Frequently Asked Questions

Our office is open Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM and Saturday 9 AM to 1 PM. We are also open Sundays and holidays for sick appointments only. As our daily schedule is subject to change, please call to confirm office hours.

Yes, We are excited that you have chosen us for your child's medical care. Your comfort and convenience are our priority, and we strive to make every visit to our office a positive experience. To help you get acquainted with our office and first visit procedures, we have included helpful information on this page.

What to Expect

A pleasant, comfortable first visit builds trust and helps put the child at ease during future visits. We want your child to enjoy getting to know our doctors and staff, so we work hard to establish this bond during every appointment to our office. During your initial appointment, we will explain everything in detail and answer any questions you may have.

We look forward to meeting you and your child and providing the quality, comprehensive medical care you expect and deserve.

To make an appointment please call our office. To ensure the best use of time, for both our physicians and patients, all of our office visits are by appointment only. We ask that you arrive at our office 10 - 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time. This will allow you to complete any necessary paperwork and to update any demographic and insurance changes. If you must cancel an appointment, please notify us as soon as possible so we can offer that time to someone else.

Emergencies arise. We will advise you if there is going to be a delay in seeing you. If your schedule won't allow you to wait, we will be happy to reschedule your appointment. We do appreciate your patience and cooperation during our busy times and we will make every effort to keep your wait time to a minimum.

Please refer to ourInsurance pageto review Advocare's list of accepted insurance providers.

We have a physician on call 24 hours a day; please call our office number to reach the doctor on call. This is for emergency purposes only. Refill of medications, scheduling routine appointments, and referrals will not get handled after hours.

IN THE EVENT OF A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY, CALL911.

Every effort is made to arrange your child's well care and follow up visits with the physician of your choice. When your child is ill, he or she may see any one of our physicians.

Our routine health maintenance visit schedule follows theAmerican Academy of Pediatricsvaccine guideline for children.

Immunizations are a series of shots given to children at different ages to help ward off serious, and potentially fatal, childhood diseases. Making sure your child receives immunizations when scheduled is the best way to help protect your child from potentially fatal diseases. According to theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics, vaccinations have reduced the number of infections from vaccine-preventable diseases by more than 90%. If you're apprehensive about vaccinations, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

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

For non-urgent referrals: when one of our doctors refers you to a specialist, please schedule your appointment with the specialist, then call our office within five business days of your appointment. Your referral will be available within 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. Please remain in our office while your referral is processed, then proceed to your specialist.

You will receive a call quickly with any lab results that require urgent attention. Other abnormal lab results will be addressed promptly by the provider that ordered the labs or tests. Normal values are reviewed and addressed by the physician that ordered them.

Please call our office 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.

Yes, we promote breastfeeding. TheAmerican Academy of Pediatricsrecommends breastfeeding babies for the first six to twelve 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, an iron-fortified, milk-based infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your child's well care visit, or please call during office hours to speak with our experienced nursing staff.

A pediatrician is a medical doctor who specializes in the care of children. Pediatricians have undergone special training in the health and illnesses of infants, teens and young adults, and the majority of pediatricians are certified by theAmerican Board of Pediatricsafter passing a comprehensive exam.

Pediatricians provide preventive health care for children in good health and medical care for children who are acutely or chronically ill. They also provide parents with support and advice with issues such as growth and development, safety and prevention, nutrition, and emotional wellness to foster a lifetime of good health.

Yes, in fact we strongly encourage parents-to-be to visit our office for a prenatal appointment. This is a great way to get acquainted with our office and our doctors. During this visit, we will answer any questions that you have about our practice or your new child. Visit our expectant parent's page for more information.

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office 1-2 days 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.

Benjamin K. Silverman started our practice in 1955 in an office on Nassau Street in the heart of Princeton. Having led the practice for 30 years, overseeing its expansion and its move to our present location in 1968, Dr. Silverman retired from active practice in 1986. He served as the Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Princeton Hospital in 1958 and 1973. Dr. Silverman authored and published medical articles, taught at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and previously edited the journal, Clinical Pediatrics. He was co-editor of The Textbook of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, first through fourth editions,. and was honored as recipient of the Jim Seidel Distinguished Service Award recognizing an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of pediatric emergency medicine.

Norman S. Katz, who joined in 1971, retired after 34 years of devoted service to the children in central New Jersey. During most of his tenure, he efficiently ran The Pediatric Group as its managing partner. He served as Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Princeton Hospital from 1977 to 1978. He also served for many years as Trustee of the Peer Review Organization of New Jersey overseeing the quality of care rendered by New Jersey physicians.

Timothy Patrick-Miller, who joined in 1985, retired from the practice in July of 2013 after 28 years at the group. Dr. Patrick-Miller served on several Departmental and hospital committees. He published original work and participated in clinical research while at The Pediatric Group. He and his wife are enjoying their retirement on the island of Bonaire in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean.