Welcome Video

Our Practice Goals

To create an environment for healthy growth & development of our patients through quality healthcare services, for sick or well needs from birth though late adolescence. 

Appointments

Patients are seen by appointment only. We see sick children every day, Monday through Saturday. Sick child visits are scheduled for the same day that you call. Well child visits and recheck visits are scheduled in advance. Please call as soon as possible to schedule your well child exams ( preferably 1-2 months in advance). Please refer to our “Caring For Your Baby” book for the well child schedule or click HERE.  We have a limited number of same day Well Check and Recheck appointments available daily.

Well Child Visits

Well child appointments are routine, preventative appointments. To prepare for this type of visit, please:
  • Arrive 15-minutes early to allow time to complete the check-in process and to finish any necessary paperwork.
  • Be prepared to discuss any concerns you have about your child.
  • You will also be asked about environmental questions like: “Do you have carbon monoxide detectors in your home? What type of pets does your family own?”
  • Our nurse will also ask about sleep patterns and habits, bladder and bowel function, and food intake.
  • A provider will perform a complete examination of your child and, if necessary, send a nurse in to complete any lab work or to administer vaccines.​
Please Note: Children’s Medical Group requires all patients to be vaccinated according to the recommended schedule of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Your new patient paperwork outlines this policy.

Sick Visits 

Sick appointments are always scheduled on the same day that you call.  In other words, if you call to make an appointment because your child is sick or you have concerns regarding their health, your child will be seen that same day.  We will not schedule sick appointments for the next day.

A child’s illness can change very quickly and it’s best to see them the day you call.  We set aside the end of the morning and the end of the afternoon for sick checks.  The appointment time you are given when you call is always the earliest we have available.  If you have special circumstances that require a different time please let us know at the time you call. Finally, if your child becomes ill in the morning or early afternoon, please do not wait until evening to notify us.
Please call us before 4:00 pm Monday through Friday and at 9:30 am on Saturday morning if you want to have your child seen.

Care Management & Behavioral Health Services
Our Care Management Program specializes in working with patients who have acute, multiple, or complex chronic care needs. Areas of focus include ADHD/ADD, autism, asthma, behavioral concerns, delays in development, health and nutritional needs including elevated BMI, and mental health conditions like depression or anxiety.

Insurance & Billing

  • Please bring your insurance card(s) to your appointments.
  • If there are any changes to your coverage at any time, we kindly ask you call us to update that information.
  • If you have a newborn, please be sure to have him or her added to your insurance contract (Note: Most employers provide a 30-day window to do this).
  • It is your responsibility to know whether or not your insurance will cover your new patient well child visit.
  • If a visit is denied by your carrier, you will be responsible for any charges. 
  • In the situation of guardianship, separation, or divorce, we consider the adult bringing the child to the office to be responsible for the bill incurred.

Office Telephone Calls

Our office phone will be answered by our staff during normal business hours. After hours calls are handled by our answering service, and a doctor is on call 24 hours a day for emergencies. The following are guidelines for telephone calls:
  • When calling the office during the day, please give your child’s name, age and as much information about the problem as possible including their temperature. If the nursing staff is unable to answer your questions, they will talk to the provider and return your call.  ​
  • After hours calls should be for urgent or emergent calls.  We have a nurse available 24 hrs. a day/7 days a week to handle  calls.
  • ​Routine refills are issued during regular office hours only. Please allow 24-48 hours for your prescription(s) to be sent to your pharmacy. ​
We value the privacy of our patients – this is especially true of their federal- protected medical records. To ensure confidentiality, parents are asked to verify the last four digits of their social security number when calling.

ER Visits & Hospitalization

We recommend you use Covenant Hospital. Dr. VanGelderen or Dr. Thill will see newborns daily at Covenant. If your child needs to be admitted to the hospital, we will direct you to Covenant. The CMU Health physicians and residents will treat and manage your child until they are ready to go home.

Walk In Policy

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Children’s Medical Group strives to maintain an efficient schedule.  A child’s appointment for a well check or a sick visit needs to be reserved with a phone call.  By making appointments, we are able to balance each patient's needs and waiting times.  If your child needs emergency care, call 911 or call the office and we can direct you where to go.  Unscheduled walk-in patients will be asked to wait until a slot opens in our book.  Maintaining a schedule helps us continue to provide quality care.  Thank you for your cooperation.

No Show Policy

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We realize that sometimes you either need to cancel an appointment or your appointment just slipped your mind.  Since your appointment is reserved for you, we request 24-hour notice of cancellation to open up the appointment for another patient.  We may charge you a $25.00 no show fee.  It is our policy to discharge a patient from our practice for three missed and non-cancelled appointments.  Thank you for your cooperation in keeping or canceling your appointments.

Privacy Policy

Your child's medical information is personal, and we are committed to protecting his or her private medical information. We create a record of the care and services you receive at this office.​  To review the full policy, please click HERE.