Frequently Asked Questions

We are open Monday through Friday with evening and weekend appointments available in our Woolwich office. As our daily schedule is subject to change, please call to confirm office hours.

Yes, we welcome new patients. We encourage you to visit our office during regular hours to tour our state-of-the-art facility and meet our support staff. If you would like to speak with a doctor during your visit, please schedule an appointment.

Advocare participates with most major insurance plans. As participation varies by region, specialty, and physician, we recommend that you contact either our office or your insurance company representative to verify that your insurance plan is accepted.

Our doctors are available 24 hours a day. Call the office at our Woolwich location (856) 241-2111 or our Carneys Point location at (856)895-4040 and follow the prompts to page a provider on call. Please be aware that after-hours calls are intended for urgent medical issues that cannot wait until the next business day. After hours, emergency phone calls are given high priority. For non-emergency questions, please call during regular office hours. Referrals, prescription refills, and appointment requests will not be addressed after regular office hours. Pages are typically returned within 15 minutes. Please call back if you have not received a timely response.

IN THE EVENT OF A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY, CALL 911.

Yes, every effort is made to arrange your child's well care and follow up visits with the physician of your choice. When your child is ill, he or she may see any one of our available physicians.

Our routine health maintenance visit schedule follows the of American Academy P ediatrics vaccine guideline for children.

To help protect your child from many serious infectious diseases, we follow the immunization schedule recommended by the  American Academy of Pediatrics. Please discuss your immunization questions and concerns with any of our pediatricians.

For non-urgent referrals:   when one of our doctors refers you to a specialist, please schedule your appointment with the specialist, then call our office within five business days of your appointment. Your referral will be available within 72 hours. Most referrals are completed electronically and submitted directly to the specialist's office. Please check with our office staff to determine if your insurance plan processes referrals electronically.

For urgent referrals:   when one of our doctors determines that you need an urgent referral, your referral will be initiated immediately. Please remain in our office while your referral is processed, then proceed to your specialist.

We will call you to report any lab results. The doctor will address results promptly. You are welcome to call our office to request a copy of your results.

Please call us during regular office hours to request refills. Allow one business day for all routine prescription refills. For prescriptions that require prior authorization from your insurance company, please plan ahead to allow at least three to five days for refill approval. For prescriptions of controlled substances, like ADHD medications, please call before coming to the office to pick up the prescription.

Yes, we promote breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding babies for the first six months. Breastfeeding helps defend children against infections, prevents allergies, and protects against a number of chronic conditions. While experts believe that breast milk is the best nutritional choice for infants, breastfeeding may not be possible for all women. Some women have specific medical considerations that impede breastfeeding; others choose to feed by formula because of discomfort, work schedule, or lifestyle choices. In these cases, an iron-fortified infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your child's well care visit, or please call during office hours to speak with our experienced nursing staff.

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office within the first several days after discharge from the hospital. Our staff understands the importance of this first visit and will make every effort to schedule this visit promptly.

As all children are different, we advise following several appropriate steps to advance your child's diet based on age and development. Please discuss these steps with our providers at your well care visit.

Children all develop on their own time; however, there is a normal range they should follow.

Developmental screening is done at each well visit in the first four years of life. If you are concerned about your child's development between these visits, please make an appointment to discuss your concerns with a doctor.

In order to allow time for us to address all of the areas that must be reviewed during a well visit or physical exam, you must schedule an appointment for your child's physical examination. To give your child the appropriate attention, physicals are performed only during scheduled appointments.

There is a policy in place regarding the renewal of medication via phone. Please see this FAQ regarding the process to renew existing medications.

We feel STRONGLY that the best care is rendered in person. Therefore, under no circumstances will a new medication be prescribed in the absence of an office visit. A thorough history and physical examination will enable your physician to assess and formulate a differential diagnosis. He/she will than be able to put a care plan in place.

There is no fee associated w/ the completion of a health care/related form at the time of the scheduled office visit (i.e. Day Care Form-School Physical/Clearence Form-Drivers Permit Form-Etc).

Any form submitted after the time of the scheduled visit will be subject to a $7.00 charge as clinicians are expected to review the chart-update all relevant data and transcribe/complete the form accordingly.