Pediatric Associates and the American Academy of Pediatrics would like to introduce you to the concept of the Medical Home. The Medical Home is more than just your local clinic. It is a family centered partnership between your child's personal primary care provider (personal PCP), your child, and you as parents. With office access 365 days of the year and additional information available through the website or by phone nurse, we at Pediatric Associates are committed to access, quality, and education.

The most important aspect of the Medical Home is your relationship with your child's personal PCP. She/He is the best resource for long term care of complex or chronic problems, such as ADHD and other behavioral issues, developmental disabilities, and long term medical issues such as asthma. Your child's personal PCP coordinates a broad range of community and specialty services as needed for your child and can help to outline long-term treatment goals. She/He not only knows your child’s history and needs best, but can work with you to create a secure, trusting relationship in which you and your child can feel safe in dealing with sometimes difficult and painful subjects.

For all these reasons, we encourage you to choose a personal PCP for your child who can get to know both your child and you. See him/her whenever possible, but especially try to make Well Care appointments and appointments for issues that will need long term follow-up with him/her. While she/he will always know your child best, we know that many problems develop quickly, and your home office and child's personal PCP may not be available. We welcome you to see any of our providers at any of our offices for that soccer injury, the earache at daycare, or an acute worsening of an ongoing illness. However, visits for complex problems are best made during the week with your child's personal PCP when we can schedule the appropriate amount of time. On the weekends, we are very busy seeing acutely ill children, so even if you could see your child's personal PCP then, the amount of time to deal with your more complex problem would be limited and instead focused on the acute illness that your child may be experiencing.

All visits will be entered in the medical chart where your child's personal PCP can do any necessary follow-up care. This process of creating a Medical Home for your child with your child's personal PCP and clinic is the very definition of Continuity of Care. Thank you for the privilege of being your child's Medical Home.