It has been brought to our attention that there are several medical facilities that are encouraging our families to get “sports physicals” for their children, in addition to their annual wellness visits.
We wanted to take a moment to explain why this practice is concerning to us: 1. Your child’s annual wellness visit IS a sports physical; in addition to evaluating your child’s overall health, we conduct a comprehensive exam that will determine whether your child is fit to attend school and take part in sports. No additional exam is necessary. As part of your exam, we complete school and sports forms, as needed. Your annual wellness exam is covered by insurance as preventative care and should have a zero-dollar out-of-pocket cost to you.
2. If we find any areas of concern during your child’s wellness exam, we will refer you to the most appropriate specialist for testing. Please be reminded…when we order additional testing, it is performed by a third party, and we receive no remuneration whatsoever. There is absolutely no conflict-of-interest at play. When it comes to the facilities in question, however, several of our families have been put through unnecessary on-site, in-house diagnostic testing as part of their “sports physicals.” These tests incur unwarranted costs for our families and expose our children to tests that are absolutely NOT evidence-based.
3. The facilities in question are NOT staffed by board-certified pediatricians. Pediatric medicine and adult medicine are not the same. In order to ensure our children are cared for safely and appropriately, we always recommend that their care is overseen by a board-certified PEDIATRICIAN.
Remember, you are your child’s best advocate. Just because a medical professional tells you your child needs a test, procedure or medication, doesn’t mean it is in the best interest of your child. We are here to help educate and empower you to advocate on your child’s behalf.
If you have ANY questions, or need guidance, please feel free to give us a call.
