October 24 Community Courier

Employee Anniversary
Congratulations to Victoria Brewster on her 5th Anniversary with Pediatric Associates!   Many of you would know her because she works very hard to make your children feel at ease when they come in to our offices. They know her and they love when she takes care of them. She goes the extra mile to make sure your children are well taken care of. Keep up the good work Victoria!

Medication Follow-up Policy: 
At Pediatric Associates, we are committed to providing the highest level of care for our patients. We are pleased to include mental health services in addition to our general pediatric care. We believe mental healthcare within the medical home provides coordinated, whole person care that is also accessible and convenient for our patients. When mental health medications are started, regular medication follow-up visits are important to provide ideal care. For new medications, we will ask you to schedule monthly visits until your child/teen is improving and the dose is stable, and then every 3 months for the first year (including the annual well visit). After he/she is stable on medication for a year, medication checks may be able to move to every six months. The annual well visit can count for one of these visits, leaving one additional visit for the year.  
Mental health medications may include those used for ADHD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, behavioral concerns, etc. Regular medication checks in psychiatry are crucial for several reasons:
• Psychiatric medications often take time to show full effects, and a three-month check allows us to assess whether the medication is helping to manage symptoms as intended. During these appointments, we look at vital signs, including weight, as well as discuss the need to increase, decrease, or discontinue medication.  
• Side effects: Some psychiatric medications can have side effects that may emerge over time. A three-month interval for the first year ensures side effects are caught early and managed appropriately. 
This consistent follow-up helps to optimize treatment, ensuring both efficacy and safety over time.

Please let us know if you have questions, we are happy to work with families to provide the best care possible for you and your child. 
 

Complex Issues at Well Visits
We are always happy to see patients for their well visits and believe they are important to schedule during infancy, toddlerhood, and each year after age 3. Well visits give us a chance to learn about growth, development, give vaccines if needed, and answer questions about minor issues. Sometimes there are concerns that are more complex than we would typically discover or discuss at a well visit.  Depending on the complexity of these issues and the time that is allotted, we may ask you to come back to discuss them at a future appointment so we have enough time to address the concerns appropriately.  Other times, the issues are urgent and need to be addressed immediately.  In this situation, there may be an additional charge that is not always covered by insurance as part of the well visit.  Our providers try to make families aware of this potential charge at the time of the visit.  Thank you for understanding our desire to provide the best care for your child, and that this can occasionally mean an additional charge or an additional visit.

RSV Season Update
We are able to offer Beyfortus (nirsevimab) monoclonal antibody to eligible infants again this RSV season. This is a one-time injection of monoclonal (specific) antibody that provides passive immunity to RSV. If you have a baby that is under 8 months of age they may be eligible.  Please call and speak to a nurse or ask when you are in the office. You can all visit the CDC website for more information.

Covid Vaccine Update 

Pediatric Associates is offering the Moderna Covid vaccine again this year. This is the new formulation for the 2024-2025 season. We have a supply of vaccine in our offices for our patients. It comes in 2 formulations, one for 6 month old patients  thru 11 yr old patients and one for patients 12 yrs and older. Call to schedule an appointment or ask about it when you are in.

Medication Prescribing After Hours
Pediatric Associates has always and will continue to remain committed to providing the highest quality of care to our patients.  We understand children often fall ill at in-opportune times, such as while families are traveling or over weekends or holidays.  While our providers are always happy to speak with families during after-hours about urgent or emergent concerns, we likely will not be able to prescribe medications such as antibiotics.  Many illnesses present with nonspecific and/or overlapping symptoms, therefore the best medical practice is often to examine children & establish an accurate diagnosis prior to determining an appropriate treatment course and/or prescribing medication.  We hope our families continue to understand and appreciate this approach to providing a high standard of care.

Pediatric Associates
2865 Chancellor Dr.
STE 225
Crestview Hills, Ky. 41017
859-341-5400