Frequently Asked Questions

Our  Eddystone office is open Monday through Friday, with additional evening hours  on Monday and Thursday. Our Media office is open on Tuesday and Wednesday with night hours on both days. We also offer Saturday morning hours, alternating weekly between our two offices. As our daily schedule is subject to change, please call to confirm office hours.

Yes, we welcome new patients.

Advocare participates with most major insurance plans. As participation varies by region, specialty, and physician, we recommend that you contact either our office or your insurance company representative to verify that your insurance plan is accepted.

Every effort is made to arrange your child's well care and follow up visits with the physician of your choice. When your child is ill, he or she may see any one of our physicians.

Our medical providers are available 24 hours a day. Call the office at (610) 521-1297 and follow the prompts carefully to page a provider on call; be sure to leave your phone number, including area code. Please be aware that after-hours calls are intended for urgent medical issues that cannot wait until the next business day. Referral and appointment requests will not be addressed via pager. Urgent pages are typically returned within 15 minutes; non-urgent calls are generally returned within one to two hours. Please call back if you have not received a timely response.

IN THE EVENT OF A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY, CALL 911.

To help protect your child from many serious infectious diseases, we follow the immunization schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Please discuss your immunization questions and concerns with any of our pediatricians.

The frequency of visits will depend on the age and health of infant or child. At the end of each visit we will let you know when you need to make your next appointment.

For non-urgent referrals: when one of our doctors refers you to a specialist, please schedule your appointment with the specialist, then call our office within five business days of your appointment. Your referral will be available within 72 hours. Most referrals are completed electronically and submitted directly to the specialist's office. Please check with our office staff to determine if your insurance plan processes referrals electronically.

For urgent referrals: when one of our doctors determines that you need an urgent referral, your referral will be initiated immediately. Please remain in our office while your referral is processed, then proceed to your specialist. 

You will receive a call quickly with any lab results that require urgent attention. Other abnormal lab results will be addressed promptly by the provider that ordered the labs or tests. Normal values are reviewed and addressed by the physician that ordered them.

Please call our office and follow the prompts to contact our nursing staff. Allow one business day for all routine prescription refills. For prescriptions that require prior authorization from your insurance company, please plan ahead to allow at least three to five days for refill approval. Prescription refills for controlled substances such as pain medications are refilled Monday through Friday only.

Yes, we promote breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding babies for the first six to twelve months. Breastfeeding helps defend children against infections, prevents allergies, and protects against a number of chronic conditions. While experts believe that breast milk is the best nutritional choice for infants, breastfeeding may not be possible for all women.

Some women have specific medical considerations that impede breastfeeding; others choose to feed by formula because of discomfort, work schedule, or lifestyle choices. In these cases, an iron-fortified, milk-based infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your child's well care visit, or please call during office hours to speak with our experienced nursing staff.

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office 1-2 days after discharge from the hospital. Our staff understands the importance of this first visit and will make every effort to schedule this visit promptly.

As all children are different, we advise following several appropriate steps to advance your child's diet based on age and development. Please discuss these steps with our providers at your well care visit.