Phone Menu

Navigating Our Phone System

Emergency Care

If an emergency occurs (your child is non-responsive, choking or not breathing, is having trouble breathing or swallowing, has a major burn, electrical shock, or extensive bleeding), please dial 911 for immediate assistance by paramedics.

We understand that urgent situations occur that might require consulting the office. The medical staff is available 24 hours a day by page. We will do everything in our power to respond to you as quickly as possible. Dial the office phone number (773-880-1738) and press 1 for urgent medical problems that require the immediate attention of a physician.

Telephone Calls

We have implemented a voice mail system in order to improve family satisfaction in the office. We continue to improve the automated voice mail system to alleviate busy signals and hold times for parents. When our staff is helping other patients on the phone or in the office, the voicemail system will pick up the call. Our goal is to get you to the person who can help you in the timeliest manner.

When leaving a message, please leave your name, your child’s name (with spelling), your phone number (and an alternate number if available), then a brief description of your question, request, or child’s condition. Please do not leave duplicate messages.

Press '2' if your child needs to be seen that same day. Messages are returned in the order of urgency. Should your child’s condition worsen before hearing from the staff, please call the emergency line (press option '1' to page the doctor on call).

Press '3' if you have a non-urgent question for the nurse or doctor regarding general or sick care of your child. These calls should be brief. Please reserve more in-depth general care or routine questions for your well-visit appointments with the physician or make an appointment for an additional in-office consultation. Messages are returned in the order of urgency. This line is checked Monday through Friday, 10 am - 4 pm. Calls regarding sick children are always returned the same day. Routine and general care questions will be returned as time permits.

Press '4' if you need to make a future appointment for your child or newborn, or if you have a general question for the staff. These messages are retrieved during office hours and will be returned by the end of the following business day.

To notify us that your child has been admitted to the hospital, please press option '5'. The nurses and MDs at Prentice, Children’s, and St. Joseph’s Hospitals call us about newborns and patients on our service. Each morning, one of the physicians rounds on those patients (this does not include patients in the Special Care Nursery or Intensive Care Units, but of course, we would like to know about these patients as well, so we can check in by phone). This line is checked each morning and messages left should be informational only (calls will not be returned).

Press '6' if you are calling for test results, prescription refills, or medical forms.

• For test results, please leave your name and phone number, your child’s name and date of birth, type of test, and date and location where the test was performed.
• The most accurate and timely way to request a prescription refill is to call your pharmacy and they will fax us with the request (24 hours notice is appreciated).
• Medical forms can be requested on this extension as well – there is a 7-10 day turnaround time and a $25 fee for all school/camp/sports physical forms if not completed at the time of a well-visit. State of Illinois School/Day Care forms are available free of charge at all Well-Child visits. These are yours to copy and use as often as needed. We cannot fill out a school form unless your child has had a well-child visit within six months of the request. Please understand that your child must have a physical in order to receive clearance to participate in sports because of the risk of sudden death with sports activities. Forms for pre-op physicals will also require a visit between two weeks before and two days before the procedure, in order to clear the child for anesthesia. Please call to schedule these visits as soon as you are aware they are necessary.

Press '7' to hear directions and general information about our practice, such as location, hours, and our staff. (link to these pages).

Press '8' to request medical records. There is a 7-10 business day wait once the request form and payment of $30 has been received.

Press '401' if you have questions about our classes.

If you have a question about billing, insurance, or would like to speak to the office manager, please press '235'.

Charging for phone calls is a trend that is spreading through medical practices and more recently pediatrician offices. In order to maintain our current practice of not charging, we need your help. Due to our high call volumes, please keep phone messages and topics as brief as possible. If you feel that your question may be more than a three minute discussion, please defer to your well-visit or indicate so ahead of time. Please have your child’s temperature and pharmacy phone number available, if these are issues. Writing down your thoughts prior to speaking with us always improves communication and helps with timing of calls.

Our office and cell phones do not dial out internationally; we are unable to return these calls.

If you need to reach us while you are out of the country, please leave a domestic cell phone number or let us know a local number where we can leave a detailed message that you can check.