FAQs

A child plays doctor to Physician Assistant Brian Mills heart

Appointments

What if I’m not sure whether I need a same day appointment or not?

If you call our main number (503-364-2181) and ask for a triage nurse, they will ask you a variety of questions to gather information about your child’s symptoms.  Once they have the information needed they may be able to give you some home care advice along with symptoms to watch for and when to call back to schedule an appointment if needed.

What should I expect at my BHC Appointment?

Your BHC may ask you/your child specific questions about your child’s physical symptoms, emotional concerns, behaviors, or other factors associated with presenting issues and how these factors may be related. Together, you and your BHC will make a plan to assist with improvement tailored to you/your child’s specific concerns. This may include but is not limited to, recommendations made by your health care team, referrals to other providers/specialists or additional interventions.

Financial Policy

How do I make a payment?

Childhood Health Associates of Salem accepts cash, personal checks (in-state only), money orders, VISA, and MasterCard. Payments can also be made online via our secure patient portal once an online account is created.

Forms

Authorization to request/disclose medical information
Foster Parent Registration
Medical History Form
Notice of Privacy Practices
Share information with parents, school, counselor, or family members
To request information from previous provider

Insurance

Do you accept secondary insurance?

We do bill secondary insurance companies with whom we have a current contract. While we contract with most area insurance plans, there exists no mechanism for us to bill plans with whom we do not contract. You will be asked to sign a waiver agreeing to payment of accrued charges if your child has a non-contracted insurance as secondary insurance.

Do you accept third-party insurance?

Patients involved in a motor vehicle accident or similar situation should provide information regarding the responsible insurance so that we may bill that insurance as a courtesy. We will need the insurance name, mailing address, phone number, and the claim number in order to provider this service. Failure to submit this information to us prior to the office visit may result in charges to the patient’s account.

Do you bill my insurance directly?

You are responsible to inform us of updated and accurate insurance information for us to properly bill insurance on your behalf. Insurance information must be updated for each patient in the family as each patient has a separate account.

We bill participating insurance companies as a courtesy to you. You are required to pay your co-payments at the time of service. If we have not received payment from your insurance company within 45 days of the date of service, you may be expected to pay the balance in full. You are responsible to be sure all charges are paid, whether by you or by your insurance carrier.

What if I don’t have insurance?

Patients not covered by insurance are considered “self pay” and are required to make a minimum payment on their account at the time of service unless other arrangements have been made. If you are not covered by insurance, please contact our billing department as soon as possible to make arrangements for a payment plan.  Discounts for essential services are offered to uninsured patients depending on family size and income. Uninsured patients may apply for a discount by inquiring at the front desk or by speaking with our billing department. Discounts must be approved prior to services in order to receive the discount.

Parent Advisory Board

Do you have a parent advisory board?

Yes, we do have a parent advisory board and love parent involvement.

Darci Brosnan
Parent Advisory Group Leader

WE ARE… a group of parents with children cared for by the providers of Childhood Health Associates of Salem.

WHO ARE UNITED IN… wanting the best care for all children and families cared for by providers at Childhood Health Associates of Salem.

TO ACCOMPLISH THIS… we will advise clinic leadership regarding the needs and priorities of families and patients of Childhood Associates of Salem. We will partner with them for continuous quality improvement within the clinic.

WE KNOW WE ARE HAVING AN IMPACT WHEN… we hear feedback from clinic leadership regarding our input and we see positive changes in the care provided by Childhood Health Associates of Salem.

If you are interested in being a part of the parent advisory board, please contact darciatchaos@gmail.com.

Resources

What is a good resource for children’s health information?

Urgent Health Care

How do I schedule a same-day urgent appointment?

If you call our main number (503-364-2181) and ask for a triage nurse, they will ask you a variety of questions to gather information about your child’s symptoms.  Once they have the information needed they can schedule an appointment.

What do I do if the office is closed?

We have advice nurses available during office hours as well as after hours.  You can reach a nurse by calling our main line (503-364-2181); if it is after 5pm, our answering service will take a message and have our after hours advice nurse call you back to help assess your child’s symptoms and answer any questions you might have.  There is also access to one of our doctors 24 hrs a day if needed.

Why do I need to speak with a triage nurse to schedule a same-day urgent appointment?

Our triage nurses will help determine how soon your child needs to be seen based on the severity of symptoms they are experiencing.  In rare cases you may be referred to the emergency room or urgent care if your child needs to be seen sooner than our next available appointment is available.