Wellness Visits:
* We see patients from newborns to 18 years old.
* The well child visits follow a standard schedule that starts from the newborn period, with several visits during the first and second year. We continue to see our patients yearly. (See Well Child exam schedule)
* Every visit has several elements. All visits include a detailed history and physical, vaccination as required, and counseling. In addition, the visits will include some or all of the following depending on age and history:
- Developmental testing
- Tuberculosis screening
- Blood testing
- Vision and hearing testing
- Dental screening and counseling
- Mood (depression) screening
* The well child visit is an opportunity to look over things and make sure everything is “ok”. During the well child visit is when we may refer for speech therapy or suspect other things (ADHD for example). That is why we encourage everybody to keep up with the recommended schedule:
<< view recommended schedule here >>.
* We have a patient portal. Patients/parents are encouraged to use it.
* Saturday appointments are offered as well at the Killeen location. ** depending on availability **
Physicals:
* Sport and school physicals are offered at discounted prices if not covered by insurance or if under/self-insured.
* Yearly physical: See Wellness visits above.
* We also see teens up to age 18 and give services that are appropriate to that age.
Immunizations/Vaccines:
* Vaccines are usually given during wellness visits.
* Providing immunization has been essential in disease prevention.
* We follow the standard approved schedule for immunizations, which can be viewed/downloaded here:
* Typically vaccinations start at 2 months old (Hepatitis B is usually started right after birth), and continue thereafter. Most of the vaccines are given during the first 4 years of life, but expect boosters and other vaccines later.
* Vaccination covers a wide variety of diseases, mostly to prevent infections. Examples are: Tetanus, Diphtheria, Whooping Cough, Polio, Meningitis, some Pneumonias, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, genital warts, etc.
* One vaccine is different from the others because it helps prevent cancer. The vaccine is the HPV vaccine. It helps prevent cervical and anal cancer, in addition to preventing genital warts. It is usually given at age 11 to prevent problems later in life.
* We always counsel about vaccines. One concern we hear, for example, is about association with autism, or fear about the multiplicity of vaccines given. There is no association found in studies between vaccines and autism, but we understand the concern that parents have about the issue.
* Common side effects are usually mild: local reactions (redness, mild swelling, and soreness), fever, rash, or aches. Most of these side effects occur within 24-48 hours and are self-limited. Some can happen in 1-2 weeks if the vaccines were for chicken pox or MMR.
* There is not much that is needed to do about mild side effects other than pain/fever reducers (e.g. Tylenol/acetaminophen)
* Vaccines can cause more serious side effects such as severe allergic reactions, but serious side effects are very rare.
* There is no benefit in delaying vaccines.
* We use combination vaccines to cut down on the number of shots. The only one we don’t use is the combination of MMR and varicella (chickenpox) because it causes more fever than the separate ones.