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Promoting Healthy Lifestyles for our Patients and Families |
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Dekalb Pediatric Center 404-508-1177 |
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To contact us: |
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NURSE ADVICE LINE |
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We document all calls in your child’s electronic chart and communicate back and forth with the ”doctor of the day” as needed. |
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HOW IT WORKS |
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You can access our nurse advice line by calling the office during regular hours and asking to be transferred to the nurse line. You will leave your name, child’s name, birthday and a brief description of the problem. The messages are taken off regularly and the calls returned in the order of severity. All calls are returned by the end of each day. Please be sure that you leave a number at which you can be reached throughout the day. Be sure your phone is unblocked and that your cell phone is turned on. If your child’s condition changes before you receive a call please call us back and state the new problem to our front office staff so they can assist you. You can always ask for an appointment instead of a phone call. If there are no appointment slots left for the day our nurse will begin triaging all calls as soon as possible. If you think your child has a true emergency you must tell our front office staff. For life threatening emergencies call 911. WHAT WE DO Many of the answers to your questions can be found on this web site. It was written and designed by us, with links to resources we have selected and reviewed. We know, however, that there are times when talking to a nurse can be helpful. Our nurses follow office protocols and have years of experience. The nurses can offer routine advice, liaison with the providers and help you decide if an office visit is necessary. There are times when it is medically appropriate for us to offer a “phone visit” with a new prescription called in for your child instead of an office visit. An example would be some cases of pink eye. After taking a history, consulting with a physician when necessary, and reviewing the chart we may feel it is appropriate to call in a prescription, saving you the time and expense of an office visit. If you choose this option there is a $15.00 charge for this medical service. You can always, if you prefer, schedule an office visit. Occasionally, for example during a flu outbreak, we run out of sick appointments for the day. When that happens our nurses will triage all calls and make space for the patients we feel medically need to be seen. Often home care advice can be given until the next available appointment. Sometimes, for more severe conditions, we will advise you to go to Children’s HealthCare of Atlanta.
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Some days the phone never stops ringing! |
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NEW OCTOBER 2011 You can send the nurse a secure message for a routine question that will be answered that day via our new PATIENT PORTAL. THIS IS FOR ROUTINE QUESTIONS ONLY, MON-FRI during regular business hours. |