You have questions, we have answers.  Take a look through these commonly asked questions.

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Q: Who will see my baby in the hospital?

A: The neonatologist on staff will examine your baby at admission and before discharge from the hospital. Please bring your discharge paper work to your first office visit.

Q: How soon after leaving the hospital should the baby be seen?

A: It is best to make an appointment for 24-48 hours after discharge. You can call the practice Monday-Friday 8:30am-12:30pm or 1:30pm-5pm and Saturday 9am-12:30pm to make an appointment.

Q: How many visits will the newborn have?

A: Typically babies are seen after discharge from the hospital and at 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks. If the physician is monitoring the baby’s weight or jaundice level, more visits may be required.

Q: Will I always see the same doctor?

A: Each physician has a specific office schedule. If your child needs to be seen on a day your usual doctor is out of the office, one of the other doctors will see you. Patients are encouraged to make routine physical appointments with the same physician for continuity of care when scheduling permits.

Q: What vaccines will my child receive?

A: Foxhall Pediatrics follows the vaccine schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Vaccines may be postponed if a child has a fever or is being treated for an acute medical concern.

Q: How long will my appointment take?

A: We strive to be respectful of our families’ time. Please allow for 45 minutes from arrival for completion an acute care visit and 90 minutes for a well visit. This will allow time for collection of vital signs, taking a history, patient examination, completion of laboratory tests, providing vaccinations (if applicable), addressing concerns and check out at the end of the visit.

Q: Can I bring all 3 of my children in for their check up at the same time?

A: Our policy is that we will only schedule 2 well visits at the same time.  It is difficult for both us and you to focus on one child at a time when there are more than 2 children present.  Additionally, it is rare that a child can sit through three (or more) physicals without being disruptive.

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Q: Where should I take my child if there is a medical emergency?

A: If you have an urgent concern about your child, call 9-1-1 or take them to the nearest emergency room. We generally refer patients to the Medstar Georgetown University Hospital emergency department or the Children’s National Health System emergency department. Depending on your location, another hospital may be closer, but it is important to make sure that the hospital can see and admit pediatric patients (Suburban Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, Inova Fairfax Hospital). Sibley Memorial Hospital does not have pediatric providers for the admission of patients under the age of 18 years.

Q: How do I get in touch with the doctor during office hours?

A: During office hours, routine questions can be answered by an available medical assistant. Non urgent messages can be left for the physician and will be returned at their earliest convenience. If the issue is urgent, you will be offered an appointment.

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Q: How do I get in touch with the doctor after hours?

A: After 5:30pm on Monday-Friday and from Saturday after 12:30pm please call 301-552-0940 and the
answering service will page the physician on call. If your call has not been returned within 30 minutes
please have the answering service page the physician again. There is a $35 charge for after hours phone
calls for patients over 6 months of age who have not been examined in the office in the previous 2 days.

Q: If I have a question about a physical finding (e.g. rash, insect bite) can I email or text a photograph of
it to the physician?

A: Please do not send any photographs or videos of the patient to the office for evaluation or diagnosis. Those issues are best handled by coming to the office to see the doctor or by arranging to be seen locally if you are out of town.

Q: Can my child’s grandparent, nanny, au pair, etc. bring them to the office?

A: If someone other than the child’s parent or legal guardian needs to bring them for a visit, please provide an authorization with your name, the child’s name and date of birth, the care givers full name and whether they are authorized to sign for vaccinations and/or receive instructions for care.  Our front desk may check the identification of the accompanying adult. Patients cannot be seen in the office unaccompanied until they are 18 years old.

Q: Does the office complete school forms?

A: Yes.  Please bring your child’s school form to their well visit with as much information completed as possible.  The cost is $25.00 per form. If your child requires medication that is given at school, there is usually a separate authorization for that.  If your child is followed by an allergist or pulmonologist for allergic reaction or asthma, please have the specialist complete their Asthma Action Plan or EpiPen plan as they will have the most up to date information.  School or physical forms can be completed based on a well child visit for up to one year after the visit. We cannot complete forms based on sick visits or examinations not performed in our office. Please allow up to 3 business days for completion of a school form.  If it is required more urgently than there may be a rush fee.

Q: Can my child receive an excuse for school absences?

A: School excuse/ return to school forms are provided at check-out.  We cannot provide letters for a patient’s absence from school or other activity if they have not been seen by a doctor in our office.

Q: What if my child needs an appointment with a specialist?

A: Referrals to a specialist may be suggested by the physician.  Your insurance provider may or may not require a formal referral, however the specialists’ office may require copies of office notes or laboratory results before the visit.  Which specialist you see will depends on their location, availability and accepted insurance. Click for a list of common referrals in the region.

Q: What should I do if my child needs an x-ray, ultrasound or other imaging?

A: Some imaging can be performed in the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Radiology suite on the third floor of the Foxhall Medical Building (Suite 324) on a walk-in basis or with an appointment.  If a more in depth study is needed, you may be referred to a hospital or local radiology center. The physician will provide an order form or prescription once they have examined the patient and determined the necessary imaging.

Q: Where do I take my child to have labs drawn?

A: The physician will provide a lab slip or prescription with the requested blood work.  You can have the blood drawn at a local lab (link in site) or any location that participates with your insurance.  More common labs can be drawn in the office for adolescent and teenage patients. However, our laboratory does not carry the required blood tubes for all testing.  Please make note of whether the patient should be fasting (nothing but water for 8-10 hours prior to the blood draw).

Q: At what age should my child start seeing an adult doctor?

A: Our physicians will see patients until 22 years of age, although some families wish to seek care with an adolescent or adult provider when the child is in their late teens.

Q: Should I need to change practices, how do I get a copy of my medical records?

A: Please complete a records request form and allow 2 weeks for the medical record to be copied.  There is a $25 basic charge for reproduction of medical records. Payment is due at the time of the request.