By Michelle Smith Howard, President & CEO, Kids’ First Years
Alexandria, VA – Parents want their children to have the best medical care possible during the early years from birth to age 5. To ensure that a child is healthy and meeting the key milestones for growth and development before starting kindergarten, it is very important for families to have a medical home.
What is a Medical Home?
A medical home is a place where parents can go for medical advice about their child, including regular well visit checkups and sick visits that aren’t emergencies. The pediatrician at the medical home should be someone you trust to provide the best care for your child’s health and well-being.
“Establishing a relationship built on trust and support is essential,” says Dr. Christine Page-Lopez, Associate Medical Director with Neighborhood Health, an organization in the Kids’ First Years collective of community partners.
Finding a Medical Home
If you are in need of a new medical home, Dr. Page-Lopez offered suggestions for how to get started on your search:
- Check with your insurance provider for names of pediatricians that are covered by your policy.
- Ask other parents with young children for recommendations of a clinic or pediatrician that they like and trust.
- If you have access to a computer, go online to look for nearby pediatricians that you can easily reach by car or public transportation.
When you have made your choice, call and say that your child needs a new doctor and you would like to make an appointment. Your first visit to a new doctor will last about 20-30 minutes, with subsequent well visits lasting about 10-15 minutes.
Here’s what you should bring when you come with your child on the first visit to a new doctor and medical home:
- A copy of your child’s vaccination record
- A list of medications that your child is currently taking or has taken in the past
- The name and address of your preferred pharmacy
- An updated insurance card
- If your child has special needs, bring a list of specialists the child has seen and their medical diagnoses
- The contact info, including a fax number, of the previous pediatrician that your child has seen; this enables the new doctor to request a Release of Records that would contain helpful information about your child.
Scheduling a Well Visit Checkup
Routine checkups, also known as well visits, enable your doctor to examine your child on a regular basis. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a schedule of 14 well visits from birth to age five, listed in the sidebar.
“It’s best to pick one clinic and one doctor to take your child to see for all of their well visits and checkups,” Dr. Page-Lopez adds. “The more a doctor knows about your child and family, the better they can help your child grow and thrive.”
To schedule a well visit, call the doctor’s office and say, for example, “My child needs to schedule a 1 year well visit.” Let the office know if you will be bringing a health form to complete for your child’s day care or school.
It can often take several weeks to get a patient appointment, so call as soon as you know your child needs an appointment for a first-time visit, or make the next well visit appointment before leaving the doctor’s office.
Dr. Page-Lopez advises that it is also better to go to one clinic for all non-emergency sick visits. “Your regular pediatrician knows your child and can take better care of a sick child than an emergency room or urgent care facility,” she concludes.
Recommended schedule for 14 well visits:
Newborn, 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, 18 months, 2 years, 2.5 years (30 months), 3 years, 4 years, 5 years
