About Us
Sewickley Valley Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine has been in practice for over 40 years and remains a private practice - we are not owned by a hospital or insurance company!
Focus on Prevention and Education:
Because we believe that preventive care is extremely important to overall health, we devote extra time to educating parents and patients about what to expect at each stage of development.
Initial Visit and Health Assessment:
For the most effective ongoing care, a complete medical history and physical examination are vital. That’s why we suggest that a patient’s first visit be for an overall health assessment. Prior to this visit, you will need to give our office staff basic medical and family information.
Office Hours and Appointment Scheduling:
Our offices open at 8 a.m., Monday through Saturday, and patients are scheduled by appointment. Each doctor has hours scheduled at specific times during the week in one of our offices. We do have same-day appointments available for sick children – meaning that we will make every attempt to see a sick child on the day that you call.
The practice philosophy states that if a child is sick and the parents want the child to be seen, we will fit the child into the schedule that day.
If you cannot meet your appointment, please call and let us know so that we may use this appointment for another child. If you have additional children that need to be seen, other than the one that is scheduled, please make sure to make an appointment for these children as well, so that our schedule will not run behind. PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH US for we make certain that each child is given proper care.
We ask that you give us current insurance information when making your appointment, and at the time of EACH visit, provide us with your insurance card. Insurance co-payments are to be paid at the time of the visit, or else there will be a $30.00 billing fee charged to your account in addition to the required co-payment.
We will verify and update your demographic information (address, phone number, insurance information) at each visit so that we have the most current data on file. We also ask that you provide us with your child’s Social Security number for our records.
REFERRALS may be called in from 8:00 – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. If our referral specialist is unavailable, please leave a voice message with all pertinent information and the referral will be taken care of unless you hear from us otherwise. All visits to the emergency room or other facilities MUST BE AUTHORIZED BEFOREHAND, UNLESS IT IS A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. We cannot give authorization retroactively. This requirement also includes admission and surgeries. Please do not wait until you are at the specialist’s office to try and obtain the referral. It is highly recommended that you call us several days in advance, or there might be a chance that the insurance company will not be able to process the approval in time for you appointment.
Telephone Triage:
We provide 24 hour a day coverage. Telephone Triage is handled by our clinical staff during regular office hours and then after hours by the Telephone Triage Center of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, with calls being forwarded to the on-call physician if necessary. If you would like to speak directly with the physician during regular office hours, our staff will be happy to take a message and your call will be returned by the physician at the end of the working day – if you require a quicker response, we strongly suggest that you speak with the nurse and have her relay a message if necessary.
When you call the office during the day to speak with the nurse, you may be asked to leave a voice mail message if the nurse is with a patient or on another line. We attempt to make sure that all calls are returned within 90 minutes. If you have NOT heard from us, please give us a call back. All our clinical staff follow standard pediatric healthcare guidelines approved by our physicians.
When calling about non-emergency illness, please have the following information available:
1 – A clear history of the symptoms including severity and duration
2 – Child’s temperature recorded by a thermometer, if there is a possibility of fever
3 – A note pad and pen to take down any instructions
4 – Your pharmacy name and telephone number
5 – Pertinent information regarding any ongoing problems your child may have
Billing:
We operate and maintain our own on-site billing department. Billing questions are taken by calling our billing department at 724-935-2610, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. If our billing staff is unavailable, a message can be left with the pertinent information and your call will be returned promptly.
HIPAA:
Our office follows the federally mandated guidelines with regard to patient privacy/confidentiality. A copy of our Notice of Privacy Practice is posted in each office, and each patient receives a copy (one time) for their records. Our privacy officer can be reached by calling the Sewickley office at 412-741-8700 should you have questions or concerns.
Administration:
If you have a problem or concern that has not been addressed or resolved by one of our staff members, please call our Practice Administrator, Liz Yankello, RN CPN, LNC, at the Sewickley office at 412-741-8700. For billing issues, Mary Forte, our Financial Administrator, would be happy to assist you - please call 724-935-2610.
Member:
American Academy of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania Medical Society, Allegheny County Medical Society
Sewickley Valley Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine
Sewickley 412-741-8700 | Wexford 724-935-6644
Rochester 724-774-7110 | Moon Township 412-264-6117