Answers

Direct primary care (DPC) is a model of health care that fosters the physician–patient relationship, emphasizing personalized care without the constraints of health insurance. One of the important benefits of the pediatric direct primary care model is that it allows us to provide comprehensive pediatric care with a full range of personalized services through a low monthly membership.

Membership allows us to provide our members with personalized care and direct access to their physician. In addition, our simple, fixed price allows our members to budget their health care finances without worrying about unexpected medical costs.

Health insurance is not health care. We believe that health insurance often stands in the way of quality, personalized care. We created Dockside Pediatrics with the goal to transform the traditional doctor’s visit to a more personalized, convenient health care experience for your family. We want to spend time with our patients and get to know them, so we can provide excellent care throughout their growth and development. Pediatric care the way it should be.

Membership fees are charged to your bank account, credit or debit card on the day of the month you choose. A one-time enrollment fee of $150 per family is due on your first visit.

While an extensive variety of services are covered under your membership fee some services are not covered. These include:

• Seeing a medical provider outside of Dockside Pediatrics—such as an ER visit or hospital stay. In these circumstances, your insurance can be billed if you choose.
• Any procedures, labs and prescriptions obtained outside of Dockside Pediatrics can also be billed to your insurance via the outside facility.
• Vaccination costs – We currently work with a company, Vaxcare, that is able to bill most private insurances for vaccines administered at the clinic. We are able to talk to you individually about how vaccines could work for your child.

We do not participate in any insurance plan or Medicaid. The membership model enables us to provide more personalized pediatric care to better serve our patients.

We are considered an out-of-network provider on most health plans. Your insurance company may reimburse you for out-of-network services, but this varies widely with each insurance plan. If you have any questions about out-of-network reimbursement, contact your individual insurance representative for additional information.

If needed, we can provide an invoice for medical care, vaccinations and prescriptions that you can submit to your insurance company.

Yes. While we provide extensive pediatric services, there can be occasions that a child will need healthcare outside of our facility. We highly recommend our patients have health insurance to cover these unexpected costs such as hospitalizations or referrals to sub-specialists.

Yes! We will make home visits for newborns until their two-month well child check. For an additional fee, we will continue to offer home visits for children older than two months.

We will do everything we can to meet your family’s needs, but we limit home visits to within 15 miles of our office, which includes Hampstead to Leland. If you live outside this limit and still need home visits, please contact us to see if we can make an alternative arrangement.

Congratulations on the upcoming addition to your family! We would love to meet you. Please email or call us and we’ll schedule a time to meet you and discuss the ways we can serve your newest family member. After delivery, we’ll schedule your first newborn home visit.

Children admitted to the pediatric floor at New Hanover Regional Medical Center are under the care of the pediatric hospitalist service with Coastal Children’s Services (CCS). We know this team of physicians well and we will work closely with them as your child is admitted, during his/her stay and upon discharge. After discharge, we will continue the course of care for your child.

We provide high quality care in the most convenient way possible. Many times, we can answer your question in an email, text or over the phone, which means you don’t have to make a trip to our office. All of this is included in your exclusive membership benefits.

No problem! One of the benefits of being a member of Dockside Pediatrics is that you contact your doctor directly! Once we determine the best course of care, we may call in a prescription, locate the nearest urgent care or ER, and even discuss your child’s medical history with a local provider if necessary.

If you have a family member visiting from out of town or you’re in Wilmington on vacation, we’ll be glad to treat your child. We will see patients that are not members as our schedule allows. However, all well-child visits and the full benefits of Dockside Pediatrics’ personalized services are limited to those who are patients.

We do provide membership to a limited number of patients at a reduced rate. Most of these will include patients with medically complex conditions who require significant care, and children of active military service members, ministers and foster parents. Please contact us to determine if you qualify for one of our reduced rates.

Bumps, scratches, bruises and rashes happen often, and childhood illnesses and injuries are unpredictable. Depending on the time of day and circumstance, you may be referred to an urgent care or ER for care that can easily be provided by your pediatrician. A single visit to an ER or urgent care can carry a cost equal to months of personalized care at Dockside Pediatrics.

We’ve designed our practice to help you when the unexpected happens. When your child needs stitches, has a late night fever, gets sick while out of town, or needs that last minute sports physical, we are available to provide peace of mind and compassionate care for your child.

Even the few times you visit the doctor for an annual physical or well child check will be a whole new experience! Same day or next day appointments, no waiting, hour-long appointments, and a relaxed, casual atmosphere with snacks and drinks–this is the type of pediatric care you have always wanted, but never received!

As a pediatric direct primary care provider, you will receive a higher level of personalized care that you won’t find in today’s large, busy pediatric practices. See why Dockside Pediatrics is the new wave in pediatric care.