Frequently Asked Questions

Our office is open Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 3:30pm.

We accept most major insurance plans, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, United Healthcare, Ambetter Health, Community Care Plan, Key Benefit Administrators (KBA), Tricare East, and more. We also accept Medicaid plans, such as Florida Medicaid, Sunshine Health, Children's Medical Services (CMS), Humana, and United Healthcare. Please call our office to confirm if we accept your specific plan.

Please bring your child's insurance card, your driver license, any relevant medical records, immunization records, and a list of any current medications they are taking. Also, please fill and print the New Patient Registration packet and bring it to the first appointment.

Starting in infancy, your child should undergo routine well-child checks in addition to sick visits to the pediatrician. Commonly referred to as well-care visits or checkups, these regular exams offer the best chance for the doctor to monitor your child's physical and mental development, provide advice and education to parents, identify potential issues through screening tests, administer vaccinations, and build rapport. As a component of preventive pediatric treatment, well-care visits are highly advised.

Parents can voice queries and worries regarding a child's growth, conduct, diet, safety, and general well-being

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this schedule for routine well-care visits:

• 3 to 5 days
• 1 month
• 2 months
• 4 months
• 6 months
• 9 months
• 12 months
• 15 months
• 18 months
• 24 months
• 30 months
• 3 years
• 4 years
• And once every year thereafter for an annual health supervision visit that includes a physical exam as well as a developmental, behavioral, and learning assessment.

In addition to English, all our staff members speak Spanish. 

If you believe your child is in any danger or is experiencing a life threatening emergency, please call 911 immediately! 

At De La Vega Pediatrics  we make every effort to schedule appointments for sick children on the same day you call us. Please call our office early in the day, to schedule a same day appointment. All patients needing to be seen must be scheduled for an appointment. 

We are asking that patients no longer walk-in without an appointment. Walk-ins lead to increased wait times for scheduled patients. If you arrive without an appointment, we will schedule your child for the next available appointment time, or may have to ask you to return later the same day or the next day.

Please understand that long wait times can still occur due to high demand, meaning you might need to wait even with a scheduled "same-day" appointment; if you need immediate attention, you may contact us first to assess the urgency and potentially direct you to an urgent care facility instead.

There are a few situations where your healthcare provider recommends you should take your child directly to the emergency room or dial 911. These include but are not limited to: 

• difficulty breathing
• seizures
• change in mental status
• severe bleeding, severe injuries, such as a broken bone
• trauma from an accident 

Yes, we always welcome new patients at De La Vega Pediatrics. Contact our office for additional information or to request an appointment. 

A series of shots known as vaccinations are administered to kids at various ages in an effort to prevent serious and sometimes fatal childhood illnesses. The greatest method to shield your child from potentially fatal infections is to make sure they receive their vaccinations on schedule. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that immunizations have resulted in a greater than 90% reduction in infections from diseases that can be prevented by vaccination. Do not hesitate to call our office if you have any concerns about vaccines.  

We understand life happens and that sometimes you can not bring your child to our office. If you would like someone else to bring your child to De La Vega Pediatrics, please fill and print the  "Limitation- Permission to Bring Child" Form to give permission to someone else to bring the child for treatment. Whoever brings the child to our practice must be authorized and bring their identification with them.