APPOINTMENTS

To request an acute illness (“same day sick”) appointments, please call (614) 459-4200 for less urgent appointments you may also email mail@drcarine.com. Symptoms that have lasted longer than 48 hours, are multi-system, or appear “off-and-on” for multiple days (weeks or months) are more complex illness visits and not qualify for a same day sick visit.

Some scheduling pointers to keep in mind:

We have been scheduling out 2-3 months in advance for all prescheduled visits (complex illness, well checks/physicals, med checks, etc.). Plan and schedule ahead.

We limit the vast majority of prescheduled visits to early morning or early afternoon hours. This is to help well patients avoid avoid the overwhelming number of illness visits, and corresponding wait times, which dominate our late morning and late afternoon hours.

While we always want to know your scheduling preferences our practitioners all have lives outside of their much-loved careers and their schedules vary - much like your own. KNOW what your 1st priority is when calling to schedule, this will help us find the best visit for your child. We can find the practitioner, day, or time frame you prefer - but it’s unlikely to find all three.

Appointment Types

Visit slots vary in duration and times when they are offered, depending on the type of appointment and practitioners’ days. You may need multiple visits to fully address the topics we discuss regarding your child’s health.

VISIT DURATION & FREQUENCY

Visit slots vary in duration and times when they are offered, depending on the type and the schedule of the practitioner they are with (please read down the page for more details on appointment types). You may need multiple visits to completely and fully address the topics we discuss regarding your child’s health.

ANSWERING MEDICAL QUESTIONS

Generally, the fastest and most accurate way to get an answer to a medical concern is to have a visit. Sick children in our office are prioritized before an incoming email or phone call.

If you email a question or leave a message, we will offer what guidance we can. However, there are MANY occasions when we simply cannot offer medical advice over the phone, or through email because we may need our practitioners to assess the patient/symptoms.

REFERRALS

Nationwide Children’s Hospital referrals must be made through our office. For physicians outside the hospital, we will often encourage you to check your plan and make those appointments yourself.

Referrals are generally not urgent health concerns, and therefore may take 2-5 business days to submit.  On the rare occasions that they are urgent, we will act accordingly.

FORMS

Completion of the following forms are generally NOT urgent health concerns and therefore may take upwards of 2-5 business days to process:

• Child Medical Statements, OHSAA Physical Forms and most other school/daycare forms

• Prior Authorizations, any applicable appeal forms, letters, or supporting document submissions

• Medical Record Requests

Unless specified otherwise, completed forms will be returned via email. With an attached document these emails often filter into your junk/spam box so please check there if it’s been a week since you submitted the form BEFORE calling our office.

VIRTUAL CONSULTATIONS

Presently, we do NOT offer phone, email, or video consultations.

While we would love to address as much as possible in these formats, insurance does not, as yet, pay appropriately for services provided in this manner.  While we know many of you would prefer to pay cash to receive a consult by phone/email or Skype to avoid a visit to the office with your child, missing work, and all that is entailed to make an in-person visit, it simply isn’t possible at this time.  

We are working diligently to try to make phone/email/Skype consults available to you, especially to address lab work, behavioral concerns, and chronic conditions.  Unfortunately, at this time, phone and email will be used only for simple, quick discussions, and anything of substance will need to be seen in the office.  We will keep you posted on our progress on this important topic.

BRINGING YOUR CHILD

We request that you bring your child to EVERY visit.

If a practitioner does not need to assess your child for the visit, they will give you specific directions regarding that, and it will apply ONLY to that occasion.

Your child’s health is best served if we pair physical assessment along with any behavioral, mental, or emotional symptoms. If you feel that you cannot give enough attention either to your child or the practitioner during the discussion while your child is in the visit, OR if you would like to discuss something you do not wish you child to hear, we ask that you bring help along, such as another parent or adult who can entertain your child during the visit, or else accompany your child to the playroom. Our staff make every effort to keep your children safe while they are in the office, but ultimately each staff member has tasks they are performing which prevents them from being solely responsible for your child(ren) while in our office.

Ready for a better healthcare experience?

We can’t wait to see you.