FAQs

A pediatrician is a medical doctor who specializes in the care of children. Pediatricians have undergone special training in the health and illnesses of infants, teens and young adults, and the majority of pediatricians are certified by the American Board of Pediatrics after passing a comprehensive exam.

A pediatrician is a medical doctor who specializes in the care of children. Pediatricians have undergone special training in the health and illnesses of infants, teens and young adults, and the majority of pediatricians are certified by the American Board of Pediatrics after passing a comprehensive exam.

Pediatricians provide preventive health care for children in good health and medical care for children who are acutely or chronically ill. They also provide parents with support and advice with issues such as growth and development, safety and prevention, nutrition, and emotional wellness to foster a lifetime of good health.

Yes, in fact we strongly encourage parents-to-be to visit our office for a prenatal appointment. This is a great way to get acquainted with our office and our providers. During this visit, we will answer any questions that you have about our practice or your new child. Visit our expectant parent's page for more information.

Yes, we always welcome new patients. Contact our office for additional information or request an appointment.

We accept most private insurances,  Arkansas Medicaid (including ARKids A and B), and PASSEs. Pease check our Billing Page for more information. 

You can schedule an appointment by calling our office during regular business hours, or by requesting an appointment using our Patient Portal

Our office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  

Your child should not only see the pediatrician for an illness. It is also important to schedule well-child-care exams regularly, beginning in infancy. Also called well-care visits or checkups, these routine examinations provide the best opportunity for the doctor to observe the progress of your child's physical and mental growth and development; to counsel and teach parents; to detect problems through screening tests; to provide immunizations, and to get to know one another. Well-care visits are strongly recommended as part of preventive pediatric care.

Well-child visits are also a good time for parents to raise questions and concerns about a child's development, behavior, nutrition, safety and overall well-being.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this schedule for routine well-care visits:

• 3 to 5 days
• 2 weeks
• 1 month
• 2 month
• 4 month
• 6 months
• 9 months
• 12 months
• 15 months
• 18 months
• 24 months
• 30 months
• 3 years
• 4 years

And once every year thereafter for an annual health supervision visit that includes a physical exam as well as a developmental, behavioral, and learning assessment.

Every effort is made to arrange your child's well care and follow up visits with the pediatric provider of your choice. When your child is ill, he or she may see any one of our  providers.

Immunizations are a series of shots given to children at different ages to help ward off serious, and potentially fatal, childhood diseases. Making sure your child receives immunizations when scheduled is the best way to help protect your child from potentially fatal diseases. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, vaccinations have reduced the number of infections from vaccine-preventable diseases by more than 90%. If you're apprehensive about vaccinations, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

To help protect your child from many serious infectious diseases, we follow the immunization schedule recommended by The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Please discuss your immunization questions and concerns with any of our pediatric providers.

For urgent questions or concerns, you may call our office phone number at 479-478-7200 and speak to a pediatric nurse using our Kids Care triage service. Requests for medication refills or referrals will not be addresses after office hours; please contact us during office hours for these requests.  Click here for more information about our After Hours services.

In the event of an emergency, call 911

You will receive text reminders about your child's appointment  You may log in to the Patient Portal to complete forms and surveys prior to your child's appointment.  

Please plan to arrive 10 minutes prior to your child's scheduled appointment to verify demographic, billing, and insurance information, and to complete any necessary paperwork.

We follow all guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics to ensure your child is as healthy as possible.  This may incude surveys, physical exams, lab screenigs, and immunizations appropriate for your child's age.   

Click here for more information about Well Child Visits. 

For non-urgent referrals: when one of our providers refers you to a specialist, we will submit the appropriate referral required by your child's insurance.  Most referrals are completed electronically and submitted to the specialist's office. The specialist's office should contact you to schedule an appointment for your child. 

If you have not heard from the specialist's office in 2 weeks, please call their office directly.

You may call our office to speak to our referral coordinator to request a new referral or get a status update of an existing referral.  

Most diagnostic studies including radiology imaging and blood work will be ordered through Mercy Outpatient services and Quest Diagnostics, located on the first floor of Mercy Tower West.  

Some specialized tests may be ordered through Arkansas Childrens Northwest.  

You will receive a call quickly with any lab results that require urgent attention. Other abnormal lab results will be addressed promptly by the provider that ordered the labs or tests. Normal values are reviewed and addressed by the provider that ordered them.

Please call our office and follow the prompts for our prescription refill line. Allow one business day for all routine prescription refills. For prescriptions that require prior authorization from your insurance company, please plan ahead to allow at least three to five days for refill approval. Prescription refills for controlled substances such as ADHD medications are refilled Monday through Friday only.

Yes, we promote breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding babies for the first six to twelve months. Breastfeeding helps defend children against infections, prevents allergies, and protects against a number of chronic conditions. While experts believe that breast milk is the best nutritional choice for infants, breastfeeding may not be possible for all women.

Some women have specific medical considerations that impede breastfeeding; others choose to feed by formula because of discomfort, work schedule, or lifestyle choices. In these cases, an iron-fortified, milk-based infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your child's well care visit, or please call during office hours to speak with our experienced nursing staff.

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office 1-2 days after discharge from the hospital. Our staff understands the importance of this first visit and will make every effort to schedule this visit promptly.