Office Policies

Missed Appointments

You will receive a text reminder from our office notifying you of the upcoming scheduled appointment. Please follow the instructions to confirm the appointment. If you need to cancel an appointment please notify the office at least 24 hours in advance and we can reschedule the appointment. If you have to cancel on the day of the appointment, please notify us as soon as possible.

Late Arrivals

Late arrivals can disrupt the day’s schedule, so we ask that new patients arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled appointment time to complete paperwork. All other patients should arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled appointment time. If you arrive more than 10 minutes after your scheduled time, you will have to reschedule your appointment.

Prescription Refills

Most prescriptions for ongoing medications (such as asthma and allergy medications) are written with several refills. Check the label on the bottle to be sure there are no refills before calling out office. If your child is out of refills, it may be time for a follow-up visit to discuss his or her condition. Call the nurse to find out whether your child should come in for a visit or if a new prescription can be issued over the phone.

Vaccine Policy

At Monument Avenue Pediatrics, the health and safety of all our patients is our top priority. We believe vaccines are a crucial component of maintaining that health and protecting our community, especially our most vulnerable patients. Our office follows the immunization schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This schedule is based on decades of safety and effectiveness data. Reducing and eliminating the symptoms and complications of vaccine-preventable illnesses is one of the most important roles we have as pediatricians. 

After careful consideration and in alignment with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) we have updated our vaccine policy, effective May 1, 2025.

Effective May 1, 2025, we require all patients to adhere to the AAP recommended immunization schedule. This policy is in place to ensure the safety of all children in our practice, including those too young to be vaccinated, with compromised immune systems, on chemotherapy or vaccine non-responders.

Our practice will not accept new families who do not vaccinate their children. Established patients who are behind on required vaccines will be given sufficient notice and time to bring their children up to date. Patients who are behind on the required vaccines will be given one month to begin to comply with our vaccine policy. If your child is behind we will provide counseling and easy access to get your child current on his or her vaccines.

If your child has a medical condition that requires a modification of the standard AAP vaccine schedule, in consultation with our infectious disease colleagues, we will discuss the appropriate vaccine schedule for your child.  Non-medical exemptions are not accepted. These include religious-belief, personal-belief, and philosophically-based exemptions. 

Resources:

We encourage you to review the following resources for more information about vaccines:

• AAP Immunization Schedule

• CDC Vaccines Website

• Immunize.org

• Vaccine Education Center

Patient Grievance Policy

Whenever possible, Monument Avenue Pediatrics attempts to resolve patient questions or concerns quickly and informally. If this is not possible, patients and parents are afforded the opportunity to file a formal grievance.

The following is the formal method used to seek answers or resolutions of grievances. All grievances are followed by the Performance and Quality Systems staff, made up of the Nurse Manager, the Billing Manager, and the corporation’s Partners. Address concerns about quality of care to the Nurse Manager at 804-358-4904. Address concerns about a bill to the Billing Manager, at 804-358-3027.

If grievance involves quality of care, the Nurse Manager will refer the concern to the appropriate utilization and quality control peer review organization at the next regularly scheduled meeting. The Director will provide a written notice of the practice’s decision within 10 days. The peer review organization consists of the doctors in the practice.

If grievance involves billing information, the Billing Manager will investigate and will provide a written notice of the practice’s decision within 10 days.

If a patient or parent is not satisfied with the response of the Nurse Manager or the Billing Manager, he or she may submit a response in writing to MAP Partners. The Partners will provide a written notice of their decision within 30 days after their regularly scheduled meeting . Address all written correspondence to the attention of the appropriate person, Nurse Manager, Billing Manager, or MAP Partners at:

  Monument Avenue Pediatrics, PC
  3602 Monument Avenue
  Richmond, VA 23230

Please fully explain the essential facts of the concern. Please attach copies of any correspondence received from the health insurance plan and any other supporting documents. Dates of service and provider information are required.

Non-Discrimination Policy

Monument Avenue Pediatrics (MAP) does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, language, sexual orientation, gender identification, marital status or any other medical or non-medical factors in determining admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits of any of its programs and activities or in its employment, whether carried out by MAP directly or through a contractor or any other entity with whom MAP arranges to carry out its programs and activities.

This statement is in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Regulations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued pursuant to the Acts, Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations Part 80, 84, and 91. Other Federal Laws and Regulations provide similar protection against discrimination on grounds of sex and creed. 

Policy for Communicating effectively with LEP (Limited English Proficiency) individuals

The office assesses each family individually and identifies if the family or children are LEP.  If medical providers cannot obtain adequate information and medical history from the patient or the patient’s parents, the office provides interpretation services. Ideal interpretation  services are live face-to-face interpreters. If not available, interpretation lines are used.

The nurse manager determines if the family has been sponsored by an agency, and if so contacts that agency to see if there is an interpreter working with that family who is available to interpret during medical appointments. If not, she contacts the health department working with this family and interprets using the health department interpreters if available, and, if not, the Propio Language Services health department language lines.  If unable to interpret  through the Proprio language line, the providers use Cyracom, an over-the-phone interpretation system providing 200 different languages.

If the child is here for a well-child check and is not acutely ill, office assesses the adequacy of live interpretation services. If unable to confirm these services, the office reschedules the appointment for a time when appropriate live interpretation services are confirmed.

If the child is acutely ill and in need of immediate medical care, care is provided with Cyracom interpretation services until patient is stabilized or transported to appropriate medical facility (ER). 

We Value Your Feedback

Monument Avenue Pediatrics is your child's medical home and your feedback is important to us. Don’t hesitate to offer suggestions any time you’re here for a visit, by email, or by calling the office.