Office Patient Policies

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Office Hours

Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with lunch from 12-1:30 p.m.

Should your child require after hours care, please call the office phone number for assistance. Though we do not hold regular weekend office hours, please call Dr. Baker to determine if your child needs to be seen immediately or can wait to be seen during normal office hours.

Holiday Office Hours & Vacations

When Dr. Baker takes time to attend medical conferences or vacation, he will be covered by other area FPMG pediatricians.

Holidays recognized by the practice include:

  • Christmas Day & ½ day Christmas Eve
  • New Years Day & ½ day New Years Eve
  • July 4th
  • Labor Day
  • Thanksgiving and the following Friday
  • Memorial Day
  • Dr. Baker is available for after-hour phone consultations.

Appointment Scheduling

To better serve our patients, Mount Dora Pediatrics is an appointment clinic. Calling to schedule an appointment allows us to reduce wait time and prevent “bottle-necking” in the office. We occasionally see established patients on a “walk in” basis; however, we recommend calling ahead whenever possible as it may reduce wait time.

Please go to "Appointment Scheduling" for more information about Scheduling Appointments.

After Hours Phone Consults

Dr. Baker is available for after hour consults seven days a week for urgent and emergency issues. When Dr. Baker is out of town, coverage will be provided by other area FPMG pediatricians.

The primary purpose of phone consultations is to assist with medical questions and to determine if additional evaluation is needed and when it should be performed. In the best interest of the child, after hour consults are not intended for diagnosis and treatment. Please call 352-383-0624 (main office line) to arrange an after hour phone consult.

Medicine Refills

Please call during normal office hours for medicine refills and allow us 24 hour turn around. If the medicine refill is an ADHD medicine and it is time for the routine ADHD recheck, you may be asked to schedule an appointment.

Late Show for an Appointment

Please call in advance if you know you are going to be late for an appointment in order that we might make necessary accommodations. Patients more than 15 minutes late for their appointment will be offered the next available opening. You also have the option to wait in the office if doing so is convenient for you. Should you arrive for an appointment within five to 10 minutes of the office closing, the doctor and nurse will review the chart and the reason for the visit. If the appointment is medically necessary, we will be pleased to see the child.

Missed Appointment without Calling

Please advise the office at least two hours before a scheduled appointment if you will not be able to keep the appointment. Doing so allows us to make appropriate changes to our appointment schedule. Failure to provide notice to the office in advance of a missed appointment will result in the following:

  • After the first missed appointment, the parent or guardian will be notified by phone or letter so that the appointment may be rescheduled. You may be reminded of the missed appointment office policy at that time as well.
  • If a second scheduled appointment is missed, a $25 fee will be charged. The appointment may be rescheduled.
  • Following a third missed appointment, it may be necessary to terminate our professional relationship with the patient and family. If termination results, we are available to treat the child for 30 days for emergencies only so that the child will have access to emergency care while the family chooses another physician.

Referral

The practice has access to pediatric sub-specialists and therapists in Orlando including Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children and at medical facilities throughout the state of Florida. Please call to request an appointment for evaluation so an appropriate referral is made. Only in special circumstances are referrals made without first evaluating your child. Please call in advance so that we may determine if this is appropriate for your child’s case.

For non-emergency referrals made in the office, please allow up to 1 to 2 weeks to hear back about  the appointment. Please also call us if you fail to hear back from either us or the referring physician's office within two weeks.

Hospitalization

The practice admits (newborns and pediatric patients) to Florida Hospital Waterman, Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children, and throughout Florida. Dr. Baker has privileges and rounds daily at Florida Hospital Waterman. If more intensive or sub-specialty care is required, your child can be transferred to Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children or other hospitals in Orlando and throughout the State.