Preschool kids - Health form questions/pedi office

kbird · July 2011

Hi all - I've got two in preschool this fall, and am working on all the paperwork - including the VA State health form - which must be a requirement for every kid... Just preschool? Every year of school? Anyhoo....my real question...

I dropped the forms off at our pedi's office today - it cost 40 bucks!! Yowza. I filled out a page of the form, and if I remember correctly, the doc prints off kid's immunization history and signs off. I am floored that this costs $20/kid. That's a really hefty expense if you have three or more and have to do these forms every Fall.

Just wondering if this is standard at all doc's offices these days. Seems to me that if it's required for all kids in the State, it should be cheaper.

This was really a bee in my bonnet today - maybe cause I decided the fam couldn't go out to eat, after I paid for the forms.... so instead I sweated over a hot stove.

JKM416 · July 2011

I'm in Montgomery County in MD and we go to a military clinic, so it might not be a fair comparison. But no, never had to pay for any forms to be filled out or get any records. And I've never heard of that from any moms at DD's preschool. Since they are mandated by MD, too, I would be just as peeved as you to be charged. Maybe you could request a multi-kid discount from your doctor?

Our school said that since returning students have their health forms already on file, they don't need to be filled out again (just an updated vaccine record if it applies). I guess it's too late this time, but have you checked with your school to make sure it's necessary to be done every year? Seems redundant, and if enough parents put up a stink, maybe a policy could be changed, at least on a school-by-school basis.

Sofka · July 2011

I'm in VA and I think they charge $15, or at least they did last year; we'll see what they charge this year.

Hey Jellisy · July 2011

I don't what practice you go to, but I just did ours last week and there was no cost. As to the yearly nature, yes, we do them yearly even for daycare and usually I just bring it with me to the yearly appointment.

LMH1209 · July 2011

Our pediatrician's office charges $10 for school forms.

QueSrah · July 2011

We do state forms every year for daycare and the ped's office charges all parents for it. They must spend a lot of time filling out forms, and need to get paid for their time somehow...

vtmezzo · July 2011

Yep, have done them for daycare before and just dropped ours off last week as well...I believe our office charges $25 per kid, so you might have gotten off cheap! Our old daycare didn't require a new form each year though. I'm not sure about the one we're starting in August.

amh_navyblue · July 2011

yep, we pay for them too--i can't remember if it's $10 or $15, or maybe it is $20...I think I just try to block it out...and you pretty much do have to get them filled out every year, especially when the kids are getting multiple vaccines within a 12 month period, so that you can verify to the school/day care that the vaccines are up to date. It's annoying, but from the doctor's office's perspective, staff have to spend time getting the form filled out and signed, so they want to be compensated for that time. Is it $20 worth of time? Well, that's a whole different story...

BabyHatch · July 2011

Ours doesn't charge for the annual form.

hollace · July 2011

Wow! That's an eye opener! I haven't had to have forms filled out yet for a pedi, but I know that my other docs have a rule that if you bring them during a visit it is free, otherwise a $10 charge. I feel like that is reasonable as if you are having them filled at a visit the chart is already pulled and it's easy to just fill out the information then and there.

kbird · July 2011

Our pedi's office has recently gone to digital records - I bet they don't hand fill out these forms - it probably takes little time to print an immuniztion history. Although an expensive new system maybe why they charge so much for these forms.

Thanks for the input!

cmh06 · July 2011

I got DD's immunizations records the other day for preschool in the fall and they didn't charge. Now I'm hoping I don't get a bill in the mail. The dr. was supposed to print one out for me at her last appt., but she forgot.

SoonToBeMrsDTS · July 2011

We only had to do them for the first year of preschool. I think we'll have to do it again for kindergarten. My office charges $20 if you drop the form off but if you have it filled out at a well check it's free.

vtkgirl77 · July 2011

I'm with Kaiser and they don't charge for forms. For the section on immunizations, my doctor always writes "See attachment". I can easily print out immunization records anytime online. So, every time one of the kids gets more shots, I just print out a updated immunization record and give it to the provider.

I just want to recommend to everyone to give out copies of these records (maybe you all already do that). Last year I gave the daycare the originals since I thought that there was no way DD would be changing providers. Then mid-year we changed providers and I had to get them all filled out again. They are definitely a pain!

HikerBride07 · July 2011

Ours is $10 to fill out any forms. They don't charge for copies of the immunizations though.

Artslvr · July 2011

HikerBride07:
Ours is $10 to fill out any forms. They don't charge for copies of the immunizations though.

This. It's $10 for them to fill out the VA Dept of Health form but lists of immunizations are free.

For the preschool that DD #1 goes to they only wanted that form once, though she'll spend a total of 3 years there. While she won't go there for Kindergarten (she'll go to public school), the school does require a brand new form for Kindergarten - I think that's somd kind of law.

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Preschool kids - Health form questions/pedi office

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