Are We a Good Fit?

Our Vaccine Policy follows the schedule outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

We work hard to not overuse antibiotics. We educate families on appropriate use of antibiotics, but follow evidence-based guidelines and don’t automatically treat ear pain or a green snotty nose with antibiotics.

We do not routinely prescribe antibiotics over the phone as we do not believe that is good medicine. We will prescribe an antibiotic when we believe it is an appropriate treatment.

We work hard to provide comprehensive medical care and serve as your medical home. To that end, we expect that you contact our office FIRST before seeking specialty care, or heading to another provider for urgent care. We want to be involved in either providing care in our office where appropriate, or referring you to the most appropriate specialist and helping to coordinate your care.

Whenever you do see a specialist, we ask that you request a report be sent directly to our office so we may stay informed and have the most up-to-date information in your medical record.

We make every effort to meet the needs of our patients, offering both routine well visits and sick visit appointments.

Please familiarize yourself with our office hours to see if they work for your family.

After the clinic closes, our families may utilize the Methodist Children's Hospital Nurse Triage Service at (210) 22-NURSE [226-8773] for medical-related questions.  A designated Southwest Children's Center physician is available for any calls needing a physician's attention which is routed thorugh our after-hours answering service.  

You may wish to check the "Is Your Child Sick?" section of our website for helpful information before using this service.

Make sure we participate with your insurance plan.

It is your responsibility to know the limits and coverage of your particular health insurance policy, to show your cards to us at each visit, and be prepared to pay any copays at the time of service.

As a courtesy to our patients, Southwest Children's Center will file claims to any insurance carrier with whom we are a participating provider.  We do not guarantee benefits.  The insurance policy is a contract between you, your employer and the insurance company.    Your insurance company will determine coordination of benefits, co-pay amount, and deductibles/coinsurance.  It is the responsibility of the cardholder to know what their eligibility and coverage is with their insurance carrier.  If this is not known, the cardholder should verify coverage limitations prior to the appointment date.  The individual authorizing treatment agrees to pay any portion not covered by your insurance.  

Our billing staff will do their best to assist you with insurance questions; however, If you have questions about your coverage, it is best check with your specific insurance company.

Our office does not want you to be surprised by a bill, but must always bill your health plan based on federal guidelines and the actual services provided.

Payment is due at the time service is rendered.  This includes all applicable co-payments, coinsurances, payments for services not covered or denied by your insurance company and any self-pay account balances.  

If you participate in (1) HDHP (High Deductible Health Plan), (2) HSA (Health Savings Account), or (3) have a deductible that must be met prior to services being covered, Southwest Children's Center will collect $50.00 at the time of service which will be applied towards your bill and future balance. 

If we are not a provider for your insurance, if you are not insured or we do not file with your insurance company, you may be responsible for the entire charge at the time of service.

We see patients, by appointment, seven days a week. Patients should not expect to be seen without a scheduled appointment.  If you arrive without an appointment, you may not be able to see the physician.

"Walk-in" patients and late arrivals greatly decrease the efficiency of our physicians and are unfair to patients who are on time and have scheduled appointments.  Additional fees apply to any patient who arrives to our office without an appointment.  "Walk-in" patients may be worked into the daily schedule as time allows. 

We encourage patients to arrive 15 minutes prior to their scheduled visits.  For families with multiple children, each patient must have a separate appointment. It is best to schedule non-urgent appointments, such as well check-ups, sports/camp physicals, and parent consultations at least two weeks in advance.

As a courtesy to our patients, we provide an automated phone call and text message appointment reminder two days prior to the scheduled appointment. Standard text message rates may apply.  Appointment reminders are courtesy notifications.  Patients and families are responsible for arrive to their appointment on the correct day, at the correct time. Appointments scheduled less than 2 days prior to their appointment will not receive a reminder text.

Your timeliness affects our ability to provide our patients with efficient medical care. Thus, our office has little tolerance for late arrivals and missed appointments.

You will be charged a fee for all missed appointments. If you arrive late for a non-urgent visit, we may have to reschedule your appointment.  If you are running late to your appointment, we kindly ask you notify our office.  If you are more than 15 minutes late to your appointment, your appointment may need to be rescheduled.

Excessive late arrivals and missed appointments could result in dismissal from Southwest Children’s Center, P.A.