Frequently Asked Questions
We’d love to be your partner along your child’s journey towards vibrant health! Please review frequently asked questions listed below regarding the 2 separate tracks, and feel free to contact our staff for any other questions via email or phone.
For Conventional Medical Visits
Scheduling and visits
The easiest way to schedule a wellness or sick visit for your child is to call our office at 770-787-7444. You may also access the secure Patient Portal (top right corner of the website) and send an email request as well, if that is more convenient for you 24/7.
We recommend that children under 2 years of age come at the periodic wellness visits set by the AAP, and for children over 2 years of age to come annually for their wellness checkups. We are available for same-day acute but not emergent appointments. For emergencies, please call 911. We do offer an on-call phone advice service outside of office hours, which we share with other pediatricians in the community. There may also be an option to do a telehealth visit with Dr Nahas or the Nurse Practitioner when they are available.
Virtual Visits/Telehealth
For your convenience and safety,we are now offering virtual medicine or telehealth visits for simple acute care, and mental health concerns, via the Anytime Pediatrics portal or App.You can access that site from our Home page under the Start Here button in the navigation tab. This service is only available to our existing patients, as new patients must be seen in person for their initial visit, unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Email Etiquette
Patients can send and receive email to and from Covington Pediatrics staff and providers via their secure patient portal. However,if an email question or request is deemed to be too complicated, we will ask the patient to schedule a virtual or in person visit, in order to better serve your needs.
Forms Request
Scheduling and Cancellations
There is a 24 -hour cancellation policy for all appointments with a Covington Pediatrics provider. Cancelling with less than a 24 hour notice may result in a $50 charge to the credit card on file.
No-shows: If you schedule an appointment and fail to show up, whether it is a virtual or in person visit,you may be charged $50 to the card on file. After 3 No-shows, your family will be dismissed from the practice, and that decision will be final.
Billing and Insurance
We accept most insurance plans at this time, except for GHI,CareSource and Kaiser Plans. We fulfill most insurance companies’ requirements for an in-network primary care physician practice.
Certain insurance plans may not cover all labs and procedures performed at Covington Pediatrics. In those cases, you will be billed for the balance.
We will submit your medical claim on your behalf to your insurance, so it is vitally important to give us accurate information upfront. We can assist you with claim resolution in certain cases.
We will provide you with a detailed billing summary upon request.
Statements for balances are sent out monthly and due upon receipt.
For Functional Medicine Visits
Scheduling and visits
Congratulations on your decision to explore what Functional Medicine can do for your child! During your initial Functional Medicine consultation, Dr. Nahas will carefully review and discuss your child’s medical history as well as perform any needed physical exams. If you are a good candidate for our services, Dr. Nahas will discuss the functional medicine lab tests, and schedule your follow-up appointments.
Why are there additional costs for functional medicine services?
Although we make every effort to bill your insurance for our services, some of the functional medicine services are not covered by your insurance plan. That is because insurance companies would rather pay for multiple short visits that focus on pharmaceutical interventions than long, personalized visits that focus on root cause resolution of disease. By working directly for you and not the insurance company, we are able to give you the personalized care needed to move towards optimal health.
What are the restrictions on Virtual Doctors’ visits?
If you are an out-of-state resident, your initial visit at Covington Pediatrics must be in person and is treated as a consultation. Subsequent visits can be conducted virtually, for an additional consultation, if needed. Otherwise, out of state patients must follow up with their primary care physicians. The State Medical Board requires a physician to be licensed in the patient’s home state. Dr Nahas is currently licensed in GA and FL only.
For in-state residents of GA and FL, the initial visit for Functional Medicine services will be in person, and follow up visits will vary between virtual and in person visits , as needed.
Billing and Insurance
The cost of Functional Medicine services provided a la carte by Covington Pediatrics will be billed to you directly.
Outside services like advanced specialty testing and prescription medications may be covered by your health insurance depending on their rules and formularies.If they are not covered, you will pay those fees directly to the lab , pharmacy or dispensary.
About Advanced Lab Tests
Most lab tests ordered by a Covington Pediatrics physician will be billed directly to your insurance by the lab.
Some lab tests we offer as part of our functional medicine testing program may not be covered by insurance and in these cases you will be charged a fee for the advanced test by that lab company .
The specific tests ordered will be personalized to your child based on the initial Functional Medicine evaluation with a Covington Pediatrics doctor, and may include blood, saliva, urine or stool testing.
We will make every effort to make you fully aware of any additional lab fees that may be incurred and to give you the opportunity to choose which lab tests you feel comfortable paying for. You are under no obligation to purchase any specialty testing.
Should any lab results indicate you may need further testing you will be directed to continue your care with our providers or a relevant specialist.
At home test kits: If a lab test kit is mailed to you by Covington Pediatrics, you will be charged the day the kit is mailed.
If your particular insurance company only pays for blood work done at a particular lab facility like LabCorp, or Quest, you must inform us of this in advance of having blood work done. Most insurance plans cover labs done by major national labs – including Rupa ,Health labs , and Direct Labs, which are lab companies often used by Covington Pediatrics because of their favorable pricing policies for patients.
Take The First Step Today On Your child's
Journey Back To Health
Perhaps you have questions you’d like to ask before you make a decision to become a patient. Our patient coordinator is standing by, happy to answer any questions you have to determine if Covington Pediatrics is right for you. Simply call to speak with our patient coordinator at 770-787-7444.