The Children’s Clinic
The Children’s Clinic of Jonesboro was founded by Dr. Charles Kemp in 1959 and is one of the most longstanding pediatric clinics in the state of Arkansas. Over the years, the clinic has constantly grown and evolved to better meet the needs of the families we serve. For some time, we have offered extended evening and weekend hours to accommodate children’s urgent health care needs. In addition, a “special needs” clinic was established for children with disabilities and complex medical problems.
The Children’s Clinic has grown to a 16,200 square foot facility, with a medical staff of seven board-certified pediatricians, five advanced practice nurses, and a support staff of over fifty. Our clinic is specifically designed for children and adolescents and includes a separate wellness center and a research division.
We see approximately 40,000 patient visits a year in addition to attending to the newborn nursery, pediatric ward, and emergency department at St. Bernards Medical Center. We also interact continuously with Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
Our purpose statement
We are committed to protecting and promoting the growth, development and health of all children – is displayed in our patient waiting room. This is not merely a statement. The physicians and staff at The Children’s Clinic strive to meet those goals every day. We are honored to be the medical home to a great number of young people and would be pleased to serve your children’s needs.
OUR PROVIDERS
The Children’s Clinic has grown to a 16,200 square foot facility, with a medical staff of seven board-certified pediatricians, five advanced practice nurses, and a support staff of over fifty.
Meet Our ProvidersOUR SERVICES
- Wellness Visits
- Immunizations
- Walk-In Clinic
- Prenatal Visits
- Newborn Visits
- Hospital Visits
- Circumcisions
- Lab
- X-ray
- Sports Physicals
- Nutrition Information
Appointments Monday – Friday
Patients are seen from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm by appointment. Call 870-935-6012 to schedule your appointment.
Walk-In Clinic – No Appointment Needed
We are proud to offer walk-in care for all of our established patients who need to be seen for sudden illnesses or minor emergencies. No appointment is necessary! Open daily from 8 am to 5 pm Monday–Friday and on Saturdays from 9 am to 12 pm. Doors will lock promptly at 5 pm on Monday – Friday and 12 pm on Saturday.
Inclement Weather Policy
THE SAFETY OF OUR PATIENTS, STAFF, AND PROVIDERS ALWAYS COME FIRST!
The Children’s Clinic rarely closes completely during inclement weather. We evaluate the roads at 6:30 am the morning of and decide on clinic hours.
Our Walk-in Clinic will be open during the clinic hours for that day. If your provider is unable to make the drive, you may be seen in our Walk-in Clinic.
Please watch our facebook page for special hours.
SPECIALTY HOURS
NURSE & LAB APPOINTMENTS
Nurse and Lab appointments can be made Monday – Friday from 8 am to 4:30 pm. Please call ahead for an appointment.
AFTER-HOURS
Calls are answered by our answering service and forwarded to a pediatric RN at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. If our physician is needed, they will contact them. All refill requests need to be made during normal office hours. Please note: The Children’s Clinic does not give referrals to urgent treatment centers or walk-in clinics.
EMERGENCIES
In the case of an emergency, always call 911.
The Children’s Clinic of Jonesboro was founded by Dr. Charles Kemp in 1959 and is one of the most longstanding pediatric clinics in the state of Arkansas. Over the years, the clinic has constantly grown and evolved to better meet the needs of the families we serve. For some time, we have offered extended evening and weekend hours to accommodate children’s urgent health care needs. In addition, a “special needs” clinic was established for children with disabilities and complex medical problems.
The Children’s Clinic has grown to a 16,200 square foot facility, with a medical staff of seven board-certified pediatricians, five advanced practice nurses, and a support staff of over fifty. Our clinic is specifically designed for children and adolescents and includes a separate wellness center and a research division.
We see approximately 40,000 patient visits a year for well-child checks and acute sick visits. We also interact continuously with Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
Our purpose statement -We are committed to protecting and promoting the growth, development, and health of all children – is displayed in our patient waiting room. This is not merely a statement. The physicians and staff at The Children’s Clinic strive to meet those goals every day. We are honored to be the medical home to a great number of young people and would be pleased to serve your children’s needs.
Our goal is to provide quality medical care in a timely manner. In order to do so, we have had to implement an appointment/cancellation policy.
Cancellation/Rescheduling of an Appointment
In order to be respectful to all our patients, please call our office promptly if you are unable to keep an appointment. We require at least 2 hours’ notice so your appointment can be given to someone else. Our operators take calls 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and we will be closed at 12-1 p.m. for lunch.
Late cancellations will be considered a “no show”.
“No Show” Policy for Regular Appointments
A “no show” is when a patient misses an appointment without canceling 2 hours in advance or fails to arrive at the time of a scheduled appointment. Both of these will be recorded in the patient’s chart as a “no show”.
The first and second time there is a “no show”, the patient will be notified by mail and/or messenger.
The third no-show will result in the patient being permanently dismissed from our practice.
An open letter to all our valued families:
The providers of The Children’s Clinic care deeply about the health and safety of the children in our care. One of the most vital steps in keeping them healthy is to be current with their childhood vaccines. Our clinic follows the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by encouraging our patients to be immunized according to their published schedule.
Unvaccinated children are at higher risk for becoming ill with a host of preventable diseases that can have very serious and sometimes devastating consequences. In addition, unvaccinated children can potentially spread a preventable disease to another child who may be too young to be vaccinated or whose medical condition prevents them from receiving immunizations. The vaccines our children receive have each been thoroughly tested for safety and effectiveness and we have given them to our own children.
With those important issues in mind, and for the safety of all the children in our care, we are providing our families with The Children’s Clinic’s policy statement regarding vaccine status:
Effective immediately, The Children’s Clinic will no longer accept new patients who are unvaccinated or on an alternative vaccine schedule. Parents of unvaccinated children ALREADY IN OUR CARE, will be provided a 30 days’ notice in which to enroll with a different primary care physician. Parents who would like to start immunizations, are encouraged to discuss catch-up immunizations for their child. In addition, we discourage adoption of alternative vaccine schedules for our patients. Parents who choose to use an alternative schedule, are asked to have vaccines completed within the recommended time ranges specified by the American Academy of Pediatrics and CDC.
We would encourage you to speak with your provider about this important matter. We will try to address any questions and concerns you may have. We will also be happy to provide you with the current AAP/CDC recommended vaccine schedule. We at The Children’s Clinic look forward to providing your children with the best possible medical care and guidance, and we value your trust and confidence.
In the case of an emergency, please call 911.
The Children’s Clinic has sick call clinic available from 8am to 9am Monday – Friday for acute care needs.
We have an on-call physician at St. Bernards Medical Center who makes rounds a week at a time.
Our clinic telephone is answered 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Starting at 5 pm on weekdays and all weekend we have nurses from Arkansas Children’s Hospital Kids Care available to answer any concerns a parent has no matter the time of night.
You should take your child to the emergency room if:
- your child has difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- your child has had a change in mental status, such as suddenly becoming unusually sleepy or difficult to rouse, disoriented, or confused
- your child has a cut in the skin that is bleeding and won’t stop
- your child has a stiff neck along with a fever; if your child has a rapid heartbeat that doesn’t slow down
- your child accidentally ingests a poisonous substance or too much medication
- your child has had more than minor head trauma.
Poison Control Center – 1-800-222-1222
This policy is executed to assure the financial resources necessary to maintain this health care practice. We strive to have a team approach to health care with the physicians, patient care staff, and the business office staff working together to provide excellent service to our patients. Our goal is to treat each patient with dignity, respect, and courtesy and to serve all of Northeast Arkansas with the highest quality health care available.
Financial Policy
Patients are responsible for full payment of services rendered at the time of service. The exceptions are patients covered by Medicaid or an insurance plan with which we have a participating agreement to accept assignment of benefits. Personal checks, Bank Debit cards, Mastercard and Visa and Discover are accepted.
Hospital Charges are due and payable with the receipt of the monthly statement. We will file the insurance claim form on all hospital charges.
The Children’s Clinic of Jonesboro, P.A. currently has a participating agreement with Medicaid, ARKids First and the following insurance companies: Blue Cross/Blue Shield, USAble, First Source, Health Advantage, and groups participating in the SHARP network and many others If you are unsure if we participate with your plan, please check your benefit manual or contact your insurance company or employer. For those patients we expect payment at time of service of any co-pay, co-insurance and deductible. We will file an insurance claim with these carriers and the insurance payment will be made to the clinic.
Our doctors are on active staff at St. Bernards Medical Center. If your insurance plan requires you to use NEA Baptist Hospital then we are probably not “in-network” for your plan. Please call your insurance company to verify which hospital is covered.
Medicaid and ARKids First patients are expected to bring their current card on the date of service. If one of our physicians is not the Primary Care Physician (PCP), a referral is required from your PCP prior to service being provided. If Medicaid shows the coverage to be inactive for the date of service, the patient is responsible for payment of that day’s charges.
Financial Counseling is available with a patient account representative if you need assistance in complying with our financial policy. We will not discontinue services to patients who make appropriate, timely, monthly payments on their account. Accounts over 150 days old may be sent to an outside agency for collections if payment arrangements have not been made with one of our account representatives. Failure to make appropriate, timely, monthly payments will result in the account being sent to an outside agency for collections and may result in dismissal from The Children’s Clinic.
Statements
BALANCES ARE DUE IN FULL UPON RECEIPT OF YOUR MONTHLY STATEMENT.
Download The Children’s Clinic Financial Policy
All payment, including copay or deductible, is expected at the time of appointment. If payment arrangements need to be made, please contact our billing department prior to appointment.
We accept the following forms of payment:
- Cash
- Credit Card (Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express)
- FLEX Card
- Debit Card
- Check
You can also make payments online.
In preparation of the arrival of your baby, there are several resources in the area. St. Bernard’s Medical Center offers Childbirth Classes as well as a Breastfeeding Resource Center. They also have a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. You will need to have a properly installed child safety seat for your automobile before leaving the hospital with your newborn. Arkansas State Police has prepared this helpful brochure on car seat safety.
The Children’s Clinic’s physicians will see your newborn after discharge from the hospital with your hospital pediatrician recommending how quickly you should be seen in clinic.
Following your discharge home, you will need to bring your newborn in for wellness visits and immunizations.
In the case of an emergency, we have after-hours calls answered by our answering service and forwarded to a pediatric RN at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. If our physician is needed, they will contact them. Please do not hesitate to call our offices at 870-935-6012.
Please refer to your Parent’s Medical Handbook provided by SHARP, inc or the resource section of this website for general information.
Can I choose which provider my child sees?
Absolutely! Many parents prefer to see the same provider or providers. From a clinic standpoint, we agree this helps provide better continuity of care for the child. Monday-Friday 9 am – 430 pm parents can schedule appointments for their child with the provider of their choice.
I placed a call for the nurse and why haven’t they called me back yet?
If a parent requests to speak to one of our nurses, the information is initially taken by our telephone operator. Then it is sent to one of our staff nurses. Understandably, our nurses get a lot of telephone calls as well as other duties in the office with assisting our providers, and sometimes telephone calls take a couple of hours to have an official response from our providers. However, if you should ever place a call to one of our nurses and not have a call back from our staff within 90 minutes, please call again!
When should my child be seen for well-visits?
Ages for routine wellness exams are as follows: newborn, 2 weeks, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, and yearly at ages 2-18 (some insurance companies vary so please check with your specific carrier).
Should I take my child to the ER?
Our clinic telephone is answered 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Starting at 5 pm on weekdays and all weekend we have nurses from Arkansas Children’s Hospital Kids Care available to answer any concerns a parent has no matter the time of night: if your child has difficulty breathing or shortness of breath; if your child has had a change in mental status, such as suddenly becoming unusually sleepy or difficult to rouse, disoriented, or confused; if your child has a cut in the skin that is bleeding and won’t stop; if your child has a stiff neck along with a fever; if your child has a rapid heartbeat that doesn’t slow down; if your child accidentally ingests a poisonous substance or too much medication; or if your child has had more than minor head trauma.
How long can I come to The Children’s Clinic?
The Children’s Clinic will see children through birth to adolescence. When a child turns 18 or graduates from high school we will recommend and help you find an adult provider.
What services do you offer in-house?
We offer digital x-ray, laboratory, EKG, spirometry, and vaccinations. We do not participate in the VFC program and ask those patients to go to their local health unit for vaccinations. We will help in this process by scheduling vaccine appointments at the health units upon request.
What if a provider outside of The Children’s Clinic wants me to have labs drawn, can I come there?
No. We refer those laboratory requests to St. Bernards Reference Lab which is located in the same building as The Children’s Clinic. It is located in Suite 202 and is open Monday – Friday from 8 am – 5 pm and no appointment is needed.
What if a provider from The Children’s Clinic wants me to have labs drawn, can I come there?
Absolutely! We ask that you schedule an appointment if it is a lab that our providers ask you to come back for. Sometimes our providers request “FASTING” labs. This is defined as a patient who cannot eat or drink anything after midnight before the labs are drawn. We accommodate this request and schedule these labs first thing in the morning.
Also, it is important that if a patient is having to have labs drawn by a venous sample (not a finger poke) that parents encourage their child to be well hydrated as this helps plump their veins up and make the whole experience go better.
Also if you are asked to bring back a urine or stool sample it is important that the specimens are refrigerated but not older than 24 hours.
Special Requests From Our Providers
Physician offices are sometimes a scary place for young children. They are often not familiar with the processes and have some stranger anxiety as well. Our staff and providers understand this and are patient and comfortable walking the children through these processes. We do ask that parents please do not threaten your child with them having to get a shot or labs drawn when they are anxious or misbehaving at an appointment. This only makes the anxiety escalate.