Nothing makes you as desperate as your sick child—willing to spend much money on any medication that might help! But before you even open your wallet for pediatric healthcare, check out these money-saving tips that might help you in situations like this.
The answer to this is health insurance, adherence to your child’s pediatric visits and immunization schedules, and after-hours pediatrics in Georgia.
Ways to Save Money from Pediatric Appointments
Raising children requires love, patience, and budgeting skills. So, during your little bundle of joy’s childhood and teenage years, it’s fundamental to start saving money whenever possible.
We at Omega Pediatrics have come up with a few ideas to help you save money on your child’s healthcare.
1. Invest in health insurance.
Investing in health insurance for children is a great way to minimize the costs spent on hospital and pediatric services in Georgia. We at Omega Pediatrics accept a wide range of health insurance plans.
This includes Aetna, Alliant Health Insurance, Ambetter, Amerigroup, Beechstreet PPO, Blue Cross Blue Shield GA, CareSource, Cigna, Humana, Multiplan/PHCS, PeachCare For Kids, Peach State Health Plan, Tricare, United Healthcare, and Membership.
In choosing a provider and maximizing your benefits from health insurance plans, make sure that your pediatrician in Georgia is accredited with your prospective provider. In this way, your investment won’t go to waste!
2. Follow your child’s pediatric appointment schedule for preventive care.
Children, especially infants, require regular visits to a healthcare provider since growth and development occur rapidly during the first two years after birth. The first visit is usually soon after birth—a checkup shortly after hospital discharge.
Following that, a typical infant schedule, based on AAP recommendations, may include scheduling pediatric visits by 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, 15 months, 18 months, and 2 years. Each visit entails a thorough physical examination.
During each visit, your provider assesses your child’s hearing, height, vision, weight, and other vitals. This helps determine if your kid meets developmental and growth milestones appropriate to his age.
Also, the provider will provide immunizations and other preventative care. In all these procedures, the pediatrician is trying to avoid serious diseases that will cost you more in the long run.
3. Don’t miss your child’s vaccination schedule.
Immunization, or vaccination, is a method of developing immunity and protection from certain diseases. This is sometimes accomplished by using trace amounts of a disease-causing germ that has been killed or weakened.
The vaccine is sometimes a small piece of the germ’s genetic material or a protein.
Germs can be viruses, like measles, or bacteria, like pneumococci. Vaccines cause the immune system to respond as if there were a real infection. It repels the “infection” and recalls the germ. If the germ enters the body later, the body can fight it.
According to the AAP, here are the recommended vaccinations that your child should get:
- COVID-19 vaccine
- MMR: measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine
- MenACWY, MenB: meningococcal vaccines
- PCV13, PPSV23: pneumococcal vaccines
- Flu: Influenza vaccine
- HepB: Hepatitis B vaccine
- Hib: Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine
- Varicella: chickenpox vaccine
- IPV: polio vaccine
- HPV: human papillomavirus vaccine
- HepA: hepatitis A vaccine
- RV: rotavirus vaccine;
- DTaP: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine
- Dengue vaccine
If your child is on top of his immunization schedule, there’s a higher probability of your child not getting sick because of the vaccines. That means your child will have fewer doctor’s appointments and less money spent on sick visits!
4. Opt for a pediatrician that offers after-hours care services in Georgia.
Children don’t get to choose when they get sick or hurt, and working parents frequently find it difficult to schedule appointments around their hectic schedules.
Suppose your pediatrician offers after-hours pediatric services in Georgia. In that case, you’ll be more at ease when your child gets sick during unexpected times, saving you money by not needing to visit the emergency room.
Why Should I Work with Pediatricians Offering After-Hours Services in Georgia?
1. Time-saving
Choosing a pediatric clinic in Georgia that offers after-hours care for your child is extremely advantageous. This is because of the convenience factor.
For instance, if your child has a scheduled vaccination while enrolled in school, he won’t have to miss class or the whole day’s worth of school to get the shot. Conversely, you aren’t also required to take a leave from work if your child becomes ill without warning!
2. Money-saving.
Since your child showed symptoms during after-work hours, your first instinct might be to bring your child to the emergency room. It’s because your pediatrician is unavailable anymore.
Choosing a pediatrician that offers pediatric after-hours services in Georgia helps you avoid the emergency room altogether.
Emergency room visits are costly. However, there are situations in which going to the ER is completely unnecessary. Choosing an after-hours pediatric clinic in Georgia as your primary healthcare provider will enable you to save money on hospital costs.
Aside from that, if the healthcare professionals in the hospital do not see your child’s health issue as a real emergency, your child might wait for their turn in a long line.
When to Visit the Emergency Room
Pediatric care after-hours can cut down on your child’s need for emergency visits. Please remember, though, that you should take your child to the emergency room as soon as possible if they have a serious medical emergency.
Pediatric care provided after-hours is not and will never be a replacement for emergency room visits. So, know when to bring your child to your pediatrician versus bringing him to the emergency room.
What can be treated at an after-hours pediatric clinic in Georgia?
Instead of going to the emergency room, take your child to a pediatric clinic in Georgia if their health situation doesn’t call for it. Pediatric after-hours facilities in Georgia can treat your child for several minor health issues. These cases may include the following:
- broken bone or sprain where the bone isn’t deformed or sticking out of the skin
- head injury but still behaving normally
- fainting but can still act normal and seizures that stop on their own
- minor burns and cuts that may require stitches
- swallowed objects with no trouble breathing
- asthma attacks with mild wheezing
- seasonal allergies and allergic reactions with no trouble breathing
- Vomiting; mild headaches; ear pain and tugging
- hives with no trouble breathing
- rash or skin irritation; insect bites and stings
- diarrhea or constipation
- sinus infections; bloody nose
- sore throats
- pink eye
- pain when urinating
- stomach pain
What health issues should be handled immediately in the emergency room?
Your child must visit an emergency room for many medical emergencies to get the proper care needed as soon as possible. Symptoms of serious medical conditions may include the following:
- head injury with persistent vomiting or behavior change
- suicide attempt and/or threat to oneself or others
- broken bone, bone deformed, and/or coming out of the skin
- Burns; cuts with profuse bleeding
- seizures that won’t stop
- swallowed object or object stuck in skin and/or eye with breathing trouble
- vision loss; slurred speech or trouble speaking
- numbness and paralysis; migraine or severe headache with neck pain
- breathing troubles and blue lips and fingers
- lethargic (trouble waking up) problems; difficulty responding and waking up
- Dehydration
- asthma attacks with trouble breathing after treatment
- allergic reaction and hives with trouble breathing or vomiting
- insect bites and stings with trouble breathing
- concern for abuse and neglect
- fever in children under 30 days old
For ingestions, call Poison Control at 800-222-1222
If you’re unsure, you can always call your pediatrician for help. If the pediatrician can’t be contacted, trust your instincts instead!
Telemedicine: A Good Alternative
Another way for you to provide your children with the care they require without having to leave the comfort of your home is through telemedicine in Georgia. You can rest easy knowing their children receive the best care possible through telemedicine.
Telemedicine services for children enable pediatricians in Georgia to collaborate and care for children remotely. Children who can’t travel, those with chronic illnesses, or those who reside in remote locations can benefit from this pediatric urgent care.
Colds, the flu, and even more severe illnesses are some conditions that telemedicine services can treat. By avoiding needless doctor or emergency room trips, you can save time and money using these services.
Call Your Child’s Pediatrician if Health Issues Arise
Whether or not your child is enduring a high fever, is irritable, fussy, or difficult to console, is lethargic, doesn’t easily wake up, suffers from breathing problems, is easily confused, or has a rapid or weak pulse, you must call your pediatrician immediately.
Your pediatrician will surely know what to do with your sick child. He may suggest visiting his after-hours pediatrics clinic in Georgia, hopping on a telemedicine call, or worse, bringing your child to the emergency room.
Get your pediatrician’s advice before rushing to buy medicine or go to the ER, so you don’t splurge on a lot of money and aren’t even sure if you’re doing the right thing.
Omega Pediatrics is your after-hours pediatric healthcare provider in Georgia. They offer telemedicine consultations and honor major health insurance plans to give you the most cost-effective solutions to your family’s healthcare needs.
