It’s midnight and your child has a fever and is vomiting. Or it’s Saturday afternoon and your child hurt an ankle playing soccer. What should you do? Who should you call? Where should you go?
You could save time, money and a trip to the ER.
Did you know most health insurance providers now offer a nurse advice phone line as part of their services? Staffed by registered nurses, these phone lines exist to help members decide on an appropriate level of care for their circumstances. While not able to make a diagnosis, they can give home care advice and help you determine if you can wait for your doctor’s office to open, or need to seek urgent care treatment.
When the office at Grow Pediatrics is closed you do still have access to our health care providers if that is what you prefer, but you may wish to save yourself the after-hours call fee, and check with your health plan’s nurse advice line first. Check your health plan ID card, or their web site, to see if your health plan offers this valuable benefit.
More generalized advice can always be found on the American Academy of Pediatrics website for parents, www.healthychildren.org
image courtesy of clipartkid.com