New Patients

Planning for the birth of your child is a busy time. We have developed this section of our website to assist in answering some common parents-to-be questions regarding our office and the registration process.

Q: Can I meet the doctors or tour your offices before my baby is born?

A: Due to COVID-19 we are not currently offering our normal monthly meet-and-greet sessions. You may review the provider bios here.

Q: Will your doctors see my baby in the hospital?

A: The doctors of Interlachen Pediatrics do not attend deliveries at the hospital. They maintain excellent relationships with the pediatricians who will see your baby in the hospital, and provide a report to our doctors.

Q: How do I register my newborn with your office?

A: Once your baby is born, you may call our scheduling department at 407-767-2477 to register your child and schedule the first appointment. Our scheduling team member will then send you an invitation to our patient portal where you will be able to electronically complete all of the new patient registration forms.

Q: What insurance plans does your office participate with?

A: Interlachen Pediatrics participates with a wide variety of insurance plans; you may review the lists of participating health plans here.

Q: When should I schedule my newborn's first visit to the office?

A: Typically, your newborn should be seen 24-48 hours after discharge from the hospital. Please contact our scheduling department to schedule an appointment.

Q: What information should I bring with me to my newborn's first visit?

A: Please bring a photo id, your insurance card, and the discharge summary provided from the hospital (if available).

Q: What are your office hours?

A: Our office hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday - Friday. All visits are by appointment only, due to COVID-19 we have discontinued our walk-in hour. We also offer Saturday morning hours by appointment.

Q: Does your office promote and offer support for breastfeeding mothers?

A: The providers of Interlachen Pediatrics absolutely support breastfeeding. In accord with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, whose stance is that to derive the most neurodevelopmental benefits, "babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months with continued breastfeeding for 1 year or longer as mutually desired by mother and infant." One of our Nurse Practitioners, Heather Bryant, is also a Certified Lactation Counselor, and offers appointments for lactation consultations. You may contact our scheduling department for more information, or speak with your provider at your child's visit.

Thank you for choosing an independent doctor to care for your child. Choosing an independent doctor - rather than a doctor employed by a hospital - is one of the very best ways you can lower your medical costs and help your community.

Here's why independence matters: THE COST TO YOU!

When you see a doctor employed by a hospital, the hospital bills for that doctor's services at hospital rates. Those rates are much higher than what independent doctors charge. Plus, the hospital tacks on what's called a "facility fee," a fee that adds absolutely no value, but that hospitals have negotiated to help cover their overhead. This can increase your cost by three to four times.

What's more, hospital-employed doctors answer to administrators. Independent doctors remain free of these conflicts. In our practice, our focus remains on you.

The same holds true for centers that provide services like outpatient surgery or imaging (MRIs, CT Scans, and X-rays). Going to an independent surgery center or imaging center will cost you less, sometimes one-fourth the price, of going to one owned by a hospital. This is why we do our best to refer you to only free-standing, independent facilities.

Many studies that have looked at the impact of hospitals acquiring independent doctors' practices and independent facilities have found that these mergers drive up health-care costs dramatically. Everyone pays. Patients pay more out of pocket. Workers pay higher premiums, and more of our taxpayer dollars have to go into programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

Finally, independent practices are small businesses that support their communities by providing jobs and paying taxes. When hospitals acquire these private practices, office workers lose jobs. If the acquiring hospital happens to be a nonprofit, the taxes the practice used to pay into the community go away, because nonprofit hospital don't pay taxes.

Most citizens know that nonprofit hospitals don't pay income tax, but many don't realize they are also exempt from property and sales taxes.

Unfortunately, figuring out which doctors or outpatient facilities are independently owned and which ones aren't can be tricky. You have to ask. Often, when a hospital acquires a doctor's practice, nothing else changes in the office - but your bill.

But rest assured, you've chosen wisely. Please make sure your loved ones do too.

Sincerely,

Providers of Interlachen Pediatrics

We have told you a little about ourselves and our practice and now we would like to take the opportunity to share with you some of the experiences families that have attended Interlachen Pediatrics have been gracious enough to share with us. Please click this link to be taken to our patient review site.