Divorced or Separated Parents Guideline

Our focus is your child’s health, safety, and well-being. We understand shared custody and complex family situations can be stressful. Our goal is to ensure every child receives appropriate care while maintaining clear communication, protecting patient privacy, and avoiding involvement in family disputes.

The guidelines below explain what you can expect from our practice and what we ask of parents and legal guardians. By working together and respecting these expectations, we can maintain a calm, safe, and supportive environment for every child.

Our Expectations

• Any parent or legal guardian who maintains legal decision-making authority for a minor child may:
  • Schedule appointments.
  • Be present for visits.
  • Obtain a copy of the visit summary.
• We will only deny a parent access to a minor’s health records or office visits if:
  • A court order limiting parental rights is on file with our office, or
  • Access is restricted by applicable law.
• Any parent or legal guardian with legal decision-making authority may sign a Consent to Treat form, unless prohibited by a court order or applicable law. This form allows designated individuals (such as grandparents, nannies, or stepparents) to:
  • Bring the child to our practice.
  • Be present during the visit.
  • Consent to treatment other than immunizations if the parent or legal guardian cannot be reached.
• We will not become involved in family disagreements, whether in our office or over the phone.
• We will not contact the other parent to obtain consent for an appointment already scheduled and approved by one parent.
• We will send appointment reminders by text message and/or phone call to one primary phone number listed on the patient’s account.
• We will not take responsibility for communicating visit details separately to each parent. However, we will provide access to a child’s medical information to any parent with legal decision-making authority unless a court order on file or applicable law prohibits access.

Guardians’ and Parents’ Responsibilities

• Parents or legal guardians are responsible for communicating with each other regarding:
  • The child’s medical care.
  • Appointment dates.
  • Any other information relevant to the child’s treatment.
• Parents or legal guardians must make decisions regarding appointments, vaccinations, and office procedures before arriving at the practice.
• Parents or legal guardians must decide which single phone number will be designated to receive communications from our office. Our systems cannot send duplicate appointment reminders.
• All copays, deductibles, and fees are due in full at the time of the visit and are the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian who brings the child to the appointment.
  • If parents or legal guardians have a private agreement to split costs, or if a divorce decree requires one parent to pay all or part of the cost, the parent or legal guardian attending the visit remains responsible for payment and for collecting reimbursement from the other parent.

Practice Discretion

We reserve the right to discharge a family from our practice if parental disputes become disruptive to our operations or if there is non-compliance with this guideline.