When it comes to choosing a doctor for your child, the choice is never a simple one. You want the absolute best care for your child and knowing more about potential pediatricians will help you make an informed choice. I have been seeing families in my practice for over 20 years and I am happy to provide the information I believe helps parents make good decisions about their healthcare. Here are the issues I think are the most important when it comes to choosing a pediatrician.
Full Family Care
Some pediatricians only see children in their clinics. At IMP/Family Medicine, we see entire families. This helps us understand family dynamics, which leads to more comprehensive care for each member of the family. It also allows us to see a patient as they grow up and maintain the continuum of care. I see many patients for the first time in the hospital after they are born and am able to care for them throughout their childhoods and into early adulthood.
Flexible Visit Schedule
Our clinic offers same-day visits, a night clinic for acute sick visits, and evening child well visits. This allows us to accommodate families with all different types of schedules. Your child doesn’t always get sick during office hours and you may also work during the day, making it difficult to bring your child in during typical office hours. Choosing a doctor for your child with flexible visit schedules ensures you can get immediate care when your child doesn’t feel well and can also easily fit well visits and check-ups into your schedule.
Spectrum of Care
We offer everything from onsite x-rays and labs to immunizations, sports injury care, attention deficit evaluations and treatment, and care for chronic conditions from scoliosis to asthma. This makes us a one-stop solution for most issues, which helps your child stay calm as they are seeing the same doctor and team every time they have a healthcare concern. It also helps us treat them in a more comprehensive manner because we know their health history, and know them as an individual.
Personalization of Care
We really know all our patients. Not only do I know every patient by name, but my entire staff does as well. We really take the time to talk with them and get to know them on an individual basis. Sometimes just talking to a patient and asking compassionate questions can help uncover issues. For example, I recently started seeing a family who had transferred from other doctor’s office. During the initial exam, I found out that the boy had scoliosis, something that had been missed at the previous clinic. It was just a matter of doing a thorough exam and taking the time to really talk to him, something the other physician didn’t do.
Personalized care also helps families feel welcome and calm, no matter what they’re coming in for. Getting to know the whole family well also helps us develop individualized care plans based on their unique situations. Once they feel comfortable with our team, they’ll start sharing more and being more open, which then helps us provide better care. This level of personalized care is one of the most important ways we distinguish ourselves from other pediatricians and family physicians.
In the end, it all comes down to which doctor you and your child feel the most comfortable with. I am currently taking new patients in every age group and would love to visit with you more about your care needs.
