Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Yes, you may request your preferred pediatrician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. While we cannot guarantee the availability of that particular provider at all times, we do the best we can to accommodate our patients' requests.

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 48 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 notify the front office staff that you need an urgent referral before you leave the office.

• Please call our office to give us the necessary information. If your child has not been seen recently by one of our medical providers for the condition requiring medication, we will need to schedule a sick appointment prior to refilling the prescription. We are unable to provide prescription refills by phone without a written record of prior treatment in our office.

  Allow two business days 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 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 infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your well care visit, or please call during office hours to speak with Dr. Diana Lee, who is our fully trained expert on breastfeeding.

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office the first week 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.

We understand that your child can suddenly become ill or have a condition that you believe warrants immediate medical attention. Our practice is sensitive to that need and makes every effort to train our staff to accommodate our patients' situations. However, out of respect for all our patients, we discourage visits without an appointment. Unscheduled visits typically do not allow enough time for the medical provider to give the patient the care that a sick child deserves. Unscheduled visits also take time and attention away from patients who do have scheduled appointments. Therefore, if you feel that your child must be seen immediately, kindly call our office and speak to one of our staff members. We will see to it that you get an appointment as soon as your child's situation dictates. If the situation is an emergency, we will advise you to take your child to the Emergency Room of your nearest hospital.

We would love to keep each and every one of our patients, however unfortunately the answer is No.  It is a state law regulating you to use your insurance correctly and use the doctors that are a part of that insurance company's plan.

Yes, we always welcome new patients.

We would like to see you child forever, but depending on your insurance carrier and your policy, they must transition over to an adult physician by ages 21 or 22.

If your child becomes sick after our offices close, you can always call 856-435-6000 after hours.  There is always a phyician or nurse on call that will return your telephone message prompty and give you guidance.  We actually prefer you always contact us, that way we can best assess your child's situation and give you the best advise on how to handle your child's illness.  Naturally in life threatening situations, take them to your nearest emergency rooom.  But--always give us a call--that way as your child's primary care physician we know the full history of your child and there is better continuity of care.

On the back of your insurance card there should be a member services telephone number.  Call that number and your insurance company representative  can best assist you with any of your insurance questions, since they are the ones who have issued the policy.

We would love to keep each and every one of our patients, however there are insurance regulations that you utilize your insurance correctly--so unfortunately No--you will have to take you child to a provider who accepts your insurance.

Our billers are happy to help you.  If you have a question about your bill, call our own billers at 856-435-4782 as opposed the central billing office.  The are available Mon-Fri 9am to 4:30 pm.in our Gibbsboro Office.

We do not take a copay at the time of service for a Well Visit because MOST insurances do not charge a copay for Well Visits.  You will receive a bill ONLY if your insurance company states a copay is due according to your individual benefit package.  Recently we have noticed that a copay is not being added to the Well Visit itself, but to procedures that were performed that day such as eye exams and hearing screenings that are not covered by your insurance company's Well Visit policy.  Each carrier and plan are different.  If you do not believe that a claim was processed correctly, please contact your insurance company to have your claim reviewed.

The level of care is determined by our providers as they go through the sick visit during the time of the appointment.  A number of factors are included in the evaluation and management of an established patient.  A detailed history, the detailed examination, the complexity of the problem(s) and counseling are all taken into consideration of the medical decision making process.

One of our providers will need to see your child to make sure they are in the best of health before a School Note is written.  Sorry--but we can't give a Doctor's Note unless we see your child.

If your insurance requires you to have a Referral in order for your child to see a specialist, call our front desk receptionsits and they will be happy to help you.  To best assist you--you will need to give us the following information when you call:
--The Name; Address; and phone number of the specialist.
--Your Appointment date with the specialist
--What procedure needs to be done
--The Specialist's NPI number.  
It is so important  to have all the above information so that we can process your Referral.  We need a minimun of 48 hours notice to promptly process your referral.

We love our Medical Assistants (MA's)!  However, our doctors and nurses prefer to be the "bad guys" and give the shots to your children instead of our MA's.

We always keep our scheduled appointments and accomodate our sick patients as well.  Our doctors and nurses will always try and accomodate their patients, but is is always best to call ahead so we can be prepared for your visits as best we can.

While it may seem a quick and simple solution to prescribe an antibiotic over the phone when your child is sick, it is important to to remember that as physicians we take an oath to our patients to do no harm.  Antibiotics are not just benign medications and should be used carefully. To try and diagnose and treat an illness over the phone can be very dangerous, expecially if there is a symptom that does not present itself to the parent.  We don't want to misdiagnosis and mistreat your child.  Evaluating a child first by a licensed medical provider will help him/her to get the best care approprite for the child's illness.

Viral illnesses are very common in childhood and can cause a wide range of symptoms.  Symptoms can include colds, fever, rashes, vomiting and diarrhea. Prescription medications are not routinely needed for treatment of a viral illness as symptoms are usually short lived.  Antibiotics in particular target only bacterial infections. Supportive care is usually sufficient in management of a viral illness.