Sick Child Visits

A Sick Visit appointment is scheduled to focus on one particular problem (e.g. earache, sore throat, fever). If your child is sick and it is outside of our scheduled office hours, you may call and speak to our Triage Nurses. Please visit our Triage Department page for guidelines concerning these calls.

Consultation Visits

Please schedule a Consultation Visit if your child has a chronic medical problem or has several involved issues you would like to discuss with your doctor. This way, we can provide ample time to address your child’s needs.

Well Child Visits

Bringing your child in for regular well child checkups is an important part of his health care. These visits allow your doctor to evaluate your child’s health, growth, and development. This also gives you the opportunity to address various issues that may be of concern to you. Many parents will bring a list with them to the checkup.

Our practice follows the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics for routine well child immunizations and screening tests. Below is a list of the well child visit schedule.

All of our physicians feel very strongly about the importance of vaccinating your child against preventable diseases. If you have any concerns about vaccinations, please speak with your doctor.

Preventative Screening

State Metabolic Screen – This is a blood test performed at 36 hours of life and repeated at 2 weeks of age. The State of Texas currently screens for 28 different disorders such Phenylketonuria, Congenital Hypothyroidism, Cystic Fibrosis, Galactosemia, Sickle Cell Disease, and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. A useful link from the Texas Department of State Health Services offers the complete list of screened disorders:

http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/newborn/quickreference.shtm

A great video from the March of Dimes which explains more about why we do the newborn screening test:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqQRio1-P6c

Hearing Screen – The State of Texas now requires that all newborns have their hearing tested before leaving the hospital. This simple test identifies children with congenital deafness. If your baby was not born in a hospital, you will need to see an audiologist after the baby is born to have their hearing checked.

Blood count – This is a blood test performed at nine months of age to evaluate your child for anemia. This test may be done at other well checks if your doctor feels it is necessary.

Urinalysis – A urine sample is obtained at age 4 to evaluate for diabetes and kidney function. This test may be repeated as necessary.

Tuberculosis (TB) test – This skin test allows our physicians to determine if your child has been exposed to tuberculosis, an infectious lung disease. Routine testing is not performed unless your child has one of the following risk factors:

• Your child has had unexplained weight loss, a bad cough (lasting over two weeks), prolonged fever, or coughing up blood.
• Your child has been exposed to someone with the above symptoms.
• Your child was born in Mexico or any other country in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Eastern Europe or Asia.
• Your child has traveled to one of these countries for longer than 3 weeks.
• Your child has spent time (longer than 3 weeks) with anyone who is/has been an intravenous (IV) drug user, HIV-infected, in jail or prison.

Vision Screen – A vision test is performed at age 4 and may be repeated as necessary.

Lead Screening – This blood test determines if your child has been exposed to harmful levels of lead. The following are risk factors for lead exposure:

• Your child lives in or visits a home, daycare or other building built before 1978.
• Your child lives in or visits a home, daycare or other building with ongoing repairs or remodeling.
• Your child eats or chews on non-food things like paint chips or dirt.
• Your child has a family member or friend who has or did have an elevated blood lead level.
• Your child is exposed to any of the following: radiator repair, house construction or repair, chemical preparation, pottery making, battery manufacture or repair, valve and pipe fittings, lead smelting, burning lead-painted wood, brass/copper foundry, welding, automotive repair shop or junkyard, refinishing furniture, making fishing weights, going to a firing range or reloading bullets.

Cholesterol Screening – This blood test identifies children who have elevated levels of cholesterol that can lead to early heart disease. Routine testing is not performed. Children who have a family history of high cholesterol are screened starting at the age of 2. Children who are obese are screened starting at the age of 6. The CDC’s web site is a great resource to learn more about healthy children and healthy weights:

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/childrens_bmi/about_childrens_bmi.html

MCHAT – A simple questionnaire which allows us to assess your child’s social development and screen for autism.

Vaccines

* Pentacel is a combination vaccine containing DTaP, Hib, and IPV