Medical Services

Welcome to Blue Fish Pediatrics! We are delighted to have you as a new patient and look forward to a long, wonderful relationship with you. We are committed to providing you with the best medical care and the most courteous service.

Emergencies

• In the event of an emergency, dial 911 and then contact us at our office.  If it is after hours, the office recording will give you the number to our page operator.*
• If you suspect your child has swallowed medicine or poison, dial 1-800-POISON-1 or 1-800-222-1222 and call our office at the phone number listed.  If it is after hours, the office recording will give you the number to our page operator.*

Urgent Questions

• During office hours, please call our office and ask to speak to a nurse.

• After hours, please consult this booklet or Health Topics on our website.  If you have further questions or you need to contact one of our doctors, our office recording will give you the number to our page operator.*
• If you have any questions regarding health issues, we highly recommend checking out the American Academy of Pediatrics website at www.healthychildren.org.
• We also recommend downloading the Kids Doc app (also from the American Academy of Pediatrics) to your iPhone or Android device.

 Non-Urgent Questions

If you have a non-urgent question, please call our office at the phone number.  Leave your name, telephone number, time of your call, and question and we will return your call in a timely fashion.

• Messages received in the morning during office hours (8:30 AM to 12:00 noon) will be returned by lunch time (12:00 noon to 2:00 PM).
• Messages received in the afternoon during office hours (12:00 noon to 5:00 PM) will be returned by the end of the business day (5:00 PM).
• Messages received after hours will be returned by noon the following business day.

*Sometimes, due to technical problems or the fact that the on call doctor is attending to another patient, your call may not be returned within 15 minutes.  In this case please contact the page operator again and a doctor will return your call shortly.

For All Visits

Please do not forget to:

• Schedule an appointment
• Bring a current immunization record
• Bring all relevant medical information (ex. discharge paperwork for newborns, ER & hospital visits)
• Bring current insurance information
• Ensure the doctor listed as your PCP (for HMO or Medicaid) is a Blue Fish doctor
• Be on time and come early if your insurance or demographic information has changed

Initial Visits

The first time you visit Blue Fish; there are some forms you must fill out prior to being seen. To make the process of filling out forms as painless as possible, we have put all our new patient forms on our website. If you have internet access, please download and print the forms off our website or request them via email so you can fill out the paperwork in the comfort of your own home. If you do not have access to the internet, we can fax or mail the paperwork to you. If you are unable to fill out the new patient forms before you arrive at our office, please come thirty minutes prior to your appointment so that you will have ample time to complete the forms.

Newborn Visits

If your newborn was in the hospital for less than 48 hours, please schedule an appointment for a newborn follow-up visit two to three days after discharge. Appointment slots are always reserved for newborn babies.

If your newborn was in the hospital for more than 48 hours, please schedule an appointment for a follow-up visit 7 – 14 days after discharge. Appointment slots are always reserved for newborn babies.

If your newborn was discharged from the hospital with special follow-up instructions from the doctor, please call us and schedule your appointment accordingly. Again, appointment slots are always available for your newborn.

Well Visits

For well child care, such as immunizations and check-ups, please make an appointment as early as possible (at least two to four weeks prior to the requested date). Demand may vary throughout the year so we encourage you to call as early as possible to schedule a well visit. Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your appointment time so that any required paperwork (ex. change of address or telephone number) can be handled before your scheduled time.

Sick Visits

Please contact our office for an appointment as soon as you think you might need to be seen. If you need help determining if you should duke it out at home or get checked, please call early in the day so that we can guide you through the decision making process. We will see sick children the same day you call, but please understand if there is a wait in the office for these visits.

Office Policy on Tardiness and Rescheduling

Blue Fish Pediatrics endeavors to provide timely and convenient service. Patients who come late, unprepared, or without an appointment inconvenience those patients who are on time, prepared, and call in advance to schedule an appointment time. If you have an appointment and you cannot make it, please contact us to either cancel or re-schedule your appointment. If you know you will be at least 15 minutes late for your scheduled appointment, please call us and let us know. This will enable us to see patients as timely as possible.

In order to protect your time, patients who:

• have missed their appointment by being more than 20 minutes late,
• have come unprepared for their visit (ex. their primary care doctor listed with Medicaid has not been changed to a Blue Fish doctor),
• or, have dropped in for an office visit without an appointment

will have the option to either reschedule their appointment or wait until the next available appointment. We will always do everything to ensure that your child is seen as soon as possible.

School/Camp Forms:

1. You must be up to date on your checkups: In order for our doctors to fill out a school/camp form, you child must be up to date on their checkups. For example, children over two years old must have been seen for a well check in the last 12 months.

2. Mailed in, faxed in, emailed in: Forms don’t need to be handed to our office in person. They can be mailed in, faxed in, or emailed to us. For contact information, click here:  Memorial or Cypress

3. Allow 1 week: Please allow our office at least 1 week (5-7 business days) to process and return your form.

If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to call us. Thank you.