Policies

• We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives.

• We firmly believe in the safety of our vaccines.

• We firmly believe that all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP).

• We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.

• We firmly believe that thimerosal, a preservative that has been in vaccines for decades and remains in some vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.

• We firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you can support as parents/caregivers.

The recommended vaccines and the schedule of administration are the results of years and years of scientific study and data-gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.

The vaccine campaign is truly a victim of its own success. It is precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that we are even discussing whether or not they should be given. Because of vaccines, many of you have never seen a child with polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, or even chickenpox, or known a friend or family member whose child died of one of these diseases. Such success can make us complacent or even lazy about vaccinating. But such an attitude, if it becomes widespread, can only lead to tragic results.

Over the past several years, many people in Europe have chosen not to vaccinate their children with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine after publication of an unfounded suspicion (later retracted) that the vaccine caused autism. As a result of under-immunization, there have been small outbreaks of measles and several deaths from complications of measles in Europe over the past several years. The United States experienced a record number of measles cases during 2019, with 1282 cases from 31 states reported to CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases(NCIRD). This is the greatest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000.

As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and young adults. We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We are more than willing to discuss any questions you may have about vaccines and to discuss potential alternate vaccine schedules with parents with concerns, but do highly recommend all new patients to our practice to adhere to the vaccination schedule endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP).

At Lighthouse Pediatrics we partner with parents to build bright futures for all of our patients. We believe that excellent pediatric care starts with establishing partnership with parents. The administrative/financial policy is designed to ensure you understand your responsibilities as we commit to provide you with excellent healthcare along with stellar service.

Co-pays: All co-pays are to be paid at the time of the visit prior to being seen.

Deductibles/Coinsuances: Are the responsibility of the patient. A fee will be collected towards ALL Sick visit appointments (i.e. non-well check appointments including sick child, medicine rechecks, and growth checks) that have not met the annual deductible/out-of-pocket maximum as stated with your insurance when health benefits and coverages are verified. The fee will be collected on the day of service prior to being seen.

Insurance: We will bill your insurance company directly if we are contracted with your insurance company, after you have paid your co-payment and/or deductible. Insurance companies that we are not contracted with will require the self-pay rate to be paid prior to the visit. Any remaining balance that the insurance company advises us is your responsibility, such as deductibles or non-covered benefits, will be billed to you and payment will be expected within 30 days from the statement date. If payment is not received within 30 days, or payment arrangements made, your account will be reviewed for collection action.

If we cannot verify that your insurance is current, you will be responsible for payment in full at the time of services. If the insurance claim has been denied after submission for reimbursement for services, you will be responsible for the balance.

If you do not have insurance, we will provide an estimate for all services that will be rendered at the time of service. You will need to pay this estimate in full on the day of your appointment in order to be seen.

Account Balances: In the event you are unable to pay your balance in full, you must contact our office promptly to discuss your balance. All balances are expected to be paid in full prior to your next visit. If/When balances are not paid within 60 days, your account will be forwarded to collections for payment and reported to the credit bureaus.

Method of Payment: We accept cash, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Debit Cards and HSA Cards. We do not accept Chime payment cards or checks.

Divorced, Separated or Blended Families: Lighthouse Pediatrics will not become involved in any agreement, understanding, and/or court orders. As always, payment is expected at the time of service. If reimbursement is to be from an absent parent, it is your responsibility to collect this reimbursement, not the responsibility of Lighthouse Pediatrics.

Late Policy: There is a 10 MINUTE GRACE PERIOD for appointments, except for initial appointments, 8:00AM, 11:00AM hour, 1:00PM and 4:00PM hour appointments. Lighthouse Pediatrics reserves the right to ask you to reschedule for late appointments. 

Missed Appointment/No show Administrative Fee: In the event you do not give a 24-hour notice for cancellation of a Well Visit or notify the office prior to a Sick Visit appointment time, this will generate a Missed Appointment/No show fee of $75.00 per child, per appointment for Well or Sick visits. This fee is your responsibility and MUST be paid prior to scheduling any other appointments. Appointments can be cancelled through phone call, the answering service, email, or portal.  

Prescription Refills: Prescription refill requests must be made during office hours so that your child's chart is accessible to the Provider. Please have your pharmacy telephone number/location available when you call. Your prescription will be addressed within 1-3 business days.

Release of Medical Records: You must complete a Medical Release Form. The records will then be sent to you or to whom you have designated. All medical records will be sent electronically. If there is a balance on the account, it must be paid in full before records are sent.

Forms: We require up to three (3) business days to complete camp, sports, health, or immunization forms. Other forms and medical records request forms may take 3-5 business days to process. Fees may apply depending on the type of form.

After Hour and Weekend Appointments Fee: Lighthouse Pediatrics offers concierge services for after-hours and weekend appointments. There is an additional concierge fee for services as well as the normal office visit costs. The concierge fee must be paid at the time of scheduling the appointment, this fee cannot be billed to your insurance company. All deductibles and co-payments are not included with the concierge fee and will be collected before service. 

Lighthouse Pediatrics takes every measure to comply with the federal HIPAA policy to protect your personal health information. Please see the Forms section under Office Info for a complete policy or contact us at 470-697-1396 to get a copy of the HIPAA policy sent to you.