General Policies

Appointments Policy

Missed Appointments: Two (2) consecutive missed appointments without proper notification will be cause for discharge from practice with advance notice.

Appointment Cancellation Policy: 24 hour notice is appreciated so other patients can be accommodated.

Well Check Ups: Two (2) consecutive missed years of well/annual check ups will be discharged from the practice with advanced notice. 

Vaccine Exception Letter

We firmly believe in the effectiveness and safety of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives. If you should absolutely refuse to vaccinate your child despite all our efforts, we will continue to accept the patient, but we will not provide vaccine exemption letters, unless it is for medical reasons. For reasons of conscience and personal, contact the Texas Department of State Health Services for the school vaccines exemption letter. Keep in mind, it may take 6 months to 1 year to receive the school vaccine exception letter back from them. 

Prescription Refill Notifications

Please contact your pharmacy and request them to send an e-prescription request to our office and it is necessary to allow 24 hours. For control substance, such as ADHD refills, a three (3) day advance notice to our office is required. ADHD scripts cannot be faxed or phoned to a pharmacy.

Returned Calls by Physician: The Doctor will return phone calls as promptly as possible. However, please remember that when you call during office hours, he is often with a patient and your call will be addressed during a break in his schedule. Most calls are returned at the end of the day. As a helpful reminder, when you call the doctor, please do so from an "unblocked" phone... otherwise he will be unable to return your call.

After Hours 

(972) 216-8500

During all closed business hours, calls will be answered by Dr. Bodavula. Triage will be able to provide you with proper care instructions.

Transfer of Medical Records

Please provide 2-week notice to ensure timely record transfer. 

To release records, patients must provide a completed medical release form or patient must come into the clinic to pick up the records. Records, including vaccine records, cannot be sent through email, as it is not HIPAA compliant. 

Dr. Bodavula is the custodian for Dr. Jain's records. Our practice keeps medical records for patients until they turn 26 years old as required by Texas Medical Board. Please collect your records from us prior to this age. 

Vaccine Records

Vaccine records can be accessed through MyChart Portal. This can be accessed on the home page by clicking "Patient Portal" and signing up for an account. Please give us a call for the activation code. Most medical records can be accessed from your phone this way. 

Otherwise, vaccine records will need to be picked up at the office. 

Payments

Co-pays are due at the time of sick visit appointments for commercial insurances and CHIP. 

Divorced/Separated Parents Policy

At Garland Pediatric Practice, our goal is to partner with parents for healthy kids. We appreciate that child(ren) with divorced or separated parents may present with unique challenges, and we require parents to work with us through those challenges. This policy was developed to avoid any misunderstandings going forward.

• The providers, medical assistants, nurses, office, and billing staff will not be put in the middle of domestic issues or disagreements over the phone or in the office.
• Please make decisions regarding appointments, vaccinations, and/or any office procedures prior to visiting our practice.
• Only in situations where there is a documented court order will one parent be denied access to the minor’s health record or visits at the office. Garland Pediatric Practice must have a copy of the court order on file in the minor’s electronic medical record.
• It is both parents’ responsibility to communicate with each other about the patient’s care, office visit dates, and any other pertinent information relevant to the patient. It is not the responsibility of Garland Pediatric Practice to communicate visit information to each custodial parent separately.
• Our providers will not call the other parent prior to an appointment to gain consent regarding appointments scheduled, nor will they take a call from the other parent following an appointment. We will not restrict either parent’s involvement in the patient’s care unless authorized by law; however, we also will not duplicate information delivery unless directed by law.
• We will send reminders of upcoming appointments by text and/or phone call. We can send this reminder to only the primary phone number listed on the patient’s account. The parent or guardian that completes and signs our new patient packet will be the chart guarantor and therefore receive these reminders. 
• All copays, deductibles, coinsurances, and any other fees are due at the time of the visit and are the responsibility of the parent accompanying the patient to the appointment. If there is an arrangement between the parents about split payment, it is the responsibility of the parent attending the appointment to collect from the other parent.

Should the issues that come between parents become disruptive to our practice or there is non-compliance with this policy, we reserve the right to discharge the family from our practice.