Scheduling Your First Visit

Before you contact us for an appointment, here is some information about our office you should know before you schedule

WHICH DR. SEARS DO YOU WANT TO SEE? There are three Dr. Sears. Dr. Bob Sears (Robert) is the author of The Vaccine Book and the doctor for this office - Dr. Bob Sears, Inc. He shares the phone number and office space with his brother, Dr. Jim Sears (formerly on the TV show The Doctors). They are separate businesses with very different business models (Dr. Jim takes insurance, has a monthly membership fee, and is called Sears Family Pediatrics). Dr. Bill Sears (William) is their father who started all of this - he isn't currently practicing. Please specify which doctor you would like to see when you contact us. 

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DR. BOB IS NOT CONTRACTED WITH ANY INSURANCE COMPANIES: We are an old-fashioned fee-for-service office. Most insurances will not reimburse you for the care you receive here. Some insurances, however, will apply your payments to your out-of-network deductible. Cost-sharing health plans (like Christian Cost Sharing) usually will reimburse you for your care here. 

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How much can you expect to spend here in the first few years of care? Since most of Dr. Bob's patients don't do any vaccines in the first few years, your primary cost would be about 3 or 4 checks ups during the first year, 1 or 2 during the second year. Then about every 2 years after that. Some patients choose to come in every year. So you might spend about $900 for your first year of care, then much less every year after that. One or two sick visits add a small additional cost. We hope you find this to be a reasonable investment for the type of care you will receive here. Note: all prices listed below are subject to change and may not be updated here. The official office policy forms you will sign as a new patient is up to date. 

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Office hours: We are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 5:00. We do not have evening or weekend appointments. 

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FLEXIBLE VACCINE POLICY: While we do offer all vaccines on the CDC schedule, most of our patients elect to delay vaccines for the first several years of life. Some families vaccinate later to meet school requirements. Many choose to homeschool. We provide informed consent for vaccination and allow you to make the decisions. 

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VACCINE MEDICAL EXEMPTION POLICY: Dr. Bob is not able to issue any vaccine exemptions. No exceptions. We understand that some parents feel their child should have an exemption due to prior reactions or family history, and we support your wish to avoid future vaccines, but we cannot issue a medical exemption. Dr. Bob can counsel you on what your options are, including making a vaccine plan letter that will meet school requirements. 

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MAKING YOUR FIRST APPOINTMENT: Whether you are calling us with a brand new baby, were fired by your old pediatrician and are transferring to us with three kids, just moved to our area and looking for a doctor, or are looking for a doctor to guide you through your vaccine decisions, we want to make sure your first visit with Dr. Bob meets your needs and exceeds your expectations. Here are the various types of appointments for you to choose from:

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Prenatal Appointments: For these you have two choices. Enjoy a free five-minute meet-and-greet with Dr. Bob to get a general impression of our office. This does not include any type of medical advice or discussion of medical decisions. OR, schedule a 15 minute paid prenatal consultation (cost is $220) to discuss various medical questions surrounding your birth and immediate post-natal care. Prenatal and newborn vaccines can be discussed, but a full vaccine consultation would need to wait until after baby is born. 

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Newborn babies: Congratulations! If you had your baby at home or in a birth center with a midwife, simply call us the day after your baby is born and schedule a Check Up (15 to 20 minutes - $240) for when your baby is about 3 days old. If you and your midwife decide this first check up can wait until a later date, just give us a call when you are ready to be seen. We keep newborn appointment slots free in our schedule so we can easily work you in last minute. There's no need to call us or register with us before your baby is born.

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If your baby is born in a hospital, Dr. Bob doesn't go to any hospitals to see newborns. The hospital will assign one of their pediatricians to see your baby there. Give us a call when your baby is home, and we will see you when baby is 5 to 7 days old. If there is an urgent newborn problem, we can see you sooner. 

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Check Ups: This 15 to 20 minute appointment is for healthy children without any complex medical problems. Vaccines are also briefly discussed, but not in detail. Cost is $240. If your child has a complex medical problem that also needs addressing, in addition to a full check up, please schedule a 30 minute appointment for $330. 

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Vaccine-only visits: Once you have established yourself as a patient and had a Check Up, follow up visits for vaccines only are at no extra cost - you just pay for the cost of the vaccines. We minimize this cost as best we can and do not make a profit from them. Costs vary between $60 for the least expensive vaccine and $275 for the most expensive. Getting all 14 injections required by schools costs about $1000. 

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Combined Check Up and Vaccine Consultation: This is a 30 minute visit, and includes a Check Up as well as extra time to discuss vaccines in more detail, including making a planned vaccine schedule for what would be required for school and providing a written vaccine plan that allows you to register for school. Cost is $330. Note: if you anticipate needing additional time to help decide whether you want to vaccinate at all, consider scheduling a combined Check Up and Long Vaccine Consult for $400. 

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Long Vaccine Consultation: This 30 minute appointment is for parents who aren't sure what they want to do about vaccines and need help reviewing the pros and cons of vaccination in detail. Dr. Bob will help you decide what you want to do and walk you through the various options. Cost is $330.

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If you want to learn more about your vaccine options before you schedule a consultation, watch Dr. Bob's new video series on www.TheVaccineConversation.com. You will gain a breadth of knowlege that will help guide your desicions and discussion. 

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Short Vaccine Planning Appt: This 15 minute appointment is for parents who mostly know what they want to do with vaccines, and need a plan written down that will provide the vaccines necessary for school spread out over time without going too fast. This written plan can be used to register for school. Cost is $240.

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Complex Medical Problem: If you don't need a full check up, but want to have a medical problem evaluated, schedule at 15 to 30 minute appointment ($220 to $330). 

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Same Day Sick Visits: We keep part of our schedule free every day to make sure we can see any urgently sick kids right away when needed. We see all our sick kids outside so that our check up rooms stay germ-free for well kids. Sick appointment are generally 5 to 10 minutes and cost $220. 

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Phone Appointments: Dr. Bob does phone appointments in circumstances where a patient cannot come into the office. Cost varies according to length, and are similar to in-person appointment costs. Vaccine consultations are available for those living far away from the office. 

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Circumcision: While Dr. Bob doesn't recommend circumcision, he does do them (24 years experience) using the Gomco method and local anesthesia (injected under the skin around the penis). Cost is $500. 

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AFTER HOURS MEDICAL ADVICE: Dr. Bob does provide paid after-hours text and phone call brief evaluations (evenings or weekends) for $100 to $150. These are designed to help you decide if you should go to an urgent care or ER for an urgent problem or can wait to be seen when we next open. He is not available during the middle of the night. Be sure to make use of our Online Guide to Medical Problems here on our website for information on how to evaluate and treat the most common medical problems and when to call us to be seen.