Forms & Policies
Access important forms, policies, and patient information in one convenient place. We encourage you to review these documents to better understand your visit, billing, and care experience with Sweetgrass Pediatrics.
PATIENT FORMS
Access forms designed to support your child’s care.
Download or review them anytime at your convenience. We take the privacy and security of our patients information very seriously, which is why forms containing personal health information (PHI) cannot be submitted through unsecured channels.
POLICIES
Ensure a smooth and informed care experience.
At Sweetgrass Pediatrics, we want you to feel informed and confident in your child’s care. Below are the policies that guide how we partner with families. Our policies help outline what you can expect from us and what we ask of our families. By joining our practice, families agree to these guidelines, which you can review here anytime or request in the office.
Key Policy Summaries
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Vaccine Policy
Due to the potential exposure unvaccinated children bring to our other patients and our practices in general, we strongly advise that our patients become fully vaccinated prior to their second birthday. Patients who are immunocompromised will meet with our physicians to determine the best course of action based on their specific needs. Refusal of any vaccine outside of the recommendation of the CDC will require the parent/guardian to sign a vaccination declination form. Refusal to sign this form will result in dismissal from the practice.
We report all immunizations to the SC Immunization Registry. The statute established the Immunization Registry Regulation 61-120 may be found in SC Code Section 44-29-40(B).
The information provided here is a summary for convenience. Please refer to the full policy document for complete details, which constitutes the official and most current version of our practice policies.
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Tardiness and No-Show Policy
We respect our patients’ time and work hard to run our schedule efficiently. Our workflow is heavily dependent on our patients arriving on time for their appointments. As a courtesy, we provide appointment reminders which are sent to the demographic information that we have on file for the patient. Patients may also access their upcoming appointments in the healow app or on the patient portal. Patients should make every attempt to arrive on time to their appointment, however, we know that incidents may occur that would prevent timely attendance. For this reason, we offer a 15-minute grace period within which a patient may check in to their appointment without penalty.
If a patient arrives after that grace period, the appointment status will be changed to a “no-show”. If the patient no-shows a scheduled sick or injury appointment, we will make every effort to work the patient back into the schedule for the same day, with no guarantee that the new appointment will be within a certain amount of time of or with the same provider as the original appointment. If the patient no-shows a scheduled well check appointment, you will be asked to reschedule to another date and time.
Missed appointments come at a cost to us and to other patients who could have been seen in the time set aside for you. Patients with more than 2 no-show appointments within a 12-month period will be discharged from our practice. We will continue to see the patient for up to 30 days from the dismissal letter date to allow them time to find a new medical home.
Patients may cancel or reschedule their appointment prior to the appointment date and time, which will not be counted as a no-show appointment. A 24-hour cancellation for appointments is appreciated.
The information provided here is a summary for convenience. Please refer to the full policy document for complete details, which constitutes the official and most current version of our practice policies.
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Release / Search of Medical Records
A Medical Records Release form must be completed to receive a copy of the patient’s medical records. Please allow up to 30 days for medical records to be released and please note that there may be a charge for this service. Biological parents have equal right to access their child’s records. In cases of divorce or separation, we cannot keep information away from either party unless we have specific court documents stating this.
The practice may search patient medical records to assist with clinical trial recruitment activities.
The information provided here is a summary for convenience. Please refer to the full policy document for complete details, which constitutes the official and most current version of our practice policies.
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Custodial Situations
Our practice is dedicated to providing the highest quality of care to you and/or your child(ren). We are required to follow all applicable federal and state laws as they pertain to parental rights. Only in situations where there is a confirmed, documented Court Order will a parent be denied access to the minor child(ren)’s health records or visits at our office. We must have a copy of this Court Order on file. If there is no Court Order on file, either parent or legal guardian will be authorized to sign forms, request records, be present at an appointment, and consent to treatment. We will not be involved in any disputes regarding named individuals on consent forms unless instructed by the court.
Please make decisions regarding appointments, treatment and vaccinations prior to visiting our practice. It is both parents’ responsibility to communicate with each other about the patients’ care, appointments and any other pertinent information. It is not the responsibility of the Practice to communicate to each custodial parent separately. We will not notify a parent of any appointments scheduled by the other.
It is our policy to collect payment at the time of service from the parent, guardian or caretaker who brings a child in for an appointment. Financial obligations must be arranged prior to the appointment.
Our providers do not issue statements regarding their personal opinions. We do not issue affidavits for court at parental request. We do not provide IRS letters for custody, name or other verifications.
If we feel that any of the above-mentioned items are not being followed, or otherwise become an obstacle to properly care for your child(ren), we reserve the right to discharge the family from the practice.
The information provided here is a summary for convenience. Please refer to the full policy document for complete details, which constitutes the official and most current version of our practice policies.
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Age of Consent
In South Carolina, the law states that a minor 16 years or older can consent to any health services provided by a healthcare provider for themselves; consent of no other person is required, including the parent. At the age of 16, a child also has the option to sign their own HIPAA form and include or exclude whomever they choose. Parents can and should discuss this issue with their teen. At the age of 18, a patient is considered an adult and will be required to complete and sign all patient paperwork. Disclosure of any protected health information will be at the patient’s discretion.
The information provided here is a summary for convenience. Please refer to the full policy document for complete details, which constitutes the official and most current version of our practice policies.