Should I pay $80 for a prenatal consult with a pediatrician?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
Choosing a pediatrician now for first dB due in a few months. Most peds offer free prenatal consults over a quick phone call or zoom, but the practice that is most conveniently located for me has stopped free consults because of Covid and is charging $80, even for a telephone call. I would just write them off but they are extremely close to where I live and all the others are further away, so I was leaning towards them to begin with. My options are
1) pay the $80 and talk to them before picking them 2) pick them anyway but go without the consult 3) pick another ped that is less conveniently located Thoughts? Am kind of annoyed by what they are charging just to ask a few questions. Seems like a lot and insurance won’t cover. |
Anonymous
|
Heck no I wouldn't pay $80. What is it you want to know anyway? I've never interviewed pediatric practices. Especially because many now have 15 different providers and you might not always see the same dr.
What I have done is scoured the internet for recommendations on practices and then searched for negative reviews on that practice, since most reviews tend to be the unhappy camp. That should give you a fairly good idea of any potential issues. If you can't do either, then I would just go with them and see how it goes. You're not committing your child there for life, nobody batts an eye if you transfer elsewhere. |
Anonymous
| Um no. Just ask mom friends for recommendations. I just went with the ped my insurance assigned me and I was happy. I don't follow different vaccine schedules or anything out of the ordinary though. |
Anonymous
| No, I wouldn't. Not a sign of great things to come in terms of the practice if they charge for that. |
Anonymous
| Nah, but I wouldn’t do the prenatal ped consult either. It just doesn’t matter as long as they are decent (especially in a group practice where you’ll see a bunch of different doctprd) and if you don’t like them you switch. It is NBD to switch later. |
Anonymous
| No. If you don’t like the ped after the first couple visits you can always switch. |
Anonymous
|
I interviewed pediatricians and I've been very pleased with the one I chose six years ago. She is a private practice, so my children have only ever seen her. I think she regards me as a very conscientious parent as she remembers the thoughtful questions I asked during our first meeting when I was pregnant with our first child. I would easily pay $80 or more to choose her again.
It depends on your questions, I think. And how involved you expect to be in your child's health and wellness. |
Anonymous
This. Do they have information for new patients that describes their policies: well and sick appointments (how early can you schedule), after hours (is there someone on call after hours), do they have someone available for sick visits on weekends and holidays? Do the doctors have call hours so you could call the ped if you have questions - are these free or do they also charge for them? Can they accept you in practice without this initial meeting or you do need to meet to be accepted in their practice? Do they take insurance? The after hours and weekends are really important, as well as ability to call your doctor for questions. If they have this information clear on their website, then there is really no need for you to have separate call (other than to see if personality wise the dr is pleasant). If they don’t have this info, then just move elsewhere. |
Anonymous
| Absolutely not how ridiculous. |
Anonymous
+1 Pediatricians are a dime a dozen around here. Save your $80. |
Anonymous
|
Is there any advantage regarding limited taking of new patients at that particular practice, if you do the prenatal visit? If so, I'd do it.
If not, I'd start tehre and change if I didn't like it. |
Anonymous
+1 I suggest asking around in your neighborhood listserv to see what peoples experiences are with them. Also ask about their policies since they have this weird consultation fee they might have other odd charges hidden in. |
Anonymous
You are taking up their time so why shouldn't you pay? |
Anonymous
You shouldn't pay cause it is an acquisition cost. Each patient gets them a lot of money. Personally we went to info sessions hosted by pediatrician's offices for new parents to see what we liked, and the pediatrician's office could still offer this online. It would be a lot cheaper for parents and help you decide if you like them. In lieu of this I would check reviews, and see if something is important to you. I asked the pediatrician's about alternate vaccine schedules and whether they would be willing to work with parents on it, mine were but I never changed anything. I wanted to hear that the pediatricians will listen/talk to the parents more than anything else. If you are looking at pediatricians in the DC area I bet you could get a lot of your questions answered on here, or nextdoor. |
Anonymous
B/c a lot of medical practices (orthodontist, pediatricians, and the like) typically have free consults. Op was surprised this particular pediatrician doesn't follow this hence the post. Come to think of it, a lot of industries have free consults - have you never gotten a free quote on car repair, roof, deck, (and the list goes on) before? |