Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Please schedule a free "meet the office" visit using the schedule appointment button. We require this visit prior to coming in, so as to be sure you will be happy at our practice!

We are excited that you have chosen Advocare Fairmount Pediatrics for your child's medical care. Your comfort and convenience are our priority, and we strive to make every visit to our office a positive experience. To help you get acquainted with our office and first visit procedures, we have included helpful information on this page.

What to Expect

A pleasant, comfortable first visit builds trust and helps put the child at ease during future visits. We want your child to enjoy getting to know our doctors and staff, so we work hard to establish this bond during every appointment to our office. During your initial appointment, we will explain everything in detail and answer any questions you may have.

We look forward to meeting you and your child and providing the quality, comprehensive medical care you expect and deserve.

Yes, in fact we strongly encourage parents-to-be to visit our office for a prenatal appointment. This is a great way to get acquainted with our office and our doctors. During this visit, we will answer any questions that you have about our practice or your new child. Please schedule the "meet the office" appointment available using the SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT button on the page.

Please refer to our  Insurance & Billing page  to review Advocare's list of accepted insurance providers.

Yes, we promote breastfeeding.  Kristin Smith, our physician assistant,is an internationally certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). She provides lactation visits, suck training, and runs our weekly breastfeeding groups. All our providers can help you with breastfeeding during a regular appointment. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding babies for the first six to twelve months. Breastfeeding helps defend children against infections, prevents allergies, and protects against a number of chronic conditions. While experts believe that breast milk is the best nutritional choice for infants, breastfeeding may not be possible for all women. Some women have specific medical considerations that impede breastfeeding; others choose to feed by formula because of discomfort, work schedule, or lifestyle choices. In these cases, an iron-fortified, milk-based infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your child's well care visit, or please call during office hours to speak with our experienced nursing staff.

To set up a free meeting to see if you like the office, please use the schedule appointment button here on this website. To make your first patient appointment, please call 215-774-1166. Future appointments are made using the appointment scheduling button (the yellow box near the top of the page, labeled "Schedule Appt")

To ensure the best use of time, for both our physicians and patients, all of our office visits are by appointment only. We ask that you arrive at our office 10 - 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time. This will allow you to complete any necessary paperwork and to update any demographic and insurance changes. If you must cancel an appointment, please notify us as soon as possible so we can offer that time to someone else. We require 24 hours notice for cancellations, to avoid the short-notice cancellation fee. This allows us to run on time!

Please write to our office via the portal to request prescription refills. Allow one business day for all routine prescription refills. For prescriptions that require prior authorization from your insurance company, please plan ahead to allow at least three to five days for refill approval. Prescription refills for controlled substances such as ADHD medications are refilled Monday through Friday only.

You can reach the doctor by writing in the portal at any time. The doctor writes back in the evening, in the early morning and throughout the day. If the issue is inappropriate for email or you need to reach the doctor right away, please call! There is also a nurse advice line available at night. That phone number is available on our voicemail: 215-774-1166.

Please always call for emergencies, unless you are sure you need to go to the Emergency Room of a hospital. If you know you need to go to the ER, you do not need permission. Do what you think is right for your child, right away, and let the doctor know later.

Please try to limit non-emergency calls to regular work hours.

Please Note: Phone services are only for registered patients who receive their pediatric care at Fairmount Pediatrics.

Our routine health maintenance visit schedule follows the American Academy of Pediatrics vaccine guideline for children.

The visits are:
1 week, 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, 6, 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 36 months and yearly thereafter. 
We care A LOT about every single visit, since a different topic and a different preventive measure is assigned to each visit. 

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office 1-2 days after discharge from the hospital. Our staff understands the importance of this first visit and will make every effort to schedule this visit promptly. THIS IS THEONLY VISIT YOU CANNOT SCHEDULE ON THE WEBSITE. PLEASE CALL RIGHT AWAY! 215-774-1166. There is no need to call the overnight emergency line for this. Please call during business hours. If it is the weekend, call the emergency line between 10 am and 5 pm please.

Please note, we can do bloodwork in the office to recheck for jaundice/ high bilirubin, if your newborn needs that. No need to return to the hospital for this labwork. Let us know you need it when you make the appointment please.

You make your own appointments using the online scheduling tool, so that is entirely up to you. If your child is sick, you will probably want to see whichever provider is available the soonest. Just choose “Any Available “ on the scheduling tool.

In our office, we have three pediatricians, Dr Lieberman, Dr Ruddock and Dr. Ramirez-Chung. We also have other experienced providers: Kristen Smith, a physician assistant and certified lactation consultant who began in pediatrics in 2016, and Liv Lee, RD, a dietician, who offers nutritionist visits. 

For non-urgent referrals : when one of our doctors refers you to a specialist, please schedule your appointment with the specialist, then then write to our office using the patient portal within five business days of your appointment. Your referral will be available within 72 hours. Most referrals are completed electronically and submitted directly to the specialist's office. Please check with our office staff to determine if your insurance plan processes referrals electronically.

For urgent referrals : when one of our doctors determines that you need an urgent referral, your referral will be initiated immediately. Please remain in our office while your referral is processed, then proceed to your specialist.

Our office is open Monday through Friday and most Saturdays. We do well and sick visits on each of those days. As our daily schedule is subject to change, please use the appointment schedule button to see what is available, or send a note on the portal to ask about a specific time. Well visits can be scheduled up to 3 weeks in advance. Sick visits (anything that is not one of the regular scheduled well visits, even if the child is not actually "sick") can be scheduled in advance or the night before or the same day the visit is needed. 
Well visits are: 1 week, 1 month, 2 months, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24 and 36 months, and yearly thereafter.
If you do not see a sick visit available for tomorrow, please wait until after 5 pm and check again!

To help protect your child from many serious infectious diseases, we follow the immunization schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Please discuss your immunization questions and concerns with any of our pediatricians.

A pediatrician is a medical doctor who specializes in the care of children. Pediatricians have undergone special training in the health and illnesses of infants, teens and young adults, and the majority of pediatricians are certified by the American Board of Pediatrics after passing a comprehensive exam.

Pediatricians provide preventive health care for children in good health and medical care for children who are acutely or chronically ill. They also provide parents with support and advice with issues such as growth and development, safety and prevention, nutrition, and emotional wellness to foster a lifetime of good health.

As all children are different, we advise following several appropriate steps to advance your child's diet based on age and development. Please discuss these steps with our providers at your well care visit.

You will receive a call quickly with any results that require urgent attention. All other lab results will be sent via the portal. Normal values are reviewed and addressed by the physician that ordered them. Most results will be sent via the patient portal.