Which Doctors and Specialists Can My Child See?
Though your child will need to see a doctor on a regular basis throughout her life, it is important that she see a pediatrician as often as possible while still an adolescent. This is because children have different medical needs than adults. For example, a child needs a smaller blood pressure cup than an adult to get accurate readings. Unfortunately, not all adult medical providers have child-sized equipment.
Perhaps more importantly, your child deserves to see a professional who understands kids, who understands how children grow, and who knows what works best for a growing body.
It is best if your child has access to a children’s hospital. The staff in these facilities are specially trained to care for children and realize that children feel and experience illness or discomfort differently than adults.
Print out the following checklist to compare the availability of pediatricians and pediatric specialists for the insurance plans you are considering.
| Questions to answer: | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Are pediatricians included as primary care clinicians? | ||
| Does the plan recruit physicians and other health professionals with expertise in the care of children with chronic conditions? | ||
| Does the plan make exceptions to allow specialists to serve as primary care clinicians for certain children with complex conditions? | ||
| Does the plan allow for shared management of children with chronic conditions between primary care physicians and subspecialists? | ||
| If the primary care or specialty care providers of a child with a chronic condition is not in the plan’s network, are exceptions made to reimburse the physician to assure continuity of care? | ||
| Does the plan rely on pediatric subspecialists — not adult subspecialists — to care for children with chronic conditions? | ||
| Does the plan have an up-to-date inventory which lists and describes pediatric professionals within the plan who are expert in the care of children with chronic conditions? | ||
| Does the plan include or contract with the following primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists in the following areas? (If not, what alternative arrangements are used to assure access to these pediatric subspecialists?) |
| Medical Services | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Adolescent medicine | ||
| Allergy/immunology | ||
| Anesthesiology | ||
| Cardiology | ||
| Child and adolescent psychiatry | ||
| Critical care | ||
| Dermatology | ||
| Developmenta/Behavioral medicine | ||
| Emergency medicine | ||
| Endocrinology | ||
| Gastroenterology | ||
| Genetics | ||
| Hematology/Oncology | ||
| Infectious disease | ||
| Neonatology/Perinatology | ||
| Nephrology | ||
| Neurology | ||
| Neurosurgery | ||
| Ophthalmology | ||
| Orthopedics | ||
| Otolaryngology | ||
| Pediatric surgery | ||
| Plastic surgery | ||
| Pulmonology | ||
| Radiology | ||
| Rheumatology | ||
| Urology |
Download the Selecting Pediatric Providers checklist in PDF
If you are concerned about the cost of health care, and if your doctor failed you and your baby in any way, then you might be entitled to financial help. Contact 4MyChild today to see if your child is eligible for Benefits4Life.
