Office Policies

Monday–Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

From late September through late May, a physician is available on Saturdays to see sick patients only. Saturday appointments cannot be scheduled before Saturday morning.

Sometimes things happen when the doctor’s office is closed. We are available to help when urgent medical concerns arise outside of regular office hours.

For life-threatening emergencies, call 911 immediately.

Visit the Patient Information section of our website for guidance on managing common childhood illnesses and concerns.

For urgent needs: call our main number 518-439-5611 and you will be connected with our answering service or after-hours nurses. One of our physicians is always on call when needed.

For non-urgent concerns: there are two options to leave a message for us to respond the next business day. If you call the office number 518-439-5611 there is an option to leave a non-urgent message, or you can send a message through the patient portal. Both of these options are for non-urgent matters and are not monitored after hours.

We kindly request that after-hours calls be reserved for urgent situations. A physician will be available to help with concerns during phone hour on the next business day.

Call between 7:00 and 8:00 am on weekdays to schedule same-day sick appointments. During this time, a physician is also available to answer questions about newborn care or to discuss a sick child. These brief conversations allow us to provide guidance, recommend home care measures, or determine whether your child should be seen that day.

To serve as many families as possible, calls are limited to a few minutes.

To ensure accuracy on all prescription refills, please allow two business days for processing. Although we always do our best, New York State requirements for certain medications involve multiple steps and cannot always be completed within 24 hours.

When calling for a refill, please clearly state the child’s name, date of birth, specific medication to be refilled, the pharmacy you would like it sent to, and the best number for us to call with questions. Please note that controlled substances (most ADHD medications) require medication-check appointments every six months in order to continue to be refilled. We cannot refill these prescriptions if a patient is overdue for a medication-check appointment.

We understand that things come up and it is not always possible for a parent to attend every appointment.

If someone other than a parent brings your child to an appointment, they should be familiar with:

• The reason for the visit
• For sick visits: current symptoms including length and course of the illness, and any medications or treatments given
• For medication visits: the diagnosis, the medication the patient is taking, how long they have been on it, and how the child is doing on the medication
• For physicals: information on the child’s diet, daily routines, and behavioral concerns

It is our office policy that we can discuss pertinent medical information with the adult you deem responsible to bring your child to their appointment. This discussion may include consent for recommended vaccines at yearly physicals and flu and COVID shots when they are available.

For divorced or separated parents

• If both parents retain legal decision-making rights, we are happy to discuss medical, developmental, and behavioral concerns with either parent.
• If only one parent attends an appointment, we encourage parents to communicate with one another regarding the visit. If the non-attending parent would like to speak directly with the provider, a separate office or telehealth appointment may be scheduled.

As part of preventative care, patients age 16 and older who provide a urine sample will be screened for chlamydia and gonorrhea. If you prefer to decline this screening, please inform the nurse at the time of the visit.

Giombetti & Brady Pediatrics follows the current immunization schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). We strongly believe that children should receive recommended vaccines on schedule to provide the best protection against serious infectious diseases.

Routine forms are typically completed within one week of receipt. This assumes that all information on the form is complete.

For medication forms, it is the parent’s responsibility to fill in as much information as possible, including the patient’s name and date of birth, the name of the medication, and the concentration of what you will be sending in.

If there is a checklist of medications for camp, please indicate your preferences before sending it to us.

If our office needs additional information and we have difficulty connecting with you, this may result in the form taking more than one week to complete.

It is essential that our office staff has up-to-date insurance information for every visit. Please notify our office of any changes to your address, phone number, or insurance coverage. If accurate insurance information is not provided within 30 days of a visit, the balance may become the responsibility of the parent or guardian.

If your insurance denies a date of service, we will bill you for the amount of the claim and provide you with a receipt to submit to your insurance company to request reimbursement.

Insurances we accept

• Aetna
• Anthem
• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• CDPHP
• Highmark
• MVP
• MVP / Cigna
• The Empire Plan through NYS

Copays are due at the time of service.

When an appointment is scheduled, time is reserved specifically for your child. Cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice may prevent another patient from using that appointment time. For this reason, a $50 fee will be charged for missed appointments and no-shows.

Our office offers a patient portal. To opt in, please notify the front desk — they will help you with all the necessary activation information. Features of the portal include requesting or viewing upcoming appointments, sending and receiving messages, prescription refills, and more. If you have any questions or issues regarding the portal, our staff is always willing to help!