Frequently Asked Questions
How many years have you been in practice?
- Dr. Payal Patel has been in practice for 15 years; Dr. Saumeel Mehta has been in practice for 12 years.
What are your office hours?
- Hours
- Monday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
- Tuesday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
- Wednesday: 8:00am – 6:00pm
- Thursday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
- Friday: 8:00am – 6:00pm
- Saturday: –
- sunday: –
- After Hours/Urgent
- Monday: 5:00pm – 8:00pm
- Tuesday: 5:00pm – 8:00pm
- Wednesday: –
- Thursday: 5:00pm – 8:00pm
- Friday: –
- Saturday: 10:00am – 2:00pm
- sunday: –
Are you accepting new patients?
- Yes, we are accepting new patients.All patients are to comply with the CDC guidelines regarding the vaccine schedule.
Can I set up a consult with a doctor (meet and greet) before making my decision to join the practice?
- Yes, we offer this service free of charge. We encourage that you do this so you can see the office, and also meet one of the doctors to address any questions or concerns you may have prior to having your baby or joining the practice in general.
Do you accept walk-ins?
- Although we accept walk-ins, we do prefer to schedule an appointment even if it is the same day appointment to avoid long waits for our patients.
How long can my child continue receiving care from you?
- Your child can receive care from us from the time they are born till they turn 21 yrs old.
Do you have separate sick and well-waiting rooms?
- Yes, we do have separate sick and well rooms.
At which hospitals will you see my child?
- We do not come to the hospital. The reason is so we are able to provide comprehensive care at the office without any time constraints, but we do admit under the pediatric hospitalists and continue to follow up with them and after that at our office.
What if I would like to continue only one of the providers at the practice?
- We understand that they may be differing views on some aspects of care for your child, but we as providers at Sunshine Pediatrics do try to practice the same way. We do offer continuity at well visits if you wish, and we do try and sometimes are unable to guarantee this during a sick visit since we are trying to accommodate best your schedule.
How do I contact you for advice or questions?
- We are available during the day through our office number. You will speak to the front desk who will send us a message, and we will call you back as soon as possible.
What if I have a question after-hours?
- After hours you can call the office number and will be connected to our answering service, who will send us a message to be called back by one of the (either Dr. Patel or Dr. Mehta) on call.
What is your policy on antibiotics (a medicine used to treat bacterial infections)?
- Most illnesses in children are due to a virus (not treated with antibiotics). Due to the increasing antibiotic resistance of bacteria, we try not to prescribe antibiotics if we believe your child has a virus. However, the age of your child and the seriousness of the illness may influence our decision regarding the prescribing of an antibiotic. Antibiotics are not prescribed after hours or over the phone.
What is your vaccination policy?
- We do believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives and want to see that all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
- We believe, based on all available literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities. Vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health-promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you can perform as parents/caregivers. The recommended vaccines and their administration schedule are the results of years and years of scientific study and data gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians. We want to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We recognize that the choice may be a very emotional and difficult one for some parents, and we are more than willing to assist you in this process.
- However, should you have doubts, please discuss these with us in advance or at your visit. We don’t mind altering the schedule to accommodate parental concerns or reservations. Please be advised, however, that delaying or breaking up the vaccines to give one or two at a time over two or more visits goes against expert recommendations, and can put your child at risk for serious illness (or even death) and goes against our medical advice as providers for your child.
- We no longer accept patients whom do not vaccinate. If you have an additional child that is established at our facility and is compliant, please view our vaccine policy under office policies.