Your Questions, Answered
We know parents have plenty of questions about their child’s healthcare, and we’re here to help. That’s why we’ve created this pediatric healthcare FAQ to provide clear, straightforward answers about our policies, services, and approach to care.
We require all patients to follow the CDC, ACIP, and AAP vaccination guidelines. We do not accept patients whose parents decline vaccines or request a “go-slow” schedule. Exceptions are only made for medical reasons, not religious grounds. While we highly recommend vaccinations like flu, COVID, and HPV, they are not mandatory. Our staff is also required to be vaccinated to ensure a safe environment for all.
No, but for good reasons. Separate waiting areas don’t effectively prevent the spread of germs, as sick siblings or undiagnosed illnesses often mix in waiting areas. Instead, we focus on reducing illness spread through measures like quick rooming, a “sick bay” for contagious cases, and encouraging masking for respiratory symptoms. You can also wait in your car if your child is contagious, and we’ll call you when your room is ready.
We take a conservative approach to antibiotics and medications to avoid unnecessary side effects and combat antibiotic resistance. By maintaining continuity of care within our practice, we can make informed, personalized decisions together. We value shared decision-making, always considering your child’s medical history and your family’s needs.
Circumcision is a personal choice, and we respect whatever decision you make. While the AAP notes some potential benefits, it’s not essential for good health. If you choose circumcision, we recommend it be done in the hospital. If not possible, we can perform it in our office during the first two weeks after birth, using local anesthesia and comfort measures to minimize stress and pain.
No pre-registration is required. When checking into the hospital, simply provide the name of the pediatrician or “Southwest Pediatrics.” After discharge, call us to schedule your baby’s first visit, providing insurance details and hospital paperwork.
If transferring to our practice, we recommend obtaining medical records in advance. Vaccine records and recent growth data are especially helpful. We don’t provide nurse-only visits or complete forms until your child has been seen by one of our doctors.
We handle most routine labs in-office, including finger or heel pokes for blood counts, newborn screenings, and bilirubin levels. For more complex blood work or specialized tests, we’ll refer you to an off-site lab (e.g., CPL, LabCorp, or Quest).
Besides capillary blood work, we do many bedside lab tests such as rapid strep, flu and RSV tests. We also perform urine analysis.
We do not do X-rays in the office; we think that radiation is best left to the professionals. Most plain X-rays are referred to Austin Radiological Association; we can help you find the best location for your child depending on the type of imaging we are doing. We also sometimes use Dell Imaging Center at the Dell Children’s Hospital for very specific tests, including certain ultrasound and fluoroscopy studies and when sedation is needed.
Each of our physicians is Board Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, the highest level of certification a pediatrician can achieve. This certification requires three years of post-graduate training and passing a rigorous exam. Recertification is required every 7-10 years through exams or other assessments to ensure continued excellence.
The Texas State Board of Medical Examiners mandates that physicians complete 48 hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME) every two years, with at least two hours focused on professional ethics or child abuse prevention.
All our physicians are active members of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which provides guidance on protocols and best practices across a wide range of pediatric health topics.
As founding members of Austin Health Partners (AHP), we stay current and often cutting-edge in many aspects of pediatric care. AHP enables us, as a relatively small practice, to offer mental health services within our clinic and provide advanced asthma care that is often only available through specialists.
Austin Health Partners (AHP) is a collaboration of several similar independent practices in the Austin area. We are founding members. This collaboration was borne out of a desire to remain independent in a very challenging medical environment, and share ideas and resources to serve our patients in ways usually associated with a large, corporate medical group. AHP has allowed us to utilize a much more robust electronic health record and start fantastic initiatives into our practice like integrated mental health. Other additional initiatives are in the works.
The beauty of AHP is that we remain true to ourselves. We provide personalized, individualized care, free from the constraints of corporate medicine. Partnering with like-minded professionals allows us to innovate and grow without compromising our core values.
Unfortunately, the answer is not “if” but “when.” We certainly know that and want to do everything we can to provide them the best possible care in our office if that is appropriate. Whether the care is in person during Saturday the morning acute care clinic, Convenient Care hours, or via a nurse triage line after the office closes for the night, our phone number automatically routes you to the right care.
Our SWP team sees patients Monday-Friday 8-5 as well as Saturday am 8-12. Our urgent care/after-hours team is called Convenient Care and sees patients 7 days per week. Weekday hours are until 9 pm, and Saturday/Sunday hours until early evening. You can make an appointment online (big orange button on our main page) or by calling the office. Even after our office closes, though, you can always reach medical advice 24/7. Our pediatric nurse triage line is available to guide you through nights and holidays, giving you the best advice for what to do at home, and when to seek a higher level of care. If the problem is outside of their protocols, they will reach out to the provider on call.
It is also worth considering what care is not appropriate for our clinic. If your child is extremely ill (severe lethargy, respiratory distress, severe allergic reactions for example) or has a significant injury (severe bleeding, fractures), we invite you to seek the closest emergency care facility or call 911. If you’re in doubt, we encourage you to seek emergency care and then let us do the follow up care your child will need.
Clear communication is our goal, and is something you deserve. From time to time we will update our office policies and ask you to sign an acknowledgement form. The trickiest issues involve poor understanding of financial policies, so please pay special attention to those. We want you to have as few financial surprises as possible, so please communicate with us about any potential change in your insurance coverage, even if you think it might be minor.
We love being able to have direct contact with our patients. Portal messages are great for non-urgent issues, sharing photographs and documents, and following up on symptoms after a visit. All of our providers answer questions and respond to queries on the portal during gaps in the schedule, over lunch, and after hours, so we never want to have a patient waiting for an urgent reply. Messages are initially routed to our triage team for this very reason, to determine if a patient needs a more urgent response.
Still have more questions?
Don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re always here for you!
We are happy to answer as many questions as you can toss at us. For additional information, login to your patient portal, send an email, or give us call.
