                            REFERRALS

For all non-emergency referrals, please contact our office at least one week in advance. For all emergency referrals, please contact our office the following business day as your HMO or POS insurance company requires a referral by your primary care physician. Our office can not provide authorization for visits retroactively beyond 30 days. When it is necessary for you to obtain an emergency referral from our physician, your insurance company will require that our office provide them with certain information. Our staff will need to ask you questions such as the time, place, and date of the emergency visit as well as the reason for the visit, etc. Our office is affiliated with Winchester Hospital and Tufts Medical Hospital. Staying within these facilities helps our doctors stay in closer contact with the specialist caring for your child.

                                                                      VACCINATION POLICY

Reading Pediatrics is dedicated in providing the best and most comprehensive medical care to all our patients from birth to age 24. We follow the guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC and the State of Massachusetts.

Immunization is an essential component of a child’s medical care. It is our office policy to ensure that all patients receive the recommended immunizations:
• to prevent the development of serious preventable illnesses
• to protect those with impaired immune system
• to protect our communities

We welcome every one to Reading Pediatrics.  Our policy may not be compatible to those who have no interest in immunizing their children.  Failure to comply with our vaccination policy could lead to dismissal from our practice. Our providers are available to discuss concerns on the safety of immunization. Please call our office for questions on vaccine safety. 

        POLICY REGARDING CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS ARE DIVORCED, SEPARATED OR UNMARRIED

Our goal is to partner with families for the health and well-being of our patients.  Families experiencing a separation, divorced, or termination of a relationship may be presented with unique challenges; this policy will help navigate those unique situations in the best interest of minor children.

• Providers and staff cannot mediate disputes between parents/guardians.

• Please provide current legal documents related to managing your child’s care.  Ensure documents are signed by legal authority; include effective dates and custody provisions.

• We cannot remove or change contact information without legal provisions (custodian or parent consent) or both parents’ agreement.  All requests for changes must be in writing, dated and signed by both parents or legal provisions.

• Communication for appointments, scheduling and follow up medical calls will be made to the parent listed as primary contact or parent accompanying child during an office visit.  It is that parent’s responsibility to communicate with the other parent.

• We cannot withhold medical information from a parent without legal provisions.

Custody:  Custody decisions are made between parents and/or with the help of the courts or the Department of Children and Families (DCF).  In the absence of legal orders, both parents must cooperate with each other in the best interest of the child . We are unable to restrict communication with any parent without court provisions or legal documentation (court or DCF stipulations).

Communication:  We ask that both parents agree on major health decisions before an office visit.  Parents are expected to communicate with each other regarding appointment scheduling, insurance an any changes in medical care or treatment plans.  Without legal documentation, we assume the accompanying parent can make medical decisions.  Please create a shared email account with a shared password for email communications with us.  

Billing:  Payments will be collected at the time of service by the accompanying parent.  If the court agreement states the other parent is responsible for copayments, it is the accompanying parent’s responsibility to pay at the time of the visit and collect reimbursement from the responsible parent.  We will be happy to provide a receipt. 

Disputes:  Our providers and staff will not get involved in parental disputes.  If parents become disruptive to our practice or there is non-compliance with this policy, we reserve the right to discharge the family from the practice.

Please remember separation is hard on children and your cooperation with each other is important to your child’s mental and physical health. 

After hours calls are handled by our answering service. During this time, one of our covering physicians or nurse practitioners is available to handle your calls. You can feel confident knowing that all our covering physicians are from within the practice, know your family, and have access to your child’s medical records.

We prefer that you always call us before heading to the Emergency Room, or visiting the urgent care. 

In the case that you need to visit an urgent care, we prefer that you stay in network by using Winchester Hospital, Urgent Care Wilmington Family Medical Center, or Urgent Care Woburn Baldwin Park II. As a reminder, Hallmark Health Medical Center Reading is not an in network urgent care facility. We always prefer for patients to visit in network facilities in order to maintain better communication and management of our patients.

                                                             CALLING OUR OFFICE

We encourage you to call with any questions or concerns. There are no questions that are too small. There is always someone to answer the phone during normal business hours- no recordings or machines.

After hours and weekend calls, go directly to our answering service. The on-call provider will be paged and return your call within 15 minutes. Any life threatening emergency, dial 911 or go directly to the ER where the physician who sees you will contact us directly.

                                             CANCELLATION/NO SHOW POLICY

If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, particularly a well-visit, please do so at least 24 hours in advance. A significant amount of time has been allotted for these appointments and we would like to offer this time to other patients if you are unable to keep your appointment time. There is a $50 fee for no show or cancelling with less than 24 hours notice.

                                                                    LATE POLICY

We want to do our best to stay on schedule and keep your waiting time to a minimum. For this reason, it may be difficult to accommodate late patients. Arriving late to an appointment can cause subsequent patients to have to wait longer. If you late to your child’s appointment, you may be offered our next available appointment or be asked to reschedule non-urgent visits.

                                                       PRESCRIPTION REFILLS

In order to provide continuity of care to our patients, we are requesting that prescription refills for Attention Deficit Disorder, Depression, and Anxiety be completed by the physician or nurse practitioner that is following the patient for that condition. We believe by doing this we are able to provide these service to our patients in the most effective and safest way possible.

Therefore, we are asking our patients to call 48-72 hours (2-3 days) in advance for refills , Monday through Friday only. This way the prescribing provider will be able to take care of the refill. In the event that the prescribing provider is unavailable, another provider will be able to process the refill. At that time, a message will be sent to the prescribing physician to inform them that the prescription was refilled. In this way, we feel that we can provide our patients with the best continuity and quality of care.

We appreciate your help in this matter so that we may serve you better!

                                                                   REFERRALS

For all non-emergency referrals, please contact our office at least one week in advance. For all emergency referrals, please contact our office the following business day as your HMO or POS insurance company requires a referral by your primary care physician. Our office can not provide authorization for visits retroactively beyond 30 days. When it is necessary for you to obtain an emergency referral from our physician, your insurance company will require that our office provide them with certain information. Our staff will need to ask you questions such as the time, place, and date of the emergency visit as well as the reason for the visit, etc. Our office is affiliated with Winchester Hospital and Tufts Medical Hospital. Staying within these facilities helps our doctors stay in closer contact with the specialist caring for your child.

                                                    VACCINATION POLICY

Reading Pediatrics is dedicated in providing the best and most comprehensive medical care to all our patients from birth to age 24. We follow the guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC and the State of Massachusetts.

Immunization is an essential component of a child’s medical care. It is our office policy to ensure that all patients receive the recommended immunizations:
• to prevent the development of serious preventable illnesses
• to protect those with impaired immune system
• to protect our communities

We welcome every one to Reading Pediatrics.  Our policy may not be compatible to those who have no interest in immunizing their children.   Failure to comply with our vaccination policy could lead to dismissal from our practice. . Our providers are available to discuss concerns on the safety of immunization. Please call our office for questions on vaccine safety.

POLICY  FOR CHILDREN WITH DIVORCED,SEPARATED OR UNMARRIED PARENTS

Our goal is to partner with families for the health and well-being of our patients.  Families experiencing a separation, divorced, or termination of a relationship may be presented with unique challenges; this policy will help navigate those unique situations in the best interest of minor children.

• Providers and staff cannot mediate disputes between parents/guardians.

• Please provide current legal documents related to managing your child’s care.  Ensure documents are signed by legal authority; include effective dates and custody provisions.

• We cannot remove or change contact information without legal provisions (custodian or parent consent) or both parents’ agreement.  All requests for changes must be in writing, dated and signed by both parents or legal provisions.

• Communication for appointments, scheduling and follow up medical calls will be made to the parent listed as primary contact or parent accompanying child during an office visit.  It is that parent’s responsibility to communicate with the other parent.

• We cannot withhold medical information from a parent without legal provisions.

Custody:  Custody decisions are made between parents and/or with the help of the courts or the Department of Children and Families (DCF).  In the absence of legal orders, both parents must cooperate with each other in the best interest of the child . We are unable to restrict communication with any parent without court provisions or legal documentation (court or DCF stipulations).

Communication:  We ask that both parents agree on major health decisions before an office visit.  Parents are expected to communicate with each other regarding appointment scheduling, insurance an any changes in medical care or treatment plans.  Without legal documentation, we assume the accompanying parent can make medical decisions.  Please create a shared email account with a shared password for email communications with us.  

Billing:  Payments will be collected at the time of service by the accompanying parent.  If the court agreement states the other parent is responsible for copayments, it is the accompanying parent’s responsibility to pay at the time of the visit and collect reimbursement from the responsible parent.  We will be happy to provide a receipt. 

Disputes:  Our providers and staff will not get involved in parental disputes.  If parents become disruptive to our practice or there is non-compliance with this policy, we reserve the right to discharge the family from the practice.

Please remember separation is hard on children and your cooperation with each other is important to your child’s mental and physical health.