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FAQS

Please feel free to browse our list of Frequently Asked Questions. Should you need additional information, feel free to contact us during our clinic hours to speak with a staff member.

At LittleStar, your child will always be seen by a Pediatrician. All of our Pediatricians are Board Certified/Board Eligible in pediatrics or pediatric emergency medicine and licensed to treat children in California.

Unlike some local urgent care centers, we are on most major insurance plans and will file the claim with your insurance company. We do not accept Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare programs. For a complete list of plans we accept, please click here.

No appointment is necessary. All children are seen on a walk-in basis in the order they arrive. Exceptions to this will be made for critically sick or injured children who will be seen immediately.

Little Star is less expensive, more efficient, and more convenient than an emergency room. A typical visit at Little Star averages about $100 to $150 and takes about 30-40 minutes, as opposed to over $800 and 3-4 hours for an emergency room. Unlike most local emergency rooms, Little Star always has a pediatrician available to treat your child.

Little Star is designed to meet the needs of children. Our doctors, staff, equipment and rooms are designed for kids, not adults. Most urgent care centers are designed to meet the needs of adults, and staffed by adult physicians.

You should always go to the emergency room if instructed to do so by your primary physician, or if your child has a life threatening emergency. Some problems such as ingestions, severe trauma, fever in the first 8 weeks of life, or possible meningitis are handled best in an emergency room. If we identify a serious medical problem during the exam of your child, we will make arrangements to safely transfer your child to an appropriate hospital.

At the time of service, you will be charged your urgent care copay (if you have one) or your office visit copay. The remainder of the charges are submitted to your insurance. We will bill your service as an office visit, not an emergency room visit. Final costs vary by insurance company and the complexity of the problem, but should be comparable to an office visit your primary care physician. The average cost for a visit is approximately $100-$150. More serious or complicated cases will may result in a higher cost. You will be responsible for any charges applied to your deductible.

Little Star has a cash pay option for families not currently covered by insurance. Prices range from $120 to $225 depending on the complexity of the visit. For full information about these rates, please click here.

Your visit will be billed as an urgent care visit. There will never be hospital facility fees for your visit.

In addition to the treatment of common pediatric illnesses such as strep, flu and ear infections, Little Star is also able to care for some higher acuity problems. This includes simple laceration repairs, basic fracture care and splinting, breathing treatments, IV fluids and removal of foreign bodies. We have a digital xray machine on site for convenient xrays in the office. For a complete list of our services, please click here.

A summary of the evaluation, diagnosis and care provided is faxed to your pediatrician’s office immediately after your visit. If your child’s condition requires a higher level of care or close follow up, we will contact your child’s pediatrician while you are in the office to make the appropriate arrangements.

Little Star will call your physician and arrange for your child to be admitted to the hospital chosen by you and your pediatrician. Most children go to the hospital by private vehicle, but we can arrange ambulance transport if necessary. Depending on your child’s condition and the pediatrician’s management, you may be directed to the hospital emergency room or directly to the floor for admission.

Because we are an urgent care facility, no referral is necessary to be seen at Little Star Pediatric Urgent Care.

Yes, we are an extension of pediatric services during the evenings and weekends, when most offices are closed.

Little Star does not perform vaccination or well-child check-ups. These are services performed by your primary care physician, and Little Star strongly believes that every child should have a primary care physician. If you do not have a primary care physician in the area, we can provide a list of local physicians, or you can Find a Doctor by clicking here

Most kids are seen by a pediatrician with less than a 15 minute wait. During peak hours on the weekend or during flu season, wait times will increase, but most kids are still seen within 30-45 minutes of arrival.

The average visit at Little Star takes about 35 minutes from arrival to walking out the door. Visits take a little longer during peak hours, or if tests and x-rays are necessary, but most children are in the office for less than an hour.

Little Star is proud to be able to fill many of the common pediatric prescriptions on site. The service is optional and not available for all prescriptions. If we are unable to fill the prescription from our supplies, we will fax the prescription to the pharmacy of your choice prior to your discharge. We have all of the local 24 hour pharmacies on speed dial to allow you to pick up your medicine on the way home.

We see newborns up to 18 years of age.

At Little Star, we have designed our system to be available for your child when your child needs to be seen. Rather than dedicate resources to the waiting process, we focus our resources on the rapid diagnosis and treatment of your child. Our streamlined check in process takes less than a minute to complete the form once you arrive in the clinic. For your convenience, this form may be printed out and completed at home prior to your visit. You may find the form here.

MISSION STATEMENT

Little Star Pediatric Urgent Care provides high quality, efficient and affordable care for your child.