Answers to most of the questions you may have...
Billing and Insurance
I have received a statement and have questions, who can I call?
Please call our office and ask for the billing department. We know that medical billing can be confusing; our billing department is more than happy to go through your statement and explain the charges. If there are errors, we will promptly look into them and correct them as quickly as possible.
I have questions about what my insurance covers?
Please call our office. If your question is in regards to surgery, our surgery schedulers can look into your insurance benefits and explain them to you. If your question is in regards to an office visit or office procedure, our billing department can help you with this.
What insurance plans do you accept?
We accept most commercial insurance plans. Please call our office to see if we accept your specific insurance plan. Please have your insurance card available when you call.
How do I know if an office procedure is covered under my insurance?
Our billing department can look into your insurance benefits and estimate what is covered by your insurance and what will be your out of pocket cost.
When is payment due?
In general, for office visits we collect any co-pays or balance due at the time of service. For surgery, we require payment arrangements to be made before the surgery is performed.
What methods of payment do you accept?
We accept cash, personal check, MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover and your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) cards for payment.
Surgery
When will I find out about the time of my child’s surgery?
Surgery schedules are constantly changing all the way till the afternoon prior to surgery. All of the hospitals and surgery centers that we perform surgery at will finalize their surgery schedule the business day prior. They will call you in the afternoon the day before surgery (Monday surgeries will receive your phone call on Friday.) At this time, they will notify you of your child’s estimated surgery time, the time to arrive at the facility and also about fasting guidelines.
Who will provide my child’s anesthesia during surgery?
We understand that having your child under anesthesia can be very worrisome, that is why we only work with Board Certified, Fellowship Trained Pediatric Anesthesiologists. The Pediatric Anesthesiologists we work are excellent with children and have years of experience. If your child needs surgery, we will provide more information about your child’s anesthesia providers.
How do I schedule or change my child’s surgery?
To schedule or change your child’s surgery, you will need to contact our surgery schedulers by calling our office. If anything has changed in regards to your child’s condition or insurance since the last office visit, please let us know that as well.
How soon can surgery be scheduled?
This can vary depending on several factors including: how urgent surgery is needed, the openings in your surgeon’s schedule, if any pre-operative testing or clearances are needed and also if any pre-authorizations or referrals are needed from your insurance. Our surgery schedulers will work with you and discuss the possible options and locations in scheduling surgery.
What happens if my child gets sick before surgery?
If your child starts to get an illness or fevers prior to surgery, please call our office to discuss this with our nurses. Our nurses will ask several questions and find out exactly what surgery your child is having. She will then provide you with guidance on whether your child needs to see your pediatrician or us or if surgery needs to be postponed.
What do I do if I am running late for surgery?
There are many arrangements made and staff involved for a surgical procedure so please try your best to be on time for surgery. However, we know that circumstances do come up, so we ask that you please call the surgery facility as soon as possible if you know you will be late or cannot come in for surgery.
Appointments
Do you accept new patients?
Yes, we always welcome new patients into our practice. Please see our appointments page.
How can I make or change my child’s office appointment?
Please call our main office line. Our staff will be happy to help you make or change your child’s appointment. We will work with you to try to get you an appointment that is most convenient. Please have your insurance information available when you call. We require a 24 hour notice to cancel or reschedule any scheduled appointments to avoid a $35 cancellation fee.
How long does it take to schedule an appointment?
We will try to schedule your child’s appointment as soon as possible. We have 3 surgeons and 2 different office locations with appointments available every day of the week.
What if I am running late for my child’s appointment?
We ask that you try your best to be on time, however, we know that circumstances do come up. If you know that you will be late or cannot make your appointment, please call our office as soon as possible. We will try our best to still be able to see your child, however there may be situations where we may need to reschedule the visit.
Will my child get a hearing test during the office visit?
Our office staff will ask what problem(s) your child is seeing us for. If your surgeon recommends a hearing test for that problem, we will also schedule a hearing test during the same visit. This allows only one office visit for both the hearing test and seeing the doctor.
General
Are the doctors at ENT for Children Board Certified?
Yes, We are all Board Certified, Fellowship Trained Pediatric Otolaryngologists and members of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology. All of our doctors completed a full residency in Otolaryngology (ENT) and then completed additional training specializing in Pediatric Otolaryngology. We are one of few practices in North Texas that are dedicated to exclusively practicing Pediatric ENT.
Do you test for Strep Throat in the office?
We are not equipped to test/swab for Strep Throat in our offices. If you are concerned that your child has Strep Throat, please call your pediatrician/primary care doctor or visit a nearby Urgent Care Center who will be able to perform this test.
Do you provide flu shots in the office?
No, we are not able to provide immunizations or flu shots to your child. We recommend seeing your pediatrician or primary care doctor for this service.
Do you work with any residents or trainees?
We are all Board Certified, Fellowship Trained Pediatric Otolaryngologists. Our surgeons will perform your child’s entire surgery start to finish. We do not work with any residents or trainees.
How do I get a hold my a doctor after hours or on the weekend?
To better service our established patients, we have a surgeon on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year round to answer urgent questions. Please be mindful that this service is for problems that are urgent and that cannot wait till the next business day. Please call 972-745-8400 or 817-337-3339 and follow to the instructions to reach the doctor on call.
Do you provide hearing testing?
Yes, we have 3 full time Pediatric Audiologists with several years of experience with children who perform complete hearing related services for children of all ages.
Do you sell earplugs?
Yes, we care for numerous children that need to keep their ears dry for various reasons. We do sell custom and semi-custom earplugs that are very effective to keep water out of your child’s ears. Ask your surgeon or one of our audiologists for more information.
Do you provide school/work excuse letters?
Yes, we will be able to provide an excuse letter for your visit to your child’s school or your work. Please ask for this when you check out.
Do you communicate with my child’s pediatrician or primary care physician?
Yes, we prefer to be in good communication with your child’s primary doctor. With your written permission, we will communicate our recommendations, as well as your child’s condition and/or treatment to your child’s primary doctor so that they are aware of what is happening.
I received a post card in the mail, what should I do?
We know it can be hard to remember your child’s follow up appointment if it is several months away. Thus as a convenient reminder, we will mail you a post card about 1 month prior to when your child needs to comes in. When you receive the card, just call our office to schedule your child’s follow up appointment.
Check out our conditions and treatments section for more information on common conditions and services.