OFFICE FAQ'S

Location:
We are located at #17 Care Circle. This is the Legacy Square Professional Park on Amarillo Blvd, between Soncy and Coulter. Map

Office Hours:
Our appointment hours are from 8:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. and from 1:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. We are open during the lunch hour if you need to pick-up prescriptions or other forms and paperwork. On days we are not on call we will forward our phones to the answering service at 3:45 p.m. When our phones are forwarded we have an answering service that will take your calls and forward them to the appropriate party. We always have a triage nurse on call who can answer your questions in case of an emergency and who can access the physician on call if necessary. The triage nurse will return your call as soon as possible Our call group consists of two pediatrician offices: Amarillo Children's Clinic and Dr. Meganne Walsh.  On Saturdays and holidays one of us will have an open clinic to see sick children; there are no clinics on Sundays however, a triage nurse will be on-call.

Phone System:
When you call you will be given several options to choose from. Click here for a printable list of prompt options. Please select the prompt that addresses the reason you have called and leave a message. One of our front desk personnel or a nurse will return your call and help you. Our return call system is usually very prompt so please be available at the number you leave. If you aren't available for the return call your your message may be placed at the end of our calling list. During extra busy times, such as the first thing in the morning and during the winter months, it may take us a bit longer to return your call. Please be patient, we will get back to you as soon as possible. Please do not call repeatedly as this will further delay someone getting back to you. Please only leave one message on one voice box, either the nurse voice box or the appointment voice box but not both as this will hamper effective communictaion.

Medical and Demographic Information:
Please have copies of your child's records from previous physicians with you on your first appointment with us. It is especially important for us to have the child's shot record before we can continue the immunization schedule. We request updated personal information each month. We make new copies of your insurance card monthly. We ask that you look over the previously gathered data and make any changes necessary such as, new insurance coverage, as well as address and phone number changes. Patients with Medicaid coverage need to make sure the name Amarillo Children's Clinic is the assigned PCCM on your Medicaid paper. If it is not then you may be asked to reschedule your appointment; it is your responsibility to call the Medicaid customer service number and change the clinic information. This number is 1.888.302.6688. 

Financial Policy
Please bring your child's insurance card with you to EVERY appointment. It is your responsibility to know your policy limitations and co-payment amounts. If you do not have your insurance card or Medicaid card with you, we ask that you sign a private pay agreement stating that you will be responsible for that day of service and we will collect a $50.00 charge to be placed toward that days services.  We will collect your insurance companies co-pay at the time of your visit (as required by the insurance company) and BEFORE the scheduled appointment. If you have a secondary insurance we will still collect the co-pay of your primary insurance company.  If your secondary insurance does cover the primary insurance's co-pay we will refund your money. You will be responsible for any deductible that has not been met and/or any co-insurance remaining. We try to verify coverage before each child's visit in order to help determine these benefits, but this is not always possible. Statements showing a balance will be mailed monthly to the address you give us. Unpaid balances will be turned over to a collection agency after repeated requests for reimbursement. If you have any discrepancies or questions concerning your statement, please call our billing office @ 806.468.8723.

Amarillo Children's Clinic is not accepting new patients who have Medicaid or CHIPS insurance. If you are considering changing to Medicaid or CHIPS, please call to discuss this with the Office Manager. We will not accept or bill for patients with secondary Medicaid. Secondary Medicaid is when a patient is also covered under a primary commercial insurance plan.

Patient Appointments
We schedule well child checks as far in advance as possible. Well child checks for certain ages are scheduled with our nurse practitioner. This frees the doctors up to do more sick visits each day. The nurse practitioner will usually see well checks for children ages 4 months, 9mths,18 months, some two year checks and every odd year after that. Sick appointments are only scheduled on a same day basis. The reason for this is that often a parent will book a sick visit for he following day and then the child gets well or feels better and the parent does not want or need the sick appointment but forgets to cancel it. It is then wasted time for the doctor. During busy winter months, please do not ask the doctor to see sick siblings unless an appointment has been made ahead if time. This is inconsiderate to patients who have scheduled appointments already and it puts the doctors behind. If a sibling needs to be seen you might be asked to reschedule both children's appointments to a more convenient time. We will allow no more than a 15 minute window for patients who are late, any more and you may be asked to reschedule your appointment.

Cancellations/No Shows
Please call to cancel appointments as soon as possible in order for us to put other sick patients in that appointment time. We request a 24 hour cancellation notice for well-child checks and a two hour cancellation notice before a sick appointment. You may be billed for these appointments if adequate amount of notice is not given. If you miss an appointment, a letter will be sent to you reminding you of this. Consistently missing appointments could result in dismissal of the patient from the practice.

Q: Do I need to bring my insurance card to every visit?
A: Yes, your insurance card is needed to keep your account up to date and accurate.

Q: Will there be a co-pay for every visit?
A: Yes, however you should check with your insurance company regarding co-pays on well visits.

Q: Should I come early if I am a new patient?
A: Yes, please come 10-15 minutes early to take care of the necessary paperwork.

Q: Are you closed during lunch?
A: We are open if you need to pick-up paperwork or prescriptions. Otherwise the office is closed for patient visits between 11:45 a.m.and1:15 p.m.

Q: Will I need a referral if the doctor sends my child for tests or to see a specialist?
A: Each insurance policy has different requirements. Call your insurance company for more information.

Q: What if I am going to be late for my appointment?
A: Please call our office if you are going to be late or cannot keep your appointment, the phone staff can assist you with rescheduling if necessary.

Q: How do I know what is covered under my insurance plan?
A: Most insurance plans have a website that you can access or you can call the custmer service number located on the back of you ID card.

Q: Do you accept checks?
A:Your check is welcome at our business. If your check is returned, it may be re-presented in an electronic manner. You hereby authorize service charges and processing fees, as permitted by law, to be debited from the same account by paper or electronically, at our option. Your payment by check shall be recognized as acceptance of our electronic check recovery system.

If you have any questions regarding the above policies, or if we can be of any help, please do not hesitate to call our office 806.468.6277.