Pediatrics

Pediatrics is the medical care of patients from birth to age 18. PMA pediatricians provide overall medical care for infants, children and adolescents. This includes preventative care as well as diagnosis and treatment of disorders and diseases. A PMA pediatrician is concerned with the influence of disease or dysfunction on a child's development.

Walk-In Clinic

Our walk-in clinic will restart September 1st and run weekdays until Memmorial Day 2012 in our Penn Hills Office.  This is a great way to get uncomplicated problems handled before work or school.  We are available between 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM.  For more involved concerns, please make an appointment to allow adequate time to assist you.

Winter is Approaching

Winter is approaching rapidly along with cold and flu season.  Flumist and flu vaccines are now available for commercial insurances.  The vaccines for governmentally funded insurances for children under 3 is now available.  Vaccines for above 3 will be in shortly. If your child has asthma or another chronic medical condition, don't delay!  Please call for a Flu Clinic Appointment or for more information.  See office contact information below.

A Message from your Pediatrician

As your child's pediatricians, we want to provide a continuity of care. This includes your child's well care visits and acute care whenever possible. Although at times it may seem convenient to visit an acute care clinic, it can be to your child's disadvantage. It is sometimes difficult for an acute care clinic to provide optimal care without knowing your child's complete medical history. More informed recommendations and treatments can be provided when a physician has the opportunity to view past visits and has the option to follow-up with the patient either by phone or in person if they feel that child is not improving as expected. In most situations, a wait time of less than 24 hours will not pose any immediate danger. 

Here at Premier Pediatrics, we SPECIALIZE IN KIDS! We are on call to help you decide if it is appropriate to seek care immediately. In addition, for your convenience, we have a weekday walk-in clinic between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM at our Penn Hills location. No need to call for an appointment! Also, we have various evening hours available by appointment.

What should I expect a pediatrician to provide for my child?

What should I expect a pediatrician to provide for my child?

• The support and guidance in determining a healthy lifestyle for your child.
• Answers to the questions you may have for children younger than 18 year old.
• Advice and prevention for illness and injuries.
• Early and advanced care to prevent the progress of an acute illness.

Patient Information

Premier Medical Associates Pediatrics is devoted to the care of infants, children and adolescents. The physicians are certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics and belong to the medical staffs of Magee Women's, and Forbes Regional hospitals.

Each pediatrician sees his/her own patients; however, the association means that one of the physicians (not necessarily your physician) is always available to see your child.

Problems with the office or services should be communicated to the Operations Supervisor, Holly Kern, RN. You may contact her at your primary office.

Calls After Office Hours

Our physicians are on call during the evening and weekend. If you have an urgent need after office hours, call the office you visit (Penn Hills: 412-371-6414 or Harrison City: 724-744-7337). Trained staff at our answering service will contact the physician or a registered nurse at a after hours triage service, for you. Please limit these calls to "true emergencies" only.

Calls to the Office

The practice gets very busy at times, and despite numerous telephone lines into each office, it may be difficult to reach the office or you may spend time on hold. Please be patient while our receptionists work to answer your call. We value all of our patients and want to give each call the attention it requires to ensure that all requests are handled appropriately and that the health care needs of each child are met.

Office Visits

Office visits for sick and well children are by appointment only. If your child is ill and needs to be seen, you are urged to call for an appointment, rather than coming to the office unannounced.

If you have an appointment for one child, and would also like us to examine another child who has become ill, please telephone the office first. This is necessary to ensure the time is available and for courtesy to the patient who is scheduled after your child.

The usual frequency of routine office visits varies depending on your child's age. Because of more rapid changes in growth and development and the immunization schedule, visits are more frequent during infancy.

The pediatricians make every effort to stay on schedule and to see patients on time. Because of the nature of the practice, which includes emergencies and unexpected problems, the schedule may be delayed. Please be patient and try to arrive a few minutes before any scheduled appointment. If you will be late, please call the office to see if that is acceptable.

Missed Appointments

If you are unable to keep a scheduled appointment, please contact the office within 24 hrs of your appointment to reschedule another visit. If you fail to inform the office in advance of your inability to keep the appointment, you may be charged a fee of $25 billed directly to the responsible party.

Complete Medical Care

The pediatricians' goal is to help your child achieve his or her ultimate potential, leading to a full and happy childhood and adult life. This involves the periodic assessment of your child's physical and emotional health, including development. In addition, time is provided to listen, advise and guide parents as they make decisions for their child. As the physicians monitor your child's progress, they will offer guidance designed to help prevent problems from arising, or to try to manage problems that already exist. This can usually be done during the time allotted for a regular office visit. When problems are more complicated, longer consultations can be arranged to explore the particular difficulty.

Fees & Billing

The practice's fees are based on the amount of time involved in providing the service and the professional knowledge, training and responsibility involved in diagnosis and treating the problem. The physicians do their best to provide the highest quality pediatric care at a fair price.

After the child's appointment, you will be given a slip by the doctor that will itemize the services provided. The practice's policy is to request payment at that time.

If you need to arrange a payment program for unusually large bills, or if financial problems arise, please contact the billing office at (412) 457-0184.

Form Completion Fee

There is now a fee for form completion that is done other than at the time of your child’s yearly health visit. The fee is $10 for same day requests or $5 for forms needed in 2-3 days. This fee is necessary because of the time taken by staff and physicians to pull the chart, review the records and complete the form. This fee can not be billed. Patient Information Medical Disclaimer Premier Medical Associates PC offers the information on this Web site for general educational purposes only. This information should not be used for diagnosis, nor should it be considered a replacement for consultation with a healthcare professional. If you have questions or concerns about your health or the health of your child or dependant, please contact your healthcare provider immediately.