Policies

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.

Everyone's Time is Equally Valuable.

We ask that you arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. We understand sometimes things happen beyond your control that may cause you to be late. However, we reserve the right to ask you to reschedule if you arrive late for your appointment.

Our practice makes every effort to run on time with appointments, as we believe everyone’s time is equally valuable.

Upcoming Appointments Via Phone/Text Message/Email

Missed Appointments: Broken appointments represent a cost to us, to you, and to other patients who could have been seen in the time set aside for you. We reserve the right to charge a fee for canceled or missed appointments. We request 24 hours notice for cancellation of appointments.

A fee may be charged for a second missed appointment. The third consecutive missed appointment will result in discharge from the practice.

For new patients, a fee may be charged if the FIRST appointment is missed.

Effective: July 1, 2025

At All for Kids Pediatric Clinic, we are committed to providing the highest quality care to your child. We understand that navigating insurance coverage can be complex, and this policy outlines our procedures for services that are not covered by your insurance plan.

Our Commitment to Transparency:

We believe in open and honest communication regarding the cost of your child's care. We will make every effort to inform you in advance if a service is likely not to be covered by your insurance.

Understanding Your Insurance Coverage:

It is ultimately the patient's (or legal guardian's) responsibility to understand their insurance benefits, including what services are covered, what is subject to deductibles, co-payments, or co-insurance, and what services are specifically excluded from coverage. We encourage you to contact your insurance provider directly for detailed information about your plan.

Services Not Covered by Insurance (Non-Covered Services):

Certain services may not be covered by your insurance plan. These "non-covered services" typically include, but are not limited to:

● Well-child visits or physicals performed more frequently than your insurance allows within a specific timeframe. (e.g., annual physical exams if your plan only covers one per year).

● Non-Preventive services discussed during well-child visit.

● Forms completion: FMLA forms, disability forms, or other forms as the practice deems necessary. This will be communicated up front prior to form completion.

● Cosmetic procedures or procedures deemed not medically necessary by your insurance.

● "No-show" fees or late cancellation fees (as outlined in our appointment policy).

● Copies of medical records (fees as per state regulations and our separate records policy).

● Certain specialized tests or procedures that your insurance considers not medically necessary.

Payment for Non-Covered Services:

For all services explicitly identified as non-covered by your insurance, payment is required at the time of service.

Payment Methods:

We accept the following forms of payment:

● Cash

● Credit Cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover)

● Debit Cards

● Health Savings Accounts (HSA) cards

● Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) cards

Payment Plans for Non-Covered Services:

In limited circumstances, and on a case-by-case basis, payment plans may be available for significant non-covered services. These arrangements must be made and approved by our billing department at the time of service. Please speak with our billing specialist to discuss this option.

● The minimum downpayment for a payment plan is 25% of the total owed, not to be less than $25.

● The minimum monthly payment is $25.

● The maximum term of a payment plan is six months.

● All for Kids requires a credit card placed on file for payment plans.

● If a payment goes into default after 30 days, the entire balance becomes due, the credit card on file will be charged, and the payment plan is cancelled. 

Outstanding Balances for Non-Covered Services:

● Outstanding balances for non-covered services not paid at the time of service will be billed to the guarantor directly.

● Payments not made within 90 days will be routed to our collections partner.

● Unpaid balances may be subject to a late payment fee of 1.5% of the balance per month.

● Accounts with delinquent balances may be referred to a collection agency, and you will be responsible for any additional collection fees incurred.

● Patients with significant outstanding balances may be asked to pay their balance in full before scheduling future non-urgent appointments.

Questions and Concerns:

We encourage you to ask questions if you are unsure about your insurance coverage or our payment policies. Please do not hesitate to speak with our front desk staff or billing department prior to your child's appointment.

All For Kids Pediatric Clinic and business associates, and employees who have access to, use, create or disclose health information have a legal and ethical obligation to respect the privacy of patients by maintaining “protected health information” (“PHI”) in strict confidence.  As a covered entity, All For Kids must provide patients with notice of the patients’ privacy rights and privacy practices (“Notice of Privacy Practices”).  All For Kids  must make a good faith effort to obtain patients written acknowledgment of the Notice of Privacy Practices.  Although certain disclosures required by law do not need prior consent, the unauthorized use or disclosure of PHI may subject the offending individual to disciplinary action and All For Kids to civil fines and penalties.   

DEFINITIONS:

Health information means any information, whether oral or recorded in any form or medium (e.g., computer record) that: 

Is created or received by a health care provider, health plan, public health authority, employer, life insurer, school or university, or healthcare clearing house; and 

Relates to the past, present or future physical or mental health or condition of an individual; the provision of health care to an individual; or the past, present or future payment for the provision of health care to an individual.

Protected health information, otherwise known as “individually identifiable health information,” includes any and all health information records that:

Identifies the patient; or 

There is a reasonable basis to believe the information can be used to identify the patient.

Authorization permits a covered entity to use and disclose only specific protected health information to specified individuals for specified purposes that are almost always for purposes other than treatment, payment or healthcare operations.

Disclosure means the release, transfer, provision of access to, or divulging in any other manner, of information outside the entity holding the information.

Covered entity means a health plan, a health care clearinghouse, or a health care provider that transmits any health information in electronic form. 

Indirect treatment relationship means a relationship between an individual and a health care provider in which:

The health care provider delivers health care to the individual based on the orders of another health care provider; and

The health care provider typically provides services or products, or reports the diagnosis or results associated with the health care services to another health care provider, who then provides the services or products, or reports the diagnosis or results to the individual.

Health care operations means any of the following activities of the covered entity:

Conducting quality assessment or improvement activities;

Reviewing the competence, qualifications or performance of health care practitioners, evaluating health plan performance, conducting training programs in             

which students, trainees or practitioners of health care learn under supervision to practice or improve their skills, training of non-health care professionals, accreditation, certification, licensing, or credentialing activities;

Underwriting, premium rating, and other activities relating to health insurance or health benefits;

Conducting or arranging for medical review, legal services and auditing functions, including fraud and abuse detection and compliance programs; 

Business planning and development; 

Business management and general administrative activities of the entity; i.e., resolution of internal grievances, due diligence in connection with the sale or transfer of assets to a covered entity, etc.

Minimum necessary is defined as the least amount of PHI required to satisfy a request.  For example, records compiled in response to a PHI request for a specific date of service should not include treatment records for other dates of service.  

PROCEDURES:

Employees shall exercise a reasonable degree of care to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of PHI.  All reasonable precautions should be taken not to:

• Discuss a patient’s condition, status, treatment, etc. with co-workers, patients or their family members, or other providers in public areas, such as elevators or waiting rooms, where any unauthorized persons may overhear.  Whenever possible;
• Hold discussions in a private area or specific work area (e.g., office or nursing station);
• If in a common treatment area , speak in a low voice, etc.
• Cause or make patient health information readily accessible to unauthorized persons.  For example, do not:
• Leave reports or other documents that contain PHI accessible and visible to unauthorized persons;             
• Leave PHI displayed on a computer screen and visible to unauthorized persons;
• Leave phone messages on a patient’s answering machine that may constitute PHI (e.g., an appointment reminder message that includes the patient’s name and the type of practice may constitute PHI).
• Transmit PHI through any communication system (i.e., e-mail, fax, etc.) that does not have proper safeguards, unless written authorization has been obtained from the patient or his/her legal representative.  The existence of proper safeguards should not be assumed unless authorized company personnel have provided such assurances to users of these systems.   
• Discuss or otherwise disclose PHI to any individual or entity unless such communication / disclosure is necessary for treatment, payment or health care operations as defined above, or is subject to legal disclosure that does not require patient authorization as described in the AFK’s Notice of Privacy Practices.
• Disclose health information to anyone unless the receiving party’s identity and authorization to have access to such information has been determined and verified.

Employees shall not intimidate or otherwise attempt to dissuade a patient from: 

• Accessing his/her PHI or any records regarding the disclosure of the patient’s PHI; or 
• Exercising his /her legal rights with respect to such PHI.  

Any requests for copies of PHI should be scrutinized carefully to ensure that the requestor is properly authorized; e.g., legal representative/guardian, or the request is accompanied by a written authorization signed by the patient.  Unless the request is made for treatment purposes, only the “minimum necessary” information that will satisfy the request shall be disclosed (see the “minimum necessary” definition above). 

All employees must sign and strictly adhere to the AFK’s “Employee Declaration of Patient Information Confidentiality”.  

Employee will not use or disclose any patient or employee PHI unless specifically authorized to do so under existing State or federal law, by the patient or his/her authorized representative, or by order of the Court.  

Employee will not copy or reproduce PHI for any purpose other than the performance of his/her official duties for AFK.            

Employee will, upon the request of, or upon termination of his/her relationship with, AFK, return to AFK’s representatives any PHI obtained from or through AFK’s resources or which were made available to the employee pursuant to the performance of his/her duties for AFK.

Violations of the federal privacy rules or this policy will be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including, immediate termination.  In addition, violations may subject the offender(s) to civil or criminal fines and penalties.  

Civil penalties may be assessed in the amount of $100 per incident, up to $25,000 per person, per year, per standard.  

Federal criminal penalties may apply to individuals that knowingly and improperly disclose PHI or obtain PHI under false pretenses.  Penalties would be higher for actions designed to generate monetary gain.  Criminal penalties are up to $50,000 and one year in prison for obtaining or disclosing PHI; up to $100,000 and up to five years in prison for obtaining PHI under “false pretenses”; and up to $250,000 and up to 10 years in prison for obtaining or disclosing PHI with the intent to sell, transfer or use it for commercial advantage, personal gain or malicious harm.   

Efficiency through the 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.

The health and well-being of your children are our top priorities. We firmly support the expert guidance and recommendations provided by leading health authorities, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). As such, our vaccine policy aligns with the evidence-based immunization schedule developed by these organizations.

We believe:

• Vaccines save lives. Immunizations have been proven to prevent serious illnesses, reduce the spread of contagious diseases, and protect vulnerable populations.
• Vaccines are safe. Extensive research and rigorous safety standards ensure that vaccines are both effective and secure for children and young adults.
• Vaccines protect communities. By vaccinating according to the recommended schedule, we help prevent outbreaks and protect individuals who cannot be immunized, such as infants too young for certain vaccines or those with certain medical conditions.

Our Policy Highlights:

• Recommended Schedule: We follow the immunization schedule endorsed by the AAP and ACIP because it has been carefully developed to provide the best protection at the most appropriate times.
• Evidence-Based Approach: Our recommendations are grounded in the latest medical research and data, reflecting a strong consensus among pediatric and public health experts.
• Transparent Communication: We are always available to discuss any questions or concerns about vaccines and are committed to providing clear, respectful information about the benefits and potential risks.

We understand that deciding how to protect your child’s health is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. By following this policy, we aim to ensure that every child in our care has the opportunity to grow up healthy, safe, and protected against preventable diseases.