Parents of Peachtree Park Pediatrics,
Like many businesses, Peachtree Park Pediatrics has had difficulty hiring and retaining staff during the pandemic. Our front desk and clinical staff are dedicated, caring and hard workers, but these circumstances can make it difficult to maintain the short wait times we strive for. Similarly, we have seen an increased call volume coming through to both the front desk and nurses, sometimes resulting in longer turnaround times in answering calls or responding to messages.
Most parents have been patient and understanding of these circumstances. This patience, however, has not been universal, with some parents even being rude and/or antagonistic to staff members. Please know that our staff are doing their best to meet the needs of families while working within the scheduling parameters set by the practice. With this in mind, we would ask that when something isn’t going as you feel it should, to take a step back and consider if the level of frustration exhibited is truly warranted. If you feel like a staff member hasn’t provided the expected degree of service, please ask for one of our supervisors to assist you.
Below are a few topics we’d like to touch on regarding continuity of your child’s care during these times:
Appointment Scheduling
While you may not be able to schedule a check-up with your child’s regular doctor on a specific day or at a particular time, the staff will do their best to accommodate you. Some of our doctors’ schedules are booked out more than a month in advance, so please schedule check-ups and follow-up visits as early as possible. There is limited availability for check-ups in the late afternoon, so please try to schedule these visits at least 2 months in advance if that is the only time your child is available.
Prescription Management
Children taking medication regularly for chronic conditions like Asthma and ADHD need to be seen every 3-4 months to monitor effectiveness, weight and possible medication side effects. Please call to schedule these appointments well in advance; prescriptions cannot be refilled until the child is seen.
After Hours Questions, Advice
The volume of calls outside regular office hours has also increased, taxing the CHOA nurse line and our on-call doctor and sometimes resulting in longer response times to return parent calls. Please remember that after-hours calls should be reserved for urgent concerns that cannot be addressed during regular office hours. When you have questions about your child’s health, there is a lot of useful information on our website that we encourage you to utilize. Topics include:
- COVID-19 testing, isolation and quarantine
- Common childhood illnesses
- Fever management
- Dosing of Acetaminophen and other OTC medication
We want to thank you for your continued patience and support of our office during the last two years. We are all doing our best and we appreciate the support and flexibility from you, our partner in caring for your child.
We encourage everyone to continue to use good hand hygiene and practice social distancing as much as possible. Please contact our office with any further questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Peachtree Park Pediatrics
For reliable, up-to-date information about COVID-19, visit:
- From the CDC: Coronavirus Disease 2019
- From the AAP: 2019 Novel Coronavirus
Peachtree Park Pediatrics strives to deliver up-to-date primary care to our infant, child, and young adult patients in a welcoming and family-friendly environment. The practice has deep roots in the Atlanta community, and it is our continued honor to be entrusted with the health care of our next generation.
