Are We A Good Fit?
There are so many amazing Pediatricians available in Hawaiʻi. We are so thankful that you are considering us to be your child’s Pediatrician. While we would love to have you and your family join our ʻOhana, we want to make sure it is a good fit. Here are our beliefs on common topics in regards to vaccines, antibiotics, technology and office hours. Please take a moment to read by clicking on each topic. Mahalo!
Vaccines
Our vaccine policy follows the schedule outlined by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics. We vaccinate our own children on schedule and expect the same of our patients. Thank you for protecting our community!
Antibiotics
We work hard to NOT overuse antibiotics. We educate families on appropriate use of antibiotics, and follow evidence-based guidelines. We don’t automatically treat ear pain or a green, snotty nose with antibiotics. We don’t routinely call in antibiotics over the phone because we don’t believe that’s good medicine. When we decide antibiotics are necessary treatment, we’ll be happy to answer your questions. Together we can create a healthier community.
Medical Home
We work hard to provide comprehensive medical care as your medical home. For this reason, we expect you’ll contact our office FIRST before seeking specialty care or heading to Urgent Care. We’re happy to direct you to the most appropriate place for care when you contact us.
Whole Child Approach
We believe in taking a whole-child approach to pediatric care. This means we believe multiple and complex factors affect your child’s health and well-being. For this reason, we’ll want to get to know you, your family, and we’ll ask questions about many of these factors, such as school performance, relationships, stressors, access to resources, and many more. We aren’t being nosy; it’s just our job to make sure we see the whole picture of your child’s health.
Technology
We value operating efficiently by using technology. You’ll be expected to contact us through secure texting, our patient portal, and to effectively use automated reminders. Let’s stay connected!
Office Hours
We make every effort to meet the needs of our patients, but we’re a small practice and don’t have walk-in hours. Please familiarize yourself with our office hours to see if they work for your family. Our doctors are also always available after hours.
After Hours
We have a physician available on call 24/7/365. Call our main number to be connected directly. Unless it is a true medical emergency (in which case you should call 911), we encourage you to call the on-call physician to discuss recommendations prior to heading to the Emergency Department or Urgent Care. Our doctors arrange to see patients in our office on Saturdays, and as needed on Sundays and holidays when appropriate.
Specialist Care
As your medical home we expect that you’ll contact our office to discuss care plans before scheduling an appointment with a specialist. We want to be involved in either providing care in our office or referring you to the most appropriate specialist. Whenever you see a specialist, we ask that you request a report be sent directly to our office so we can coordinate all of your care.
Insurance
Please make sure we take your specific insurance plan. If there are any questions, call our office and/or check with your specific insurance company. We are also happy to accommodate you if you wish to pay out of pocket.
Billing & Fees
It’s up to you to understand how your insurance works, including deductibles and co-insurance and to provide up-to-date insurance information at every visit.
Appointments
We don’t have walk-in hours. Please call or text our office to make an appointment and inform our staff of all your concerns so that they can allow the appropriate length of time for your visit. We’ll remind you of your appointment in advance and send pre-visit questionnaires to help us focus during our visits.
Timeliness
We believe everyone’s time is valuable, so our practice makes every effort to run on time. We’ll call or text you if we’re so behind that it’ll affect your scheduled appointment time. We ask that you make every effort to arrive at our office at your scheduled time and call us if you’re running behind too. We reserve the right to ask you to reschedule if you have missed your scheduled appointment time. The family with the appointment after yours extends their thanks.
Parking
We have parking in the basement of our office building, which we will fully validate for you. It’s important to note that there is only STAIR access from the customer parking to our building, so if you have a stroller, you’ll have to walk back up the ramp or be dropped off in the front of the building in order to access the elevators. We realize this set-up is not ideal and can be inconvenient. I found after the first few visits, I didn’t need to bring my stroller; maybe you’ll find this too. There are also a few metered parking stalls in the front of our building on Pi’ikoi Street or other free street parking within a block if you’d prefer.