Who is a part of your practice?
Our staff includes one pediatrician, one physician assistants, and one pediatric nurse practitioner.
Our pediatrician:
Our mid level providers:
With which hospital is the physician affiliated?
Dr. Pruitt has privileges at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital - San Marcos. If a child is sick enough to be admitted to the hospital, we prefer Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin or Texas Children’s Hospital in Austin due to their specialization in high-quality pediatric care.
I am expecting a new baby. Do I need to see the doctor before I deliver?
Seeing the doctor prior to delivery is not necessary, but please feel free to call with any questions or concerns. After you are discharged from the hospital, we recommend making a newborn appointment at three to six days of age. We want to make sure your newborn is eating and growing well, follow up on concerns from birth, and answers any questions you have. We will then determine when to schedule your next follow up, this is usually at a 2-week well visit.
What are your office hours? When are you closed?
Our office hours are Monday through Thursday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm and Friday 8:00 am-12:00pm. We close for lunch between 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm.
We are not open New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Friday after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
What do I do if I need assistance after hours?
If you require emergency assistance, please call 911. If you have an urgent matter and unsure if your child needs immediate care, please call the free St. David Children’s Hospital Nurse line (844-533-5437 (KIDS). If your child needs to be seen before the next business day, it is important to seek an urgent care facility that has providers specifically trained in pediatrics if possible. General urgent care facilities may not have the same level of expertise for pediatric patients. The list below includes our top recommendations:
4477 S Lamar Blvd Suite 400, Austin, TX 78745
(512) 892-9231
Monday-Friday 4:30 pm- 11:30 pm
Saturday- Sunday 12 pm- 8 pm
Austin Diagnostic Clinic Circle C
5701 W Slaughter Lane, Building C, Austin, TX 78749
(512) 901-1111
Monday-Friday 3 pm- 8 pm
Saturday-Sunday 9 am- 5 pm
1500 West 38th Street, Suite 20, Austin, TX 78731
(512) 499-2452
Monday-Sunday 6:30 pm - 10:30 pm
What is a Physician Assistant (PA)? What is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)?
A Physician Assistant (PA) practices medicine on health care teams with other physicians and providers. A PA holds a Master's degree from a medical school and a graduate of an accredited PA program. Most programs are three years long and require the same prerequisite courses as medical schools. A PA completes a total of more than 2,000 hours of clinical rotations in family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, general surgery, emergency medicine, and psychiatry. After completion of the program, a PA must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE). A PA holds a license from the State Medical Board in which they practice. Certification is maintained by completing continuing medical education every two years and passing a re-certification exam every ten years.
A Pediatric Nurse Pracititioner (PNP) is a nurse that has an advance degree, usually Master's of Science in Nursing and advanced clinical training beyond initial registered nurse preparation. This advanced training allows a PNP to perform physical examinations, diagnose and treat common childhood illnesses, and educate families focusing on disease prevention. A PNP holds a nursing license from the State Board of Nursing in which they practice allowing prescriptive authority to be within their scope of practice. A PNP must pass a national board certification exam which is specific to pediatrics. A PNP works in collaboration with the entire health care team to meet the physical and emotional needs of your child. Along with offering clinical services, a PNP advocates for health promotion, disease prevention, and health education. A PNP works in partnership with parents in managing your child's health.
Your child will receive the same high quality care whether they see a PA or PNP. Your child's visit will be covered by insurance if they see a PA or PNP and both can prescribe medication. The difference between a PA and PNP is the training and experience. While a PA is trained as a generalist under the medical model of practice, a PNP is trained under the nursing model of practice focusing only in pediatrics.
When might I see the PA or PNP?
We utilize our PA and PNP in order to see your child in a timely manner. There may be an occasion when your physician is unavailable and in those instances there is a PA or PNP available to see your child. You may see a PA or PNP for any well child examinations or sick visits.
What should one expect when seeing a PA or PNP?
As a partner in your child's health a PA or PNP can:
Serve as a health provider for well and sick children from newborn through adolescence
Diagnose and medically manage common pediatric illnesses
Perform routine well visit check-ups and give anticipatory guidance
Perform developmental screenings
Provide childhood immunizations
Perform school physicals
Order and interpret diagnostic tests like lab work and x-rays
Prescribe medication and other treatments
Initiate referrals to other health care providers
Will I always see the same provider?
You get to choose, as you become familiar with the staff, you may find a provider that you or your child prefers. There will be times when your chosen provider might not be available, but you can be seen by a different provider.
What if I have an emergency, can I just walk in and be seen?
If you think it's an emergency call us first, or if you are really worried go to the emergency room where they are equipped to handle true emergencies. We do not accept walk-ins. If your child is stable, we will schedule them for the next available appointment.
How often do you see infants in the first year?
During the first year our recommendations for well visits are based on your child's growth and development. By using growth measurements, developmental screening tools, and physical examination we can address any concerns that might require intervention. After discharge from the hospital we recommend a newborn visit between three and six days of age. The next routine well-child exam occurs at two weeks, two months, four months, six months, nine months, and twelve months.
What if I have a question but I am not sure if I need to see a provider?
We have a specially trained staff of pediatric nurses and medical assistants to answer many of your childcare and medical questions. Our nurses can address your concerns regarding fevers, colds, feeding problems, flu, constipation, breathing problems and a variety of other issues. They work closely with our health providers to assure that your concerns are resolved.
How do you handle prescription refills?
If it is a prescription medicine please contact your pharmacy and the pharmacy will send a refill request to your provider or call our office during business hours to request the refill.
For ADHD medication refills a 1 week notification is required for in office pickup and 10 day notification is required for mail delivery.
What about camp forms, school forms, or shot records?
We must have a signed document authorizing our office to release of any medical information from our office or to receive documents from another office. Please give us 24 hours to complete and send immunization records or camp/school/sports forms. A 30 day period is allotted for transfers of complete medical records from our office.
What insurance do you take?
We accept most major medical insurances; however, you will need to contact your insurance company to see if Dr. Pruitt is on your approved provider list.
We do not accept Medicaid or any Medicaid affiliated insurances but do offer Private Pay discount services for uninsured or out-of-network patients.
We do insurance referrals for all HMO and HealthSelect plans. Dr. Pruitt must be listed as the PCP in order for our office to complete the insurance referral. We also ask for 7 business days to complete referrals.
What is your policy regarding immunization status?
We firmly believe in the AAP and CDC recommended vaccination schedule and advocate that our patients follow this schedule on time. The rationale for the current vaccine schedule is to protect infants and children when they are most vulnerable for contracting these highly-contagious and sometimes fatal diseases. However, we do not refuse patients based on their vaccination status.