emphasizing better health & nutrition
Office Policies
MINOR CARE
Adolescents need to have a caring adult helping make health care decisions, but there are certain circumstances which under Virginia law will allow a teen under age 18 ( a “minor”) to seek care without parental consent.
Virginia law allows minors above the age of 14 to consent to their own medical care without a parent or guardians consent under the following conditions:
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Care and treatment for drug and alcohol problems
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Care and treatment of certain mental health conditions
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Some reproductive health care, such as for STD testing, pregnancy testing, and contraceptive use.
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Emergency treatment of life-threatening conditions
While we encourage teens to involve a parent in any difficult issue they are confronting, teens have the right to confidentiality with their health care provider. We will not share any information that your teen has told us in confidence, UNLESS, there is a suspicion of abuse or neglect of the teen or another, or there is threat of harm to the teen or another.
For more information on your child's rights to minor care in the state of Virginia click here.
HIPAA AUTHORIZATION FOR PATIENTS OVER 18
18 year olds are legal adults. This means that parents are not permitted any access to any medical information or records unless the patient age 18 years or older has given written authorization. Click here to review the HIPAA Authorization for Patients Over 18 form.
LATE ARRIVALS & MISSED APPOINTMENTS
We ask you to arrive 15 minutes early to your appointment to fill out the required paperwork and/or settle any billing or insurance issues. All patients are allotted a short grace period however patients that have arrived on time will be tended to before late patients. If you are more than 15 minutes late you may need to be rescheduled.
We confirm appointments 2 business days in advance and request a 24-hour cancellation notice. Please call our office as soon as possible if you are not able to keep an appointment. Missed appointments or appointments that are cancelled without 24 hours’ notice will result in a $25.00 No Show fee.
If a family has a pattern of repeated missed appointments or last-minute cancellations, they may be asked to leave the practice.
SHARED CUSTODY
M. T. Curry Pediatrics does not have the authority to restrict access of lawful guardians or parents to their child’s medical records, unless the proper legal paperwork has been provided to us.
It is not M. T. Curry Pediatrics responsibility to play go-between for families that fail to communicate with one another about their child’s medical care. If a child is under shared custody or sole physical custody of one parent or legal guardian, M. T. Curry Pediatrics will require the completion of a custody form as well as copies of the custody order. The completed form along with copies of the court order may be faxed to 888-371-4920, emailed to currypeds@myupdox.com or mailed to our main office in Chesapeake.
Unless otherwise stated in the custody order, all legal parties will be responsible for the payment of any accrued medical bills. Please be aware families with past due balances may be rescheduled until they can fulfill their financial obligation.