mmasc Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I found out in order to take swimming lessons my kids need a sports physical. That's fine I guess, except their peds office can't get them in for a well visit until a month from now. They said a sports physical was basically the same as a well visit and that's how they would schedule it. So, I checked our walk-in/urgent care-type offices and they all do them for a private pay amount. Highest was $40, lowest was $29. Does this sound normal? Do I just walk in and pay (X3 kids) to get this physical done? Or do you usually take DC to ped? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 We have never been asked for sports physicals for swimming lessons. That sounds strange to me. My youngest does swimming lessons and water polo and just signed up for summer swim team and no one has asked for anything like that before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Short answer - we do well-visits every year and take all sports physicals forms in then. Have you had well visits in the last year? Our ped will complete forms if we just drop them off, as long as they've had a well-check in the last year. The $29-40 sounds right. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 My kids have never needed a physical for any sport (including swim) either. Would a copy of their most recent well-visit (with a note saying they can do any sports) be good enough (I'm assuming their last well-visit was under a year ago)? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I've done sports physicals at the walk-in clinic twice in the past two years. It costs us $35 and takes 5-10 minutes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 My ped will fill out the sports physical forms as long as they had a well visit in the past year. They charge $10 per kid for the forms if you don't bring them in when they have their physical. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 At our ped, their physicals are "good" for a year. So if it's been less than a year since the last one they'll just fill out the forms based on that last check-up. We just usually bring our paperwork at each year's check-up for school sports. The walk-in clinics here usually charge about $30-40. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Yes, it's totally normal to have to pay out of pocket for a sports physical. It's not the same as a regular physical from the insurance company's perspective. It's a waste of time and money IMHO, but they can't play without one so we try to go when our local clinic does them for $20 in the summer. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Library Momma Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 My ped will fill out the sports physical forms as long as they had a well visit in the past year. They charge $10 per kid for the forms if you don't bring them in when they have their physical. This is my experience as well except the fee is $5, unless you need it within 48 hours. Then it goes up to $10. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I always got the sports physical form filled out at regular check-ups. It's free then, so I went ahead and got it even if I didn't know for sure the boys would need it for anything. At our pediatrician to have the form filled out during the year was (I think) $10. But they would only do it if the child had had a check-up within the past year. At the urgent care clinics around here sports physicals are generally $25. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Also, if your kid is a multi-season athlete, make copies. I need the same form signed 3x/yr for cheer-but as long as the date is within the past 12 months they don't care. So the pediatrician does it at DD's well child visit in November, I make three copies, and I give them to them in January, June, and September, since apparently they can't carry a form through each season even within the same year. I also used the same form for her summer program-again, as long as it was within the last 12 months, they didn't care that it had been signed in November. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmasc Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Thank you all! So I guess I need to be taking sports physical forms every year to the well visit just in case we end up playing a sport. That's a great tip! It is interesting to hear so many of you say that as long as it has been within a year, your ped will fill out the form. Our kids went in August so it seems like they should fill out the forms for us, even with a fee. That would be much better than the walk-in clinic fees. Hmmmm...maybe I should call the Drs office again. Unfortunately, it isn't the first time I've been disappointed with them. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I've never heard of a physical required for swim lessons, but they're probably trying to avoid liability issues. Our family doctor's office (4 physicians total) does sports physicals the first 30 minutes, several days a week. The normal fee is $20 per athlete. It is a very superficial test, IMO. My youngest son passed his for soccer a couple of years ago. Several knowledgeable health professionals (nurses, in particular) have just looked at him and asked me "Have you had him checked for Marfan's?" At 6'4" and 130 pounds, he is almost a walking advertisement for the condition. The family doctor had said not to worry about it when I asked years ago. A couple of weeks ago, I pushed (with some nudging from a nurse friend) to get him to a cardiologist. Sure enough, he has an "enlarged aortic root, consistent with Marfan's". People (including athletes) have died from this! A young man -- probable top-10 draft pick -- was denied the opportunity to play in the NBA last year because of this. But an echocardiogram is expensive, so it's not done routinely. I don't know why the NCAA doesn't screen for it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Make sure they know for sure who your DC are. I had my office try to pull that with me once, and it turned out they had DD mixed up with an older child who they hadn't actually seen in some time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Never had a physical for swim lessons all summer camps have required them high school sports requires them special olympics sports requires them Our ped office just has you drop off the forms. If a well child check has been down within a year then they fill it out and call you to pick up. Any physicals required for school are free. Sport and camp physical have an admin fee ($20, I think, maybe it's $10) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Your swim lesson provider does not know what your pediatrician's signature looks like. Or what his name is, for that matter. Neither does the camp director or the baseball coach. Just an observation that I might or might not have used in the past. That said, the big thing that kids around here fail sports physicals for is blood pressure, so they are not always a waste of time. But mostly they are. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 That's a bargain price. If they have regular physicals anyway, I may or may not like plansme's suggestion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Your swim lesson provider does not know what your pediatrician's signature looks like. Or what his name is, for that matter. Neither does the camp director or the baseball coach. Just an observation that I might or might not have used in the past. That said, the big thing that kids around here fail sports physicals for is blood pressure, so they are not always a waste of time. But mostly they are. I think forging a physician's signature is a felony!! I'm not sure about regular signatures but I'm pretty sure that's illegal as well. 😳 ETA - This is what it implied to me, though I may have read it wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Check for specials and coupons. Care Now in our area often has specials for sport physicals this time of year. You have to check the website because the employees usually don't know. Otherwise, the prices you have been quoted are reasonable for this area. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I think forging a physician's signature is a felony!! I'm not sure about regular signatures but I'm pretty sure that's illegal as well. 😳 ETA - This is what it implied to me, though I may have read it wrong. Forging a physical for swim lessons is not a felony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I think forging a physician's signature is a felony!! I'm not sure about regular signatures but I'm pretty sure that's illegal as well. 😳 ETA - This is what it implied to me, though I may have read it wrong. I don't think she meant forge an actual doctor's signature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrulySusan Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 If you have more time than money, you might ask if your local high schools are giving sports physicals soon. Our local HS just did them last week for $10/kid as a fund raiser for their sports medicine program. I'm not sure how common this is, but it's a great deal if you can find it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 For just basic swimming lessons? That's crazy! I'm sorry you're having to jump through that hoop. That would just make me want to scribble out the forms and hand them in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Definitely do whatever is cheapest. Sometimes, insurance will pay for one well-child visit/year. If so, do that and bring your sports forms. Otherwise, do whatever is cheapest. They just need to check off things on a list and sign. ETA: Our public school system requires sports exams every three years. Maybe your community lessons decided to follow the same requirements? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 My kids have needed sports physicals for swim Team (and healthcare forms for daycare), but not for just regular lessons. I would double check to verify this information and why they want the information. I would also ask how they secure the medical information on the forms. I would check with the doctors office again about signing the physical now since you have been in in the past year. Unless your insurance requires you to have 12 months between physicals, I would seriously consider finding a pediatricians office that can get you in sooner for their physical and sports forms. I can see some greedy doctors charging extra for things like that, but honestly I have never heard of it in our area. I have been in the room when our doctor filled out our kids forms, it literally took him a couple of minutes to open her computer file, copy some information (asthma meds) and to sign it and hand it to me. If it was at her appointment or not, it would not have taken him any extra time to fill out the form, just the extra effort for the nurse to put it in an envelope and put it at the front desk for you. . My older kids have had physicals since they were fairly young, and I have never had to pay any fee to have them filled out (at an appointment or not). Unless I didn't have another option, I would drop a pediatrician that charged extra for such a minor inconvenience. Our pediatrician asks at each physical if we would like a sports form filled out. If we don't have them with us, they keep a stack for each school district in our area and will just fill out the appropriate form....they even ask if we would like for them to fax it to the sports office at the school. Then will fax it and then hand you the original for future use. We have great doctors at this practice and I hear similar great things at other offices in our area as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 If you have a chiropractor you might want to call them. Some of them can actually fill it out. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmasc Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 For just basic swimming lessons? That's crazy! I'm sorry you're having to jump through that hoop. That would just make me want to scribble out the forms and hand them in. The Army way of life...if they aren't making us jump through hoops and fill out forms, there would be nothing left to do. ;) I think I'm giving my ped another call in the morning. I'll see what receptionist #2 has to say about it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Forging a physical for swim lessons is not a felony. According to whom? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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