Continuity of Care

Your Child's Medical Home

At Grace Pediatrics, we believe that children who maintain a long-term relationship with a single pediatric practice experience better health outcomes throughout their lives. When your child has a consistent medical home, our providers develop a deep understanding of their health history, growth patterns, temperament, and unique needs.

A medical home means more than just a place to visit when your child is sick. It is a partnership between your family and our care team that ensures your child receives coordinated, comprehensive, and continuous care from infancy through adolescence.

The Risks of Fragmented Care

When children receive care from multiple unrelated facilities -- such as urgent care centers, emergency rooms, and different walk-in clinics -- their medical records become scattered. This fragmented approach to healthcare can lead to:

• Documentation gaps: Important medical history, allergy information, and medication records may not transfer between facilities, leading to incomplete information at future visits.
• Delayed diagnoses: Without a provider who knows your child's baseline health and history, subtle changes or developing conditions may go unrecognized longer than they should.
• Duplicated tests and treatments: When providers lack access to your child's recent records, they may repeat lab work, imaging, or other tests that were already performed elsewhere.
• Inconsistent follow-up: Conditions that require ongoing monitoring are best managed by a team that knows your child and can track progress over time.

Call Us First

Before seeking care at an urgent care clinic or emergency room for non-emergency concerns, we encourage you to contact Grace Pediatrics first. Our team is available during office hours to assess your child's symptoms, provide guidance over the phone, and schedule same-day appointments when needed.

For after-hours concerns that are not emergencies, call our main line at (386) 243-8474. Our on-call provider can help you determine whether your child needs immediate attention or can be safely seen at our office the next day.

For true medical emergencies, always call 911.

Coordinated Specialist Referrals

When your child needs to see a specialist, Grace Pediatrics coordinates the referral process to ensure continuity. We transfer relevant medical records to the specialist ahead of the appointment and follow up afterward to incorporate the specialist's findings into your child's ongoing care plan.

This coordinated approach ensures that every member of your child's care team is working with the same complete information, resulting in better outcomes and a smoother experience for your family.