What's New

Latest News

New After Hours Nurse Phone Line Starting May 26, 2023 at 4pm

IMPORTANT UPDATE:  Starting Friday, May 26th, LPG’s after-hours nurse line has changed.  Triage4Pediatrics: 833-949-4379

For urgent questions, you may call this number to speak with a nurse after office hours. They will give advice based on your child’s symptoms and contact one of our physicians if necessary. For non-urgent concerns after-hours, please call our office the next day to have your question addressed. We also encourage you to utilize our symptom checker on our website!https://lincolnpedsgroup.com/is-your-child-sick/


Covid Public Health Emergency

The federal government confirmed May 11, 2023 as the end of the Covid Public Health Emergency (PHE).  Over the last three years, per PHE mandates, most insurance companies waived the cost share (copay, coinsurance or deductible) for covid testing and office visits that were ‘covid in nature’.  Beginning May 12, 2023 most insurance companies have made it known that they will no longer waive cost-share for covid testing and covid in nature office visits.  All covid testing and covid in nature visits will be paid in accordance with the patient’s standard medical benefits.

Per the Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Midlands Choice and United Healthcare websites, the Covid 19 vaccines and boosters will be considered as part of the patient’s preventive benefits. If your current insurance policy has a zero-dollar cost-share for immunizations, the Covid 19 vaccine or booster will be covered as well.

If your child is covered by Nebraska Medicaid, their coverage may be affected.

Please take a minute to review your family’s insurance coverage to see what changes will apply to your coverage in May. Every insurance policy is different, the information above is a general statement from information found on their websites.


Refill Request Process

As of 4/11/23 LPG has implemented a new refill process.

  • Refill requests are only processed by our office Monday -Friday  8am- 4pm
  • All medication refills need to be requested directly from your pharmacy and they will send the request to our office (this includes refills for controlled medications)
  • Expect a phone call and/or text message from our office within 1-2 business days to get update on medication and confirm pharmacy
  • Please request refill from pharmacy 5-7 days before running out of medication to allow time for pharmacy and our office to process the refill

Now Hiring!

Come join our team!

Triage RN-

Triage RN works closely with providers in office to  provide telephone care to assess and educate patients and families.

  • Competitive wages
  • Great Benefits
  • 401 K Retirement with employer match
  • Full tie / day hours
  • Paid uniforms
  • Employee courtesy account for children
  • Hiring bonus $500
  • Employee paid licensure  and continuing education.

Apply at: https://indeedhi.re/40E037F


Pfizer Bivalent COVID vaccine doses available in office!

LPG has the Pfizer Bivalent COVID vaccine doses available in office for patients 6 months and older. We have very limited appointment slots for these, please contact our pediatric clinic to get scheduled (remember to bring your COVID vaccine card!).

LPG has the pfizer bivalent covid vaccine.

We also recommend utilizing the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department as a site to obtain the vaccine:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Mitigation and Response

You can also check appointment availability for vaccines at local pharmacies (age restrictions may apply).


Our New Building is Going Up at 62nd and Old Cheney!

Our new building.

Something wonderful is in store for the future of LPG!

Our new building is going up at 62nd and Old Cheney. It’s set for completion at the end of 2023. We’ll still be all together at the new spot, less than two miles from our current location. We are so excited to have a larger, more modern space where we can continue to serve our LPG families! Building Many thanks to our friends at Schemmer and also Cheever Construction for making this happen!

 

 


Important Message

We want to acknowledge that availability of both well-child and sick visit appointments has been unusually low. We have been balancing transition existing LPG families to their new LPG primary care provider, which adds additional time spent building relationships and learning patient health history. Already we are experiencing a high volume of sick patients; which is unusual this early in the season. We ask for you patience and understanding when interacting with our committed team. They come to work each day with out patients and their families in mind.

We understand that our hold times have been long; especially in the morning. We kindly ask you to please hold on the line as the calls are placed in a queue. If you hang up and call back, your place in line will drop.

We are excited to introduce Dr. Michelle Wineinger and Dr. Danielle Saner, and Tayler Llewellyn PA-C and Rachel Quiring PA-C ,to LPG! In addition, we are welcoming back Mikala Geisert NP, from maternity leave!

Please be assured we are working hard behind the scenes to improve availability. We cannot thank you enough for entrusting our providers and team with the care of your child/children! We appreciate your patience as we work to exceed patient expectations.

 


Covid Vaccine Info (updated 1/17/23)

The COVID vaccine is now approved for all children 6 months and older.

We do have the Pfizer Bivalent COVID vaccine doses available in the office for patients 6 months and older.  We have very limited appointment slots for these but feel free to contact the office to try to get scheduled (please remember to bring your COVID vaccine card if you are wanting to get vaccinated in our office).

We also recommend utilizing the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department as a site to obtain the vaccine (https://app.lincoln.ne.gov/city/covid19/#vaccine) or you can check appointment availability for vaccines is at local pharmacies at www.vaccines.gov (age restrictions may apply).

  • Do LPG physicians recommend children receive the COVID-19 vaccine?
    Yes, the physicians at LPG strongly recommend all eligible children to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
  • Which COVID vaccine is recommended for children?
    The physicians at LPG support your child receiving either Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and we encourage you to get whichever one is offered to you.
  • Which vaccine will my child receive at LPG?
    LPG is able to offer the Pfizer vaccine to all children 6 months and older.  We have both monovalent vaccine as well as the new bivalent doses.
  • What is the schedule for the primary Pfizer vaccine series for 6 months- 4 years age group?
    The Pfizer vaccine is a 3 dose primary series:  2 doses of the monovalent with at least 3 weeks between the first and second dose and 1 dose of the Bivalent dose which is given at least 8 weeks after 2nd dose
  • What is the schedule for the primary Pfizer vaccine series for 5 years-11 years age group?
    The Pfizer vaccine is a 2 dose primary series:  at least 3 weeks between the first and second dose.
  •  What is the schedule for the primary Pfizer vaccine series for age group of 12 years and older?
    The Pfizer vaccine is a 2 dose primary series:  at least 3 weeks between the first and second dose.
  • If my child is immunocompromised, should they receive an additional COVID vaccine?
    If your child is immunocompromised, please speak to your provider to determine need for additional doses in the primary series or an additional booster.
  • What is the Bivalent COVID dose?
    The Bivalent COVID vaccine is the new formulation to better cover the original strains as well as the recent Omicron variants.
  • Who is approved for the Pfizer Bivalent COVID booster dose?
    5 years and older:  Approved for one Bivalent booster if it has been a least 2 months after completion of the primary series or last monovalent booster.
    6 months-4 years old:  At this time, this age group is not approved for a Bivalent booster dose.  However, if you have received the first 2 doses in the primary series, you will receive a bivalent dose for the 3rd dose in the primary series but this is not a booster dose.
  • How do I get my child scheduled for their COVID vaccine at LPG?
    Please call the office to check availability of vaccine appointment times.  We have very limited vaccine only appointment times.
  • If my child has an upcoming routine well visit scheduled, can my child receive their COVID vaccine at that visit?
    Yes, just mention to the clinical staff or provider at the time of the appointment if you desire to have your child vaccinated.
  • If I have one child scheduled for an upcoming well child check, am I able to bring my other child at the same time to receive their vaccine?
    Please call the office to check if we can get the vaccine scheduled at the same time.  We will try to accommodate this as much as possible.
  • What if my child has a birthday in between vaccine doses (4 year old to 5 year old or 11 year old to 12 year old), which vaccine dose should they receive?
    We encourage your child to get vaccinated as soon as eligible.  We will follow the CDC dose/schedule recommendations for age transitions.
  • If my child recently had COVID, should they still get their COVID vaccine?
    Even if you recently had COVID, you should still get vaccinated to receive added protection against COVID.  Once you have completed your isolation, you may get vaccinated.
  • Am I able to receive the COVID vaccine at the same time as other vaccinations?
    Yes, you can get a COVID vaccine and other vaccines, including a flu vaccine, at the same time.
  • Are there other places where my child may receive their COVID vaccine?
    Yes and we encourage you to receive the vaccine wherever you can get it that is most convenient for you.

Please see the following website for further education.

CDC Update with new boosters:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html?s_cid=11747:covid%20vaccine%20timeline:sem.ga:p:RG:GM:gen:PTN:FY22

AAP COVID Vaccine Schedule:  https://downloads.aap.org/AAP/PDF/COVID%20Vaccine%20Dosing_Quick%20Reference.pdf

CDC COVID vaccine for Children:  https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/planning/children/6-things-to-know.html

Healthy Children FAQ:  https://healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/covid-vaccines-for-kids-6-months-and-older-faqs-for-families.aspx

AAP FAQ:  https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/covid-19-vaccine-for-children/about-the-covid-19-vaccine-frequently-asked-questions/


Formula Shortage Info

We know that some families are having difficulties finding their infant’s usual formula right now due to nationwide formula shortages.  No store brands were involved in the recall.  Most babies will tolerate a switch between formula ‘types’ with minimal difficulty or only a few days of some mild GI discomfort as they get used to a different type. Of course if your baby has medical reasons to be on a specific formula it’s important to talk with your doctor before doing something different, but if otherwise a healthy child then feed what you can find even if it’s not exactly similar to your baby’s usual type.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our office as well as the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly discourages the use of homemade formula and we encourage you to NOT follow the recipes you may be seeing popping up online.
Check out the post from healthychildren.org for additional information about what to do if you can’t find your baby’s usual formula.

Other helpful website tools:
https://www.enfamil.com/baby-formula-comparison-chart 

https://www.hhs.gov/formula/index.html 

https://hcp.meadjohnson.com/s/baby-formula-comparison-chart

If you are having difficulty finding formula: look for store brand options, check smaller pharmacies or stores, reach out to friends/family, and check social media groups.


In rememberance of Dr. Dews

It is with great sadness that we let our LPG families know of the sudden unexpected death of our beloved Dr. Heather Dews on 1/10/2022. Dr. Dews was always such a light and positive spirit around the office and always provided such excellent care to her patients. Her kindness and smile are already greatly missed and we extend our deepest condolences to Dr. Dew’s family.

This is a very difficult time at LPG as we grieve the loss of our friend and colleague. But we want to assure our patients that we will continue to provide care for all of our LPG families. If your children were patients of Dr. Dews, please call our pediatric office in Lincoln at (402) 489-3834 to arrange transfer of care to one of our other physicians.

 

Dr. Heather Dews