When you trust us with your child’s care, you become part of our family.

Our professionals have the advanced training to see your child through all the stages of growth, from infancy to young adulthood. We’re by your side to share benchmarks, and through all the fevers, falls, and mishaps of childhood. You can count on us for reassurance and to provide needed care.

We focus on your child’s complete health status. We know that each child is an individual whose needs change with time and with growth. We’re dedicated to working within families and communities to assure our young patients have the best possible health outcomes and are ready for the challenges of adulthood.

We know that behavioral health is key to a child’s overall wellness. We provide those services through our Advanced Care Team. Our Developmental Psychologist, Dr. Joanne Villei, and our Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Michelle Thrailkill, specialize in behavioral health. They work with our other practitioners to provide individualized care.

What is a Medical Home?

The medical home is best described as a model or philosophy of primary care that is patient-centered, comprehensive, team-based, coordinated, accessible, and focused on quality and safety. It has become a widely accepted model for how primary care should be organized and delivered throughout the health care system and is a philosophy of health care delivery that encourages providers and care teams to meet patients where they are, from the most simple to the most complex conditions. It is a place where patients are treated with respect, dignity, and compassion, and enable strong and trusting relationships with providers and staff. Above all, the medical home is not a final destination instead, it is a model for achieving primary care excellence so that care is received in the right place, at the right time, and in the manner that best suits a patient’s needs.

Features of the Medical Home

Adapted from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) definition, the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) describes the medical home as an approach to the delivery of primary care that is:

• Patient-centered: A partnership among practitioners, patients, and their families ensures that decisions respect patients’ wants, needs, and preferences and that patients have the education and support they need to make decisions and participate in their own care.
• Comprehensive: A team of care providers is wholly accountable for a patient’s physical and mental health care needs, including prevention and wellness, acute care, and chronic care.
• Coordinated: Care is organized across all elements of the broader health care system, including specialty care, hospitals, home health care, community services and supports.
• Accessible: Patients are able to access services with shorter waiting times, “after hours” care, 24/7 electronic or telephone access, and strong communication through health IT innovations.
• Committed to Quality and Safety: Clinicians and staff enhance quality improvement through the use of health IT and other tools to ensure that patients and families make informed decisions about their health.

Our goal is to provide your child with comprehensive, compassionate care appropriate for their age and health.  Therefore, in addition to caring for your child when they are sick, we stress the need for routine well-child and physical visits that are appropriate for their age and stage in life.

• 0 to 24 months of age: We focus on providing care for your infant or toddler that includes routine well-child visits for review of their physical and mental development, hearing and vision checks, immunization updates including 2 flu vaccinations in the first 2 years of life, as well as fluoride varnish for their teeth from the first sign of the tooth eruption as well as routine fluoride starting at 6 months of age.
• 3 years through 12 years:  We continue our focus on your child’s age-appropriate development, both mentally and physically, check hearing and vision, and provide continued vaccinations vital for the health of your child.
• Adolescent Care:  As your child moves closer to adulthood, they continue to develop and change so their care must adapt as well.  By continued annual physical check-ups, we monitor their growth and physical change towards adulthood but also monitor their mental growth during this time as well.  The teenage years are a challenging time for children, so we work with the parents or guardians to provide care for both mind and body.

 

Obtaining Care from Your Provider

When the office is open, you may call your preferred location and speak with a nurse, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or doctor about your child. You may also schedule a same-day appointment, as available, for sick and well care. Due to COVID-19, our walk-in hour has been suspended until further notice.

 

When the Office is Closed

When the office is closed, a provider from our office is on-call for your child’s health needs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can reach our after-hours nurse hotline at 1-888-267-3675 where you may speak with a nurse regarding your concerns and receive advice. If needed, the nurse may page the on-call provider so you may speak directly with the provider about your concerns. Our on-call providers have access to your child’s records 24 hours a day and can provide you with advice specific to your child’s health care needs.

 

When Your Child Gets Sick Away from Your Medical Home

Sometimes your child may become ill while you are away from our medical family and you may need to seek care. Please request from other health care providers and facilities a copy of the summary of your child’s visit and bring it to our office so that we can be sure that we are aware of all aspects of your child’s care. Furthermore, we would like to see your child for a follow-up visit for any care obtained while you were away. Oftentimes there are tests that we may need to follow-up on that were not available to you before you were discharged. So, please call and make an appointment if your child has to be seen while away from home. When your child is seen at Wayne Memorial Hospital or any healthcare facility that we refer you to we have access to the care you received during your visit. Still, it is always a good idea to request a copy of the summary of your child’s visit and bring it with you to your follow-up appointment.

 

Stay Informed

Part of our goal as your medical home is to provide you with access to the latest evidence-based treatments for the care of your sick or well-child. Please peruse our “Helpful Links” portion of the website for important information about your child’s health care. As a parent, it is important that you and your child stay educated about changes in medical technology and treatment so that you may better manage your child’s health during day to day life. Staying informed and actively involved in your child’s health care needs and individual healthy living goals is an important part of helping your health care team insure that your child leads a happy, fulfilling and productive life.