Office Policies

Advocare Fairmount Pediatrics supports parents communicating with each other regarding their children’s care, even in cases of divorce or separation. Our policy is that the parent who is with the child at the visit is fully empowered to make all healthcare decisions for the child at the visit. Similarly, if a parent contacts us by phone or via the portal, we will presume that parent has the right to do so, and will respond to requests without reaching out to the other parent. The only exception is if Advocare Fairmount Pediatrics has been provided with a court order which restricts one or both parents from making medical decisions on their child’s behalf.

If you need a referral for a doctor you have seen before, please log in and send a secure email requesting the referral. Alternatively, you may leave a message on our answering machine.

Required Information: child’s full name, date of birth, name of insurance company, insurance ID number, name, provider number, phone and fax number of doctor being referred to, reason (diagnosis) for visit, any special procedures being performed, a contact phone number for the patient.

As much as possible, please allow us 3 business days to fill out your referrals. The best practice is to log in to request the referral at the time that you make the appointment with the specialist. If your insurance requires paper referrals, please inform us if you will pick it up, or if you wish us to fax the referral to your specialist. (Only Health Partners and Keystone First require a paper referral).

If you would like to see a new specialist whom you have not seen before, please make an appointment for one of our providers to evaluate the problem and help you choose the best specialist to assist you.

If you need a prescription refill for a medication your child has been on before, please log in and send a secure email requesting this. Alternatively, you may leave a message on our answering machine. The refill will be sent in as soon as possible, usually at the end of the business day. If your child has not been seen in over 4 months for any chronic problem, please make an appointment as well. Many chronic medications require monitoring.

Required Information: child’s full name, date of birth, name of prescription, dosage and directions, and if you require more than one refill.

All prescriptions are sent electronically to the pharmacy. Please leave pharmacy name, zip code and phone number.

If you need a prescription for a medication your child has not been on before, please make an appointment so that one of our providers can evaluate the problem and help you choose the best possible course of action to help your child.

Nine- and eighteen-month-olds need a screening for iron and lead levels. This can be done at the time of your visit, via fingerstick. You do not need a separate appointment for this.

For other kinds of bloodwork, you may schedule a visit with the medical assistant by choosing a blood draw appointment. For small babies, and those who have found blood draws difficult in the past, you may prefer to go an area outpatient lab for bloodwork, where the phlebotomists see a higher volume of patients and are therefore more experienced. LabCorps serves most insurances and has many convenient locations. The CHOP outpatient lab is also very good.

Patients who do not show up for their appointments or who cancel with less than 24 hours will be charged $100. Repeated no-shows will lead us to request that you leave the practice.