Starting this weekend (January 21 and 22), all weekend visits will be self-scheduled on MyChart. It is our hope that this will enable patients who wish to be seen to more easily access our appointments without needing to call and experience telephone wait-times.
On Saturdays, Sundays, and Monday Holidays, you will be able to book a same day appointment on-line starting at 8 a.m.
While appointments will be available until 2 pm, the ability to make an appointment will stop at noon (this is similar to the current system where the phones go off at noon even though we remain in the office seeing patients). If there are no more available appointments on-line, we are full for the day. Appointment scheduling will be open until noon, or until all appointments are booked for the day. Appointments will be booked on a first- come, first-serve basis.
Please note that these appointments are intended for acute illness visits only. Appropriate visits include ear pain, coughs, sore throats, fevers, rashes, acute belly pain and minor injuries.
Chronic or long-standing issues, as well as behavioral health concerns (anxiety/depression) are not appropriate for weekend appointments. Visits such as chronic or recurrent headaches, long-standing abdominal pain, behavior concerns, or similar visits should be scheduled during the weekday with a provider who knows your child best as these are more complex and generally require additional time.
Patients coming into the office with more complex or chronic issues will be evaluated for acute safety and then, at the discretion of the provider, be asked to schedule an appropriate weekday visit for further investigation.
Our nurses will still be available in the office for triage advice should you have any questions about home-care. Additionally, we encourage you to check out our webpage and the American Academy of Pediatrics Symptom Checker for useful information about common pediatric issues.
Please note, if you do not have a MyChart account, please call the office to get signed up in order to enable you to schedule weekend appointments.
We hope you find this scheduling process helpful for you and your family.
Westwood-Mansfield Pediatric Associates