Policies

Over the past thirty years, increasing numbers of families have questioned the necessity and timing of childhood vaccines.  Parents are often making their decisions to delay or avoid immunizations based on unscientific sources of information – often spread via social media.  The resulting decreases in vaccination rates mean that more people are now susceptible to preventable (and often untreatable) diseases and they, in turn, can pass these infections to all those around them.  Here in the U.S., we have had recent outbreaks of measles, bacterial meningitis, and even polio, in unvaccinated, or under-vaccinated individuals. 

As a practice, we are happy to discuss the immunizations recommended for infants, children, and adolescents.  We also suggest that families look for information on credible websites such as healthychildren.org, cdc.gov, who.int, hhs.gov, and immunize.org. 

Given our commitment to public health as well as to the health and welfare of our patients and staff, Piedmont Pediatrics has a vaccine compliance policy: 

1. Infants, children, and adolescents are expected to be vaccinated according to the schedule published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC). 
2. If an infant has not received any vaccines by 6 months of age and does not have a written plan for catching up with the AAP / CDC schedule, they will be asked to leave the practice.  We will provide a list of primary care provider options in the area. 
3. If a child has not caught up with the AAP / CDC schedule by 18 months of age, they will be asked to leave the practice.  We will provide a list of primary care provider options. 
4. Our practice will not sign immunization forms that do not meet state requirements for school entry. 

These rules will not apply if true medical contraindications exist to vaccination. 

We are happy to discuss this policy further should you have any questions. 

Robert S. Michel, MD | Gretchen W. Brantley, MD | Mary Anne Mayo, MD | Jocelyn K. Schauer, MD |  Carol A. Boersma, MD | Jessica T. Cline, DNP, CPNP-PC | Arika Roy Cocke, CPNP-PC |  Monica Hobeck, CPNP-PC | Madeline Olmsted, CPNP-PC | Courtney Smith, FNP-C 

Piedmont Pediatrics Financial Policy

Piedmont Pediatrics Privacy Policy

Everyone's Time is Equally Valuable.

We ask that you arrive 10-15 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.

You will receive notice of upcoming appointments Via Phone/Text Message.

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 will charge a fee for missed appointments and appointments canceled with less than 24 hours notice.

A pattern of missed appointments will result in discharge from the practice.

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. Opting out of text messaging may result in missed important office and appointment communication.

We work hard to not overuse antibiotics.

Antibiotics only treat bacterial infections, not illnesses caused by viruses - such as the common cold, croup, or hand foot mouth disease.

Young children typically get multiple viral colds (up to 6-8) every year, each lasting up to 2 weeks, and which can start with fevers (up to 3-4 days) and nasal mucus that can be yellow or green.

Overusing antibiotics for viruses will not work and can cause side effects as well as the potential of creating resistant bacteria.