Frequently Asked Questions

Our office is open Monday through Friday. As our daily schedule is subject to change, please call to confirm office hours.

Yes, we welcome new patient

Advocare participates with most major insurance plans. As participation varies by region, specialty, and physician, we recommend that you contact either our office or your insurance company representative to verify that your insurance plan is accepted.

Our medical providers are available 24 hours a day. After office hours, call our answering service at (973) 474-5688 to page a provider on call. Please be aware that after-hours calls are intended for urgent medical issues that cannot wait until the next business day. Referral and appointment requests will not be addressed via pager. Pages are typically returned within 15 minutes. Please call back if you have not received a timely response.

IN THE EVENT OF A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY, CALL 911.

Every effort is made to arrange your well care and follow up visits with the physician of your choice. When you or a family member is ill, he or she may see any one of our physicians.

The American Medical Association recommends annual "well" visits. A well visit may be a checkup or a complete exam, and provides an opportunity for you to ask questions and learn more about various health issues. Your health care provider may also order important age-appropriate screenings at this time. Periodic follow-up visits are also recommended for patients who have chronic health conditions.

Our routine health maintenance visit schedule follows the American Academy of Pediatrics vaccine guideline for children.

To help protect your child from many serious infectious diseases, we follow the immunization schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Please discuss your immunization questions and concerns with any of our pediatricians.

For non-urgent referrals: when one of our doctors refers you or a family member to a specialist, please schedule your appointment with the specialist, then call our office within five business days of your appointment. Your referral will be available within 72 hours. Most referrals are completed electronically and submitted directly to the specialist’s office. Please check with our office staff to determine if your insurance plan processes referrals electronically.

For urgent referrals: when one of our doctors determines that you need an urgent referral, your referral will be initiated immediately. Please remain in our office while your referral is processed, then proceed to your specialist.

You will receive a call quickly with any lab results that require urgent attention. We will call you with normal and abnormal lab results. Abnormal results will be addressed promptly by the provider that ordered the labs or tests. You are welcome to call our office to request a copy of your results.

Please request your prescription refill during your appointment and allow one business day for all routine refills. If you run out of one of your maintenance medications in between appointments, you may request a prescription refill through your pharmacy or call the office. For prescriptions that require prior authorization from your insurance company, please plan ahead to allow at least three to five days for refill approval. Prescription refills for controlled substances such as pain medications are refilled Monday through Friday only.

Yes, we promote breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding babies for the first six months. Breastfeeding helps defend children against infections, prevents allergies, and protects against a number of chronic conditions. While experts believe that breast milk is the best nutritional choice for infants, breastfeeding may not be possible for all women. Some women have specific medical considerations that impede breastfeeding; others choose to feed by formula because of discomfort, work schedule, or lifestyle choices. In these cases, infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your well care visit, or please call during office hours to speak with our experienced nursing staff.

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office the first week after discharge from the hospital. Our staff understands the importance of this first visit and will make every effort to schedule this visit promptly.

As all children are different, we advise following several appropriate steps to advance your child's diet based on age and development. Please discuss these steps with our providers at your well care visit.