Frequently Asked Questions:

When should I bring my newborn for his first office visit?

    Newborns are seen sometime between 2 days and 2 weeks after discharge from the nursery, depending upon our doctors evalutation. On the day that your baby is discharged, we will let you know when to schedule the first visit. If your newborn is not being seen by one of our doctors in the nursery, please call the office and we will advise you when to schedule the first visit.

When should my child come in for routine check ups?

Routine visits are scheduled according to American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines: generally at 2months, 4mo, 6mo, 9mo, 12mo, 15mo, 18mo, 2years, 2 ½ years, 3years, and yearly after that.

Does my child get shots at every visit?

    Immunizations are given at most visits until age 2; after that, they are needed less frequently. We follow the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for immunizations. Vaccines have been extensively studied for both safety and efficacy according to this schedule.

Does my child get to see the same Doctor/NP for every visit?

    When scheduling your child’s visits, you select the provider you wish to see.  Though we encourage you to see your ‘primary care giver’ for all of your visits, most families find it useful to become acquainted with a few other providers within the group, so that someone familiar to you and your children is available on most days.

Can I schedule an appointment on the day that I would like to be seen?

    We encourage all sick visits to be scheduled on the day that you would like to have your child seen.  Well care visits should be scheduled weeks in advance.  Follow-up visits and non-urgent “sick” visits can be scheduled a few days in advance.  Requests for well visits, follow-up visits, and non-urgent sick visits can now be made through our Patient Portal. Please call the office to sign-up.

How many children can I bring in at the same time?

    When children are sick we do not limit the number of appointments you can make. You are encouraged to schedule appointments for all of the children you would like seen.  Try to avoid bringing a sibling to the visit without an appointment as it may distract you from focusing on your sick child.

    For well visits, we prefer to schedule no more than 2 children from the same family in order to maximize our ability to give you and your children complete and thorough attention, to answer all of your questions, and to give each child the time he or she deserves.  Under certain circumstances and times of the day, your doctor may make an exception to accommodate larger families.

What if I change my child’s Primary Doctor/NP, do I need to change my insurance card?

    No, as long as a physician at Clarkstown Pediatrics is listed on your insurance card, you schedule the appointment for whichever provider you and your child prefer.  If you are transferring from another group to Clarkstown Pediatrics, you will need to contact your insurance company before the visit.

Is there a better time of the day to come to the office?

    At Clarkstown Pediatrics we strive to see your child as close to the time of your appointment as possible. Pediatrics, however, like the children we treat, can be unpredictable. There are definitely times when the office is less busy.  Mondays tend to be our busiest days, especially after a holiday weekend.  Also, any weekday after school gets out (3pm) tends to be a time in higher demand.  Early morning visits (we open at 8am) and immediately after lunch (1:30pm) tend to have shorter wait times.


Is the office really open 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, 365 days/year?

    Yes, we do have office hours 7 days/week and 365 days/year, but no we are not in the office all night. All three of our offices are open Monday - Friday from 8am-5pm.  We close for lunch between 12:30 and 1:30pm.  We also see patients during weekday evening hours starting at 6pm for urgent care visits.  Weekend office hours hours begin at 8am on Saturday and 9:30am on Sundays and Holidays.  During evening, weekend, and holiday hours patients are given appointments in order as calls are received. Closing time for nights/weekends/holidays varies with the volume of urgent calls we receive. After office hours, our “on-call” doctor can be reached for urgent questions or advice by calling our main office number 845-623-7100. Call 911 first if there is a life threatening emergency! Televisits can be scheduled until 10pm every day.

What insurances do you accept?

    We accept most major insurance plans and even a few minor ones.  For a complete list, see our insurance page.  Still confused; call or e-mail one of our billing experts: billing@clarkstownpeds.com.

Do you collect co-pays at every visit?

    Most insurance companies (not all), do not require a co-pay for well visits. For sick visits, your co-pay is an amount that your insurance company has previously arranged with you or your employer to pay for our services. Your co-pay comprises a significant portion of the amount your insurance company pays us for taking care of your child. If your insurance company requires you to pay a co-pay, we are contractually obligated by your insurance company to collect the co-pay at the time of every office visit, including follow-up visits.   Co-pays may not be billed and may not be waived under any circumstances.  For your convenience we accept most major credit cards.  

Are there additional charges besides my co-pay?

   Some insurance companies have separate co-pays for labs, including routine blood counts, urine tests, throat cultures, etc.  We do these tests in our office to facilitate the best care for your child. However, this does translate into an additional co-pay at the end of the visit. Like the routine co-pay, this is how your insurance company has arranged with you or your employer to assure that our services are paid. Our charges for such tests remain well below the charges from outside labs.

Are there ever additional administrative fees?

    A $12 fee is charged when your co-pay is not paid at the time of the visit.  This is our cost to re-submit a bill. A $25 fee is charged for missing a scheduled well visit unless cancelled 24 hours in advance.  This helps cover the cost of the time that could have been given to another family awaiting a well visit. We will give you a Universal Health Form at the time of your well visit. It remains valid for 12 months from the date of the physical and will be accepted for school, sports, camp, and other activities requiring a health form. We will be happy to make copies for you. We also charge $10 for additional forms after the office visit.