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| The following policies and information is available in
pamphlet form from Dr. Pfanstiel's office. If you have any questions about the
policies presented here, please contact our office for more
information. We're glad to have you and your family in our practice. This information is provided to help your transition to our office. We hope that it will answer most of your questions regarding our pediatric medical practice and office policies. [History] [Office Hours] [Appointments] [Check Ups / Well Visits] [Schedule for Well Visits] [Nurse Calls] [After Hours Coverage] [Payment of Fees] [Newborns] [Medications] [Personal Note from Dr. Pfanstiel] "Jesus said, ‘Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.'" - Matthew 19:14 KJV |
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History Dr. Carl Pfanstiel attended medical school at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky. After his three years of pediatric residency, in Charlotte N.C., he served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. He began private practice in 1972 in Charlotte, N.C. and has been working in Tulsa since July 1981. Dr. Pfanstiel and his wife Roberta have raised six children. As of 2008, Carl and Roberta have eighteen grandchildren. Office hours Our hours are 8:30-1:00 Monday through Friday, and 2:00 to 5:00 every afternoon except Thursday, the afternoon of which we are closed. Appointments Appointments are generally made from 9:15 a.m. until noon and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. As we have only a certain number of slots per day for checkup appointments, these appointments should be scheduled 2-4 weeks in advance. The sooner you schedule well-check the greater the availability of times to work with your schedule. We will always get an ill child in that day for care if you call the office as early as possible after 8:30 a.m. As a consideration to the doctor and other patients, keeping scheduled appointments is very crucial. Appointments should be canceled as soon as possible, preferably 24 hours prior to visit. (Messages can be left on our machine after hours.) Similarly, if you desire to have more than one child seen by the doctor please schedule so in advance. Adherence to these requests will show consideration for the time of others and hopefully make the time you have to wait in the office much shorter (we do value you and your time). Check-Ups / Well Visits We believe that it is the responsibility of the parent to keep up to date on their children's checkups. Listed below is the checkup schedule that we follow. If you are coming to Dr. Pfanstiel from another doctor please help us keep track of your child's immunizations by providing us with a copy of their immunization cards from their previous doctor(s). (Often the health department does not keep records of immunizations given.) It is very important to keep records of your children so they can go to school, overseas, etc. Schedule for well visits (with a full examination each time):
If it is over two years since Dr. Pfanstiel saw your child last, the child is considered a new patient. We encourage you to schedule biyearly visits for your child. Nurse Calls If you have questions about your child's health you can call the office and speak to the nurse. If the nurse is with other patients, the receptionist will take your number, and message and have the nurse return your call. The nurse will attempt to return your call during the same session that you call (mornings or afternoons), so please stay near your phone and keep the line open if possible. If you feel your child needs an appointment that day, an appointment should be made with the receptionist instead of speaking to the nurse. Calls are usually handled in this manner. After Hours Coverage (After 5 p.m. daily, and on weekends) Urgent and emergency needs are covered for our office by the Children's After Hours Nurse Operator at St. Francis Hospital. At this point in time, there is a charge for calls to the After Hours clinic to cover medical management fees. Some insurance companies like Foundation Health & Bluelincs, have nurses you can call for free advice after-hours. Check your insurance policy for the phone number you are to use for these free calls. However, any call through our line is assessed an after-hours charge. This is due to our being charged by the clinic for each. We encourage you to call us for medical advice during the office hours listed above. Similarly, if you call after hours we do have a message machine if you would like to leave a message which we will return the morning of the next working day. On Thursday afternoons one of the doctors who cover with Dr. Pfanstiel will take care of urgent needs. Dr. Pfanstiel is in a coverage group with Drs. Jere Cravens, Franz Moncada, Suresh Bharani, Alka Sood and Sanjiv Sood. If the Children's After Hours Nurse Operator is unable to help you then the doctor on call will assist you. The St. Francis After hours Clinic is available 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sundays, and is open 6-10 Monday through Friday for sick children who need help that night. We discourage Emergency Room visits if at all possible because of the long wait, cost, and generally the child is not seen by a pediatrician. Payment of fees Payment of services is due as services are provided. We take personal checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, BX, postdated checks and cash. If Dr. Pfanstiel is a Preferred Provider with your insurance company, we will file the insurance for you. With traditional insurance plans, we ask that you pay and we will provide you with the forms to send to your insurance company. If you have questions about whether we file your insurance, please feel free to ask. If your child is covered by Medicaid we will need a current card each time you are in the office, or the name and phone number of your social worker so that we can verify coverage. If temporary problems make it impossible for you to pay your bill, please contact us before the visit, so that we can set up payment arrangements with you to ensure that your children receive the care they need. Newborns It is your responsibility to make sure the newborn is added to your insurance. There is usually a limited amount of time available to add the child. Please be sure to inform your employer or insurance company of your child's birth. Thanks. Medications If your child requires a written prescription for a medication such as Ritalin, the request should be made at least 24 hours in advance. Requests for prescriptions in less time may not be able to be processed. Personal note from Dr. Pfanstiel I consider it a great privilege to care for your children. I can assure you that my staff is excellent and that we are here to serve you and your child. I have great confidence in them and feel that my staff is the best there is anywhere. Remember what my nurses tell you about your child is what I'd tell you personally. We work as a team and I could not operate without them. Again we are glad you have decided to use us as your child(ren)'s doctor and please let us know if you have other questions that are not covered here.
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©2007
Carl Pfanstiel, M.D. and Associates Site Developed in 2000 by Pfanstiel Enterprises
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