Frequently Asked Questions

Our office is open Monday through Friday and Saturday is for sick appointments only. As our daily schedule is subject to change, please call to confirm office hours.

 

Yes, we welcome new patients.

 

Advocare participates with most major insurance plans. As participation varies by region, specialty, and physician, we recommend that you contact either our office or your insurance company representative to verify that your insurance plan is accepted.

Our medical providers are available 24 hours a day. Call the office at 908-722-5444 and follow the prompts to page a provider on call. Please be aware that after-hours calls are intended for urgent medical issues that cannot wait until the next business day. Referral and appointment requests will not be addressed via pager. Pages are typically returned within 15 minutes. Please call back if you have not received a timely response.

IN THE EVENT OF A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY, CALL 911.

Every effort is made to arrange your child's well care and follow up visits with the physician of your choice. When your child is ill, he or she may see any one of our physicians.

 

Our routine health maintenance visit schedule follows the American Academy of Pediatrics health maintenance guideline for infants, children and adolescents.

 

To help protect your child from many serious infectious diseases, we follow the immunization schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Please discuss your immunization questions and concerns with any of our pediatricians.

We maintain professional relationships with the region's finest pediatric specialists should a referral become necessary.

For non-urgent referrals: Please check with your insurance company if a referral is required to see a specialist. When one of our doctors refers you to a specialist, and a referral is required, please schedule your appointment with the specialist first, then call our office at least five business days prior to your appointment. Your referral will be available within 72 hours. Referrals are completed electronically. Our office will call you to pick up a copy of the approved referral as soon as it is available.

For urgent referrals: When one of our doctors determines that you require an urgent referral, our office will make the necessary accommodations to meet your immediate need for the referral.

 

You will receive a call quickly with any lab results that require urgent attention. Other abnormal lab results will be addressed promptly by the provider that ordered the labs or tests. Normal values will be reported within a week.

 

Please have your pharmacy fax our office a request for the prescription refill needed. Allow 24 hours for all routine prescription refills. For prescriptions that require prior authorization from your insurance company, please plan ahead to allow at least three to five days for refill approval. Prescription refills for controlled substances such as pain and ADHD medications are only refilled Mondays through Fridays during our regular office hours.

 

Yes, we promote breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding babies for at least the first six months. . Breastfeeding helps defend children against infections, prevents allergies, and protects against a number of chronic conditions. While experts believe that breast milk is the best nutritional choice for infants, breastfeeding may not be possible for all women. Some women have specific medical considerations that impede breastfeeding; others choose to feed by formula because of discomfort, work schedule, or lifestyle choices. In these cases, infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your well care visit, or please call during office hours to speak with our experienced nursing staff.

 

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office the first week after discharge from the hospital. Our staff understands the importance of this first visit and will make every effort to schedule this visit promptly.

As all children are different, we advise following several appropriate steps to advance your child's diet based on age and development. Please discuss these steps with our providers at your well care visit.

Dr. Calimlim and Dr. Bahadur have attending privileges at RWJ Somerset Medical Center in Somerville. As well as Dr. Bahadur has attending privileges at Morristown Medical Center. We work closely with pediatric subspecialties both at Saint Peters University Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ.