Office/Policies

1. Do you give free consultation visits to new clients? (Ask when making the appointment).
2. What is your "on call" availability?
3. Is the office available 24 hours a day when child is ill?
4. Is the office available 24 hours a day for advice?
5. Who answers the phone?
6. How long does it take for you to call back?
7. How do you feel about frequent visits/phone calls by new and inexperienced parents?
8. How long does it take to get an appointment for a sick child?
9. How long does it take to get an appointment for routine care?
10. What are the office hours?
11. Do you have Saturday appointments or evening appointments?
12. How large is your practice?
13. Who does my child see when you are not available? Can you tell us about that person/those people?
14. In the office, what is the average wait to see the doctor?
15. If child is very ill, will the situation be handled rapidly or will we have to make an appointment?
16. How long do check-ups last? . Will you be available for questions at that time?
17. Will you be available for questions that we may think of as an after-thought, either later that day or a few days down the road?
18. What is your policy about prescribing medication over the phone? (They should NOT do this).
19. Do you have health education materials available for diagnosed illnesses, etc.?
20. How is billing handled? Can we get a copy of the fee schedule?
21. Does your office offer any parenting classes?
22. How do you handle referrals to other doctors or specialists? Will you refer to a doctor/specialist within our insurance plan?
23. Can we get an appointment within a week after our return?

About the Doctor

24. Are you a parent? Bio or adopted children?
25. Do you have a biography available?
26. Where/when did you get your degree?
27. Where did you do your residency?
28. Are you Board Certified and in what areas of practice?
29. How long have you been in practice?
30. Which hospitals are you associated with/licensed to practice in?
31. Are you open to using alternative therapies in addition to traditional medicine? Such as...?
(Optional question for those who may be interested in using non-traditional therapies)

About Children of Asian Descent/Adoption Issues

32. Have you worked with Asian children specifically those who have been, adopted and what are your experiences with these children?
33. Are you prepared to test for and handle some of the diseases that might be associated with an adopted child, specifically one of Asian descent?
    1. Asian and American growth charts for children?
    2. Are you aware of growth deficiencies in adopted children?
    3. Ascarius, rickets, developmental delays, poor dentition, oral defensiveness, attachment issues
    4. Lead and heavy metals
34. If my child wasn't able to hold up its head at 10 months, how would you handle the situation?
    (I.e., assume it was due to malnutrition, being in an institution, etc. or exhaust all possibilities to diagnose the cause.)
35. How do you feel about repeating infant vaccinations and newborn testing, whatever the age?
36. Will you be available to review the medical report that we receive when our child is referred to us within 24 hours of receiving it? Our decision must be within that time frame.
37. Do you have contacts with any International Agencies to consult if you have questions regarding the medical report?

Questions about the Trip to China

38. Do you have an e-mail address that we can use during our trip to ask you questions while we are overseas? If not, will you be available quickly if we call from China?
39. How do you feel about prescribing antibiotics (the "add water" kind), syringes, and scabies, lice, rickets medication for the child for our trip to China? Guidelines on use of antibiotics
    1. Powdered antibiotic
    2. Elimite
    3. Mytrex (mites?)
    4. Antipyrine and benzocaine otic solution usp by bausch and lomb, ear drops
40. What types of over-the-counter medications do you recommend for us to take on our trip and for use for the baby in general?
    1. Baby antihistamine, decongestant-Acetaminophen
    2. Triple antibiotic ointment
    3. Vaseline
    4. Rectal thermometer
    5. Dosage syringe
    6. Band-aids
    7. Q-tips
    8. Diaper rash cream
    9. Baby suppositories,
    10. Hydrocortisone cream
    11. Alcohol swabs
    12. Syringes with needles
    13. Rehydration salts
    14. Eye-drops for dryness
    15. Tongue depressors
    16. Baby sun-screen
    17. What else should we take?
41. What formula do you recommend we use/take with us? Child may have had watered down milk power for the majority of their life & lack most vitamins.
42. Will you suggest liquid vitamins to take to China & start immediately?

Observations to Make and Misc. Issues

• Look for how well the provider communicates in the above questions.
• Do you feel comfortable with them/their personality?
• Do you like how they think?
• Do you trust them?
• Look around the physical office. Are the furnishings kept up?
• Is there a separate waiting room for sick and well children?
• How long are people waiting to be seen?
• Are there books/toys to occupy the children?
• How does the office staff treat you?
• Are they efficient/friendly?
• How well did they communicate over the phone?

Information Resources/Web-Sites

• Ask the pediatrician to read Dr. Dana Johnson's article in Pediatrics Basics, number 77, summer 1996. "In the voice of one physician to another physician on the care of an internationally adopted child upon coming home." It lists the tests to be performed, the problem areas to be looked for, even PC language to use in front of (and hopefully behind) the parents.
• Resources for the Doctor: Red Book and International Adoption Clinic 800-688-5252
• Guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics on Medical Evaluation of Internationally Adopted Children, excerpted from the 'Red Book', 2000 edition.
• Growth Charts for Chinese Girls Charts and tables showing height/length, weight and head circumference for Chinese girls.
• Mongolian Spots, by Deborah A. Borchers, M.D., F.A.A.P. This item describes the medically harmless spots that have the potential to cause legal troubles. Check it out here.
• Helpful Medical Items to take to China for Your Child, by Deborah A. Borchers, M.D., F.A.A.P. Here is another list of medical items that you may wish to take on your trip to China to adopt your child.
• < a href="http://www.fwcc.org/pediatricexam.html">Medical Testing Recommended for International Adoptees, by Deborah A. Borchers, M.D., F.A.A.P. A suggested protocol for the examination of a child on arriving in the U.S. after adoption from China.
• < a href="http://www.fwcc.org/pediatricianletter.html"An Open Letter to Pediatricians on Chinese Adoption Medical Issues>, from Deborah A. Borchers, M.D., F.A.A.P. about health concerns specific to children adopted from China.