We pride ourselves on providing only the highest quality care for your child and do this by following many of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Bright Futures clinical guidelines on hearing and vision screens, behavior health screens, and labs.
However, some insurers do not cover services related to meeting these clinical recommendations. In fact, insurance company rules and policies change all the time. As prompt and appropriate treatment of your child is of primary importance to us, we ask that you sign a ‘waiver’ giving us permission to perform screenings, tests and non-covered services as we, your trusted providers of care, deem necessary.
Following is a list of the most frequently provided services for which we request a signed waiver and that you can use to determine coverage with your insurer. If you wish to opt out of any of the following, please let us know at the start of your visit. Please consider that declining screening may lead to delays in diagnosis.
Vision Screen via Computerized Photoscreen (CPT code 99177/99174):
Combines visual acuity testing and Visual Evoked Potential testing (or VEP). VEP is an important test for early detection of eye and vision problems in infants and young children. Amblyopia (or ‘lazy eye’) occurs when the brain does not receive proper images from the eye. If it is not diagnosed in early childhood, there may be a permanent loss of vision in the affected eye.
Hearing Screen (CPT code 92552)
Hearing screens should be performed every year and is also required for most preschools, public and private schools, and for sports. Lack of timely diagnosis of hearing impairment can lead to speech and developmental delays.
Developmental Testing (various CPT codes)
Developmental screening (including standard pediatric developmental screening done at well-visits, Edinburgh postpartum depression screening, child depression and anxiety screening, etc) are very important in the assessment of any development delays or potential problems. These screenings often lead to diagnoses that can be treated to assist development and mental health.
In-office lab tests
Often, patients want to know as soon as possible if their child has the flu, strep, covid, mono etc. We can effectively and efficiently determine that by performing in-office testing. Some insurers do not pay for in-office testing because they have contracts with external labs to provide these services. However, sending tests out to external labs can result in waiting days for results that we can provide to you much more quickly (usually within minutes). We believe it is important to treat your child as quickly as possible, and therefore offer these services in-office.