General
2017 Newsletter
Thank you for entrusting us with the medical care of your children. It is an honor to which we assign the highest importance. The information provided below will familiarize you with the practice and allow you to best utilize the services we provide.
THE TEAM
Dr. Nessa Bayer, Dr. Tara Gelman, and Dr. Tamar Flanders are consultant and general pediatricians who work side-by-side, caring for their separate patient populations, while covering each other’s patients when one is out of the office. There are two pediatric allergists, Dr. Elana Lavine and Dr. Tracy Pitt, and a pediatric dermatologist, Dr. Marissa Joseph. In addition, as we view teaching as an important part of our medical practice, trainees (medical students and residents) occasionally rotate through the office and work with the team.
Sally and Suzanne, our nurses, are also important team-members. They perform initial patient assessments and vaccinations, answer questions, and provide telephone advice. The front desk is staffed by Farina and Bethany, who always strive to ensure that the day runs smoothly. They are available five days a week from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm.
APPOINTMENTS
Annual Health and Well Baby Visits
Annual health examinations are recommended for all children aged 2-18 years. If it has been over a year since your child’s last examination, please contact our office to schedule their next appointment. For an outline of the frequency of well baby visits and immunizations, please visit our website. We recommend that you schedule appointments well in advance to get your desired date and time.
Sick Visits
If your child is sick and needs to be seen, it is best to email ([email protected]) or call (416-489-3273) early in the day. We do our best to accommodate as many same day sick appointments as possible. We do not see walk-in patients – please schedule an appointment. New patients are encouraged to arrive 10 minutes early to register.
Cancellation and no show policy
A minimum of 24 hours notice is required for all cancellations. This will allow us to schedule another child into that appointment time. Please be aware that you will be charged a fee for missed appointments. Please arrive on time for your appointment. If you arrive more than 20 minutes past your appointment time the doctor will not be able to see you that day.
AFTER HOURS
In the case of a true emergency call 911 or go directly to your nearest Emergency Department.
Otherwise, if you require after hours services, please call the office and listen to the recorded message for details.
Telehealth Ontario is available 24 hours a day for medical advice at 1-866-797-0000.
There are four Children’s After Hours Clinics:
- Kid-E-Care, 491 Eglinton Ave W (416-860-6696) www.kidecare.ca
- Danforth Children’s After Hours Clinic, 235 Danforth Ave (416-461-3000) www.kidsafterhoursclinic.ca
- North York Children’s After Hours Clinic, 1100 Sheppard Avenue East (416-250-5000) www.kidsafterhourscare.ca
- Just for Kids Clinic, St. Joe’s Hospital, 30 The Queensway (416-530-6611) https://stjoestoronto.ca/patient-care-and-services/just-kids-clinic
UNINSURED SERVICES
Several important aspects of pediatric practice (ie. telephone advice, prescription renewals, communication with consultants or schools, and letters or forms for daycare, school and camp) are not covered by OHIP. Thoughtful telephone advice may help manage a problem at home, thus sparing busy parents lost time and saving OHIP the cost of unnecessary visits. Examinations required solely to satisfy a third party (ie. insurance, camp or daycare forms, travel vaccines and other vaccines not covered by OHIP, TB skin test requested by a third party, non-plantar wart treatments), are also not covered. These uninsured services may be paid for individually. Alternatively, we offer the option of an annual fee, which covers the majority of these costs. Please see the attached letter on uninsured services for details.
VACCINATIONS
New
Public Health has expanded the school-based HPV vaccine program to include boys. As of September 2016, HPV vaccine, Meningococcal ACYW-135, and Hepatitis B vaccine are given to boys and girls in grade 7. Your child’s school may also request updated immunization records. More information can be found at: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/immunization/docs/immunization_schedule.pdf
We also highly recommend you track your child’s vaccines using the immunizeCA app.
Meningococcal B Vaccine (Bexsero):
This vaccine offers protection against infections caused by the Neisseria Meningitidis (meningococcus) group B, which can cause meningitis and blood infections. The vaccine can be given from age 2 months to 17 years. It is licensed in Canada, but currently it is not included in the Ontario routine immunization program. It should be considered if an individual is at high risk of meningococcal disease, have been in close contact with a known case of meningococcal disease, or during an outbreak.
Travel Vaccines
Travel vaccines such as for Hepatitis A (Havrix) or Hepatitis A and B combined (Twinrix) are not covered by OHIP. These vaccines can be purchased, with a prescription from your physician, at the pharmacy, and there is an additional charge for the administration of these vaccines in the office.
WEBSITE
Please visit us at www.midtownpediatrics.ca. You will find news updates, flu clinic details, online resources and more. You can also contact us through the website or by email ([email protected]) for administrative purposes only. We do not address any medical concerns over email.
If you have any questions, concerns or comments about these or other health care issues, please let us know. We would be happy to discuss them with you.
P.S. If you are no longer a patient of our practice, please call the office (416-489-3273) or email ([email protected]) to let us know.