After Hours & Hospital Coverage
Phone coverage during weeknights, and throughout the weekend, is by clinicians, physician or nurse practitioner, from this office. Return calls will usually be from a blocked phone. To be reachable, you will need to turn off your caller ID blocking by pressing *87 prior to getting a call back. Call intercept is another feature that blocks incoming calls, and can not be disabled. Please do not use phones with call intercept if you are requesting a return call. In addition, a number of insurance companies offer an after hour nurse line that you may use as a member of their plan.
Something to consider--the physician you may see today could be the same physician you just might awaken the night before. As we all have families and tend to function better with rest and sleep, I would appreciate you limiting after hours calls to emergencies or when you have a question about a sudden or acute change in your child’s health. Routine office or health questions, appointment scheduling for follow-up care and medication refills are better handled when the chart and medical information is available during regular office hours. Also, you may leave a non-urgent message for nurse or office follow-up on the after-hours messaging service.
Calling to get ‘permission’ to go to the hospital or emergency room is not required by this office. It is always appropriate to call to review symptoms with us if you are uncertain whether they should be evaluated emergently. You may consider that a number of "emergency" services, including suturing of lacerations, splinting and casting of fractures, may be more readily available (and more costs more appropriate) in the office when it is open .
Hospital coverage will generally be by the hospitalists at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center. There is a hospitalist in the hospital at all times to provide immediate coverage for deliveries, newborn nursery, emergency room, inpatients. The on-call physician will attend patients in other hospitals.