Policies

To support the administrative services we provide, we have established an administrative fee policy. In the link below, you will find details on applicable fees for services not covered by insurance, such as forms, medical records requests, and other administrative tasks.

To help ensure timely and efficient care for all patients, we ask that you review the following:

Arrival Time

Please arrive 10–15 minutes early to allow time for check-in, insurance updates, or paperwork.

Running Late?

We understand that delays happen. If you arrive after your scheduled appointment time, we will do our best to accommodate you or offer an appointment with another provider. In some cases, you may be asked to reschedule.

Canceling or Rescheduling

If you need to cancel or reschedule, please call (301) 662-0133 or email scheduling@thepedcenter.com

Missed Appointments

Missed appointments impact our ability to care for all patients. We kindly ask that you provide at least 4 hours’ notice for any changes to avoid a $50 missed appointment fee.

Repeated missed or late-canceled appointments may result in discharge from the practice.

Appointments for behavioral evaluations or ADD/ADHD visits will not be rescheduled until any missed appointment fee has been paid in full.

Our goal is to provide quality care while maintaining clear and transparent financial policies. We encourage you to review our financial policy to help ensure a smooth billing process.

Protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your health information is a top priority. Our HIPAA Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information in compliance with federal regulations.

We are here to help guide patients through the transition from pediatric to adult health care.

Beginning around ages 12–14, we help patients and families prepare for the shift to more independent care. To support this, part of well visits will include time without a parent present in the exam room.

At age 18, patients are legally adults. While many choose to involve their families, we can only share medical information with the patient’s consent.

If your child is 18 or older and you would like access to their medical information, they must complete the form below:

18+ PHI Authorization

We typically recommend transitioning to an adult provider by age 22 and can assist with:

• Selecting an adult provider
• Transferring medical records
• Communicating with the new provider

If you have any questions, please contact us.

As of  2020, The Pediatric Center joined Trusted Doctors, a network of pediatricians serving families in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. 

This document outlines the Trusted Doctors' policies and procedures for sharing information with patients in a safe, secure and HIPAA compliant manner. 

Recent media coverage has raised questions about vaccine safety and side effects. We want to clearly state our position: vaccines are safe, effective, and essential to protecting children and our community.

Our practice firmly believes in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Immunizations protect children and young adults from serious, potentially life-threatening diseases. All children and young adults in our practice are expected to receive the full series of vaccines according to the schedule established by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which is grounded in extensive scientific research and continuous safety monitoring.

Vaccination is one of the most important health-promoting interventions we provide as healthcare professionals — and one of the most important steps parents and caregivers can take to protect their child. Extensive research has consistently shown that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.

Vaccines have been so successful that many of us have never witnessed illnesses such as measles, polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, or severe chickenpox. The rarity of these diseases today is a direct result of their success. However, when vaccination rates decline, outbreaks of preventable diseases increase — putting children and vulnerable members of our community at risk.

As medical professionals, we strongly believe that vaccinating on schedule with currently recommended vaccines is the right choice for all children and young adults. As part of our commitment to providing the highest standard of care, we expect our patients to remain current on all recommended AAP immunizations.

Thank you for trusting us with your child’s health. We are always available to discuss any questions or concerns you may have regarding vaccines or our vaccination policy.

For those wanting more information we recommend the following websites:

• www.vaccineinformation.org
• www.chop.edu/vaccine-education-center
• https://vaccinateyourfamily.org