Well Care / Immunizations
Advanced Pediatric Associates believes that routine well child care exams play an important role in keeping children healthy. Our providers look forward to getting to know children and their families better at these important visits. Well child care exams provide an opportunity for our providers to examine a child's growth and development and discuss age specific health, behavior and safety issues. These visits often include a vision screening, important lab work and routine immunizations. Our providers encourage families to bring a list of questions they have regarding their child's health and development to all well child care visits. To assist us in assessing childhood development, we will ask that families to fill out a developmental screening questionnaire for all well care visits between the ages of 4 months and 5 years. In addition, we ask that families bring their child's immunization record to be updated at these visits.
Continuity of Care and the "Medical Home"
Consistent continuity of care is important to providing your child with optimal health. The providers at Advanced Pediatrics recommending contacting our office anytime your child needs medical care or advice. Each time your child is seen for an appointment in one of our offices, or you speak with one of our nurses or the after hours service, information is integrated into your child's medical record to ensure it is complete and care is consistent. For this reason, we strongly recommend against patients seeking care (including sports physicals) at retail based health clinics or urgent care facilities, as providers at these clinics have no access to a patient's medical record or health history. For more information regarding the importance of a consistent "medical home", please visit the following link:
Importance of a "Medical Home"
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Well Child Care Schedule
Consistent with guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics, our providers recommend the following schedule for well child care (* indicates routine immunizations):
Advanced Pediatrics recommends annual well care exams beginning at age two. High school students playing sports are required by the school district to have an annual physical exam. For more information on what our providers do at each of these visits, click on the link below:
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Developmental Screening at Well Care Visits (4 months - 5 years)
Advanced Pediatrics uses the "Ages & Stages" developmental screening tools at well care visits to help monitor infant and child development. When you arrive at our office for a well care visit, our reception staff will give you an Ages & Stages Developmental Screening Questionnaire (ASQ) for you to complete. Once completed, the results will be reviewed by your provider during your well care visit. These developmental screening questionnaires are designed to provide early detection of any developmental delays, which is very important in providing optimal intervention and treatment. We ask that you arrive 10 - 15 minutes early for all well care appointments, so that you will have sufficient time to complete these important questionnaires. If you prefer, you may stop by our office in advance of your appointment and pick up a copy of the questionnaire to fill out at your convenience (prior to the date of your appointment).
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Childhood Immunizations
The providers at Advanced Pediatrics firmly believe that childhood immunizations are critically important to a child's long term health. As such, we join the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control in recommending that all children be vaccinated according to the following recommended schedules:
For patients whose insurance does not cover vaccines, the  Colorado Children's Immunization Coalition Immunization Referral List provides a list of opportunities in the community to receive vaccines at lower cost. In addition, patients with no insurance are eligible to receive vaccines (in our offices) from the State of Colorado's "Vaccines for Children "(VFC) program at a cost of $14.50 per immunization.
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Our Vaccine Policy
Prior to the creation of today's vaccines, thousands - and sometimes millions - of children became infected with diseases that resulted in lifelong disabilities or death. We firmly believe that our vaccines are safe and save lives. We also firmly believe that, based on all available literature, evidence and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities. Please read our vaccine policy statement by clicking on the link below. In order to have enough time allocated during well care visits, we request that parents schedule a separate "immunization consultation visit" if they wish to discuss concerns regarding vaccinating their child according to the recommended schedule.
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Immunization Registry
We participate in the State of Colorado's Immunization Registry, which ensures that each patient's immunization history is part of the State's data base. All immunization data is automatically transferred to the registry unless the parent "opts out" of participating. This service provides our patients ready and rapid access to their immunization information.
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Vaccine Information Statements
For information on specific childhood immunizations, please review the following Centers for Disease Control Vaccine Information Statements:
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Vaccines for Travel Abroad
Advanced Pediatrics does not provide international travel immunizations within our practice. For families traveling abroad with their children, we recommend Global Travel Health, formerly Rose Travel Medicine, or Tri-County Travel Clinic for all foreign travel vaccinations. More information regarding international travel health and safety can be found at CDC Travel Information.
Global Travel Health
4545 E 9th Ave, Suite 120
Denver, CO 80220
303-468-6986 Tri-County Health Department
15400 E 14th Pl
Aurora, CO 80011
303-451-0123
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Recommended Immunization Resources
For more information on vaccine safety, please consult the resources listed below.
Articles
Another Study Finds No MMR-Autism Link - Reuters 1/09
Frequently Asked Questions about Multiple Vaccines and the Immunization System, Centers for Disease Control10/07
Letter from Jay E. Berkelhamer, MD, FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics
No Link to Autism, Rocky Mountain News 3/08
What Would Happen If We Stopped Vaccinations, Centers for Disease Control 6/07
Books
Immunizations & Infectious Diseases: An Informed Parent's Guide. American Academy of Pediatrics; Margaret C. Fisher, MD, FAAP, Editor-in-Chief.
Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure. Paul A. Offit, MD.
Websites
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