When are you open?
Monday – Friday 8:30AM–5PM, both locations.
Saturday 8:30–10:30AM in Caseyville (closed during the summer and holiday weekends). On any given Saturday we may extend our phone service and office hours based upon demand that day, but to ensure that you are able to reach our office on Saturdays please call during the 8:30 – 10:30AM time frame.
How do we reach you after hours?
If you have an urgent medical question about your child when the office is closed please call our St. Louis Children’s After Hours Exchange at 888-307-6562. They will be glad to triage your call and answer any questions you may have. In addition, they will always contact us if they have concerns and/or at your request.
You may also access our office via our online Patient Portal to submit non-urgent medical questions (reviewed during normal business hours), appointment requests, medication refill requests, and online payments in a secure manner. 24 hours per day.
Are you Board certified?
Yes! Drs. Eberhart, McGranahan and Wagner as well as PNPs Foehrkalb, Herkenhoff and Hill all continuously maintain board certification in General Pediatrics.
What services do you offer?
We offer a full range of well child and preventive medicine services, including all immunizations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
In addition, we see and treat children for a wide range of common as well as complicated acute illnesses (e.g. fever, ear infections, viral colds, strep throat, pneumonia, influenza, RSV/bronchiolitis, asthma flares, allergies, rashes, eczema, skin infections, cellulitis, etc.) and minor injuries (sprains, superficial lacerations).
We manage and co-manage (with specialist consultation) many chronic conditions, including asthma, allergies, developmental/behavioral conditions (ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, anxiety, depression, OCD), prematurity/NICU grads, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, neurofibromatosis, and much more.
We perform a number of procedures in the office, including: all standard childhood immunizations; developmental screening; nebulizer (“breathing”) treatments; rapid diagnostic testing (strep, influenza, screening hemoglobin, lipid panel, blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c); incision and drainage of skin abscesses; minor wound closure (tissue adhesive); suture/staple removal; ear wax removal; minor foreign body removal; antibiotic injections; freezing of warts and other related skin lesions; and ear piercing (age 3 years and up). We also offer blood draw and bladder catheterization services.
What insurance plans do you accept?
Most private health insurance plans, including UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, Healthlink, etc..
Illinois Public Aid: All Kids, Meridian, Molina, Blue Cross, Aetna and Youth Care Medicaid plans.
Tricare (including PRIME).
IMPORTANT:
Health care can sometimes be a great financial burden on our families. We are committed to working with everyone to ensure that all children have access to great health care in our medical “home” while minimizing the financial burden. Please bring any concerns to us and we will address them discreetly and compassionately.
Do I need to present my insurance card at every visit?
Yes. Please be mindful of the fact that parents/family members are required to present health insurance cards and proof of identification at each visit.
While it may not be so convenient, it is important for our office to be able to follow both the law and also abide by our insurance contracts: we need to be able to verify identity and insurance coverage. This protects patient privacy and protected health information as well as identifies any important changes in insurance coverage for our patients.
Thanks!
What should I expect when I contact the office about my child?
Calls to our practice are answered on site by caring staff who work directly with our doctors and who see you when you come to visit us. We do not use centralized, corporate phone banks.
When you call our office you may expect that your call will be answered in a timely manner and that your concerns about your child will be evaluated thoroughly. All answers to clinical questions (sick child, medical questions, etc.) are answered exclusively by a physician or nurse practitioner and relayed back to you by our staff members. We strive to respond to all questions within 2 hours, but it is often much faster.
In certain situations the physicians or NPs themselves may wish to speak to you about a more private or complicated matter; this is often accomplished after office hours, but can be arranged at other times if needed.
IMPORTANT:
If you have a medical emergency then it is best to call 911 and/or proceed directly to the nearest emergency department (ED). We will then be notified by the treating hospital of your child’s condition, treatment, and if he or she is admitted for further care. If needed, we will also be able to assist the treating team with detailed medical knowledge about your child’s history or condition.
Where can I see the well child & immunization schedule?
We use the Well Child visit and Immunization schedules recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). You may download a copy of this schedule from our Downloads page.
What is your position on vaccines?
We strongly support the use of childhood vaccines. The routine, universal immunization of children worldwide has reduced the death and disability from vaccine-preventable disease on an almost unimaginable scale: literally millions of lives have been saved and untold suffering averted through their use. Immunization is arguably the most important advance in public health in all of human history.
Q: “But what about all of the concerns about the safety of vaccines we hear about in the media and on the internet?”
A: Our support for vaccines comes from solid research, history and experience. While it is true that no medication or medical treatment is without risk, it is equally clear that all of the available credible evidence indicates that vaccines are both safe and effective. Many well-designed studies took place in the wake of allegations by Dr. Andrew Wakefield in the early 1990s that the MMR vaccine was a cause for autism. None of dozens of subsequent studies has shown any link at all between any vaccine and development of autism. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and many leading medical schools and universities have reviewed the data and are in complete agreement. In addition, the original work by Dr. Wakefield et al. has been thoroughly discredited: there were many serious errors in his work and there were also massive conflicts of interest—a major source of his research funding came from trial attorneys who stood to profit from lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers and he was considering developing and marketing a “safer” alternative MMR vaccine. These plans dissolved along with his reputation and his license to practice medicine in the United Kingdom.
There have also been concerns raised about a mercury-containing vaccine preservative called thimerosal. There have been many allegations made about this ingredient, including that it was the cause for autism and a variety of other side effects. However, in the years since this ingredient has been removed from all routine childhood immunizations the autism rate has remained unchanged.
We are always happy to discuss the topic of vaccines with parents and answer any questions on this most important topic.
Do you offer prenatal visits?
Yes. Prenatal visits are an excellent opportunity to meet with one of the pediatricians, ask questions, and tour the office. We look forward to seeing you!
How can we offer feedback or suggestions?
If you have questions, comments or suggestions regarding your experience at A to Z Pediatrics, please share them with us via our feedback page. Thank you!