Frequently Asked Questions

We have scheduled office hours six days a week, Monday through Saturday. During those times when the office is closed, Dr. Kharkover may be contacted through the answering service in case of emergency.

Yes, we welcome new patients.

Dr. Kharkover or a covering physician is always "on-call" and available at all times for medical advice. After hours, call the office at (908) 322-6000 to reach our answering service; your message will be immediately forwarded to Dr. Kharkover or our doctor on call. Please be aware that after-hours calls are intended for urgent medical issues that cannot wait until the next business day. Referral and appointment requests will not be addressed via pager.

IN THE EVENT OF A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY, CALL 911.

Our routine health maintenance visit schedule follows the American Academy of Pediatrics vaccine guideline for children.

For non-urgent referrals :  when one of our doctors refers you to a specialist, please schedule your appointment with the specialist, then call our referral coordinator in our office within five business days of your appointment. Your referral will be available in 72 hours. Most referrals are completed electronically and submitted directly to the specialist’s office. Please check with our office staff to determine if your insurance plan processes referrals electronically.

For urgent referrals :  when one of our doctors determines that you need an urgent referral, your referral will be initiated immediately.

We participate with most major health insurance plans. Please call our office staff at (908) 322-6000 for specific questions.

To help protect your child from many serious infectious diseases, we follow the immunization schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Please discuss your immunization questions and concerns with any of our pediatricians.

You will receive a call right away with any lab results that require urgent attention. Other abnormal lab results will be addressed promptly. Normal values are usually not reported, however, you are welcome to call our office to request a copy of your results.

Please call our main office number and follow the prompts for our prescription refill line. Allow one business day for all routine prescription refills. For prescriptions that require prior authorization from your insurance company, please plan ahead to allow at least three to five days for refill approval. Prescription refills for controlled substances such as pain medications are refilled Monday through Friday only.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding babies for the first six months. Breastfeeding helps defend children against infections, prevents allergies, and protects against a number of chronic conditions. While experts believe that breast milk is the best nutritional choice for infants, breastfeeding may not be possible for all women. Some women have specific medical considerations that impede breastfeeding; others choose to feed by formula because of discomfort, work schedule, or lifestyle choices. In these cases, infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your well care visit, or please call during office hours to speak with our experienced nursing staff.

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office the first week after discharge from the hospital. Our staff understands the importance of this first visit and will make every effort to schedule this visit promptly.

As all children are different, we advise following several appropriate steps to advance your child's diet based on age and development. Please discuss these steps with our providers at your well care visit.

All babies sneeze, yawn, belch, hiccup, pass gas, cough, cry, and get fussy. These are normal behaviors. Sneezing is the only way that babies can clean their nose. Hiccups are just little muscle spasms, and they often can be stopped by giving the baby a few swallows of lukewarm water. Crying is a baby's way of saying, "I'm tired," "I'm wet," "I want to be held," "I'm too hot," or "I'm hungry." Gradually, you will learn what your baby means when he or she cries.

Because your new baby has not had time to build up resistance to infection, try to limit visitors to close family members and friends during the first few weeks at home, provided that these visitors have no colds or other contagious illnesses. Other friends and relatives should visit you and the baby later. Avoid exposing your baby to anyone who is sick with a cold, fever, or contagious illness.