Disclosure :: this post is sponsored by our friend and fellow Baton Rouge mom, Kortney, the owner and founder of West Pediatrics, LLC, Baton Rouge’s ONLY concierge pediatric practice.
Pediatric House Calls Now Available in Baton Rouge
In January of 2017, Dr. Kortney West, a board certified pediatrician, founded West Pediatrics, LLC in Baton Rouge. Dr. West steps outside of the 
boundaries of a traditional brick and mortal pediatric practice and brings her practice directly to your Baton Rouge area home! Sick visits and well visits are conducted in your very own living room. We are honored to have the chance to ask her some questions about this new and innovative model!
Why did you start West Pediatrics?
I wanted to do things a different way. Mainly, I did not want a patient/doctor relationship to be defined by a 15 minute pediatric visit a couple of times a year. So, I created my own practice where I can focus on my pediatric patients (and their parents!) and put their needs above all else.
What is different about West Pediatrics?
West Pediatrics, which serves the greater Baton Rouge area, is centered on two types of care: 24/7 access to me, the only employee of West Pediatrics, and in person house calls when I need to see your children. As physicians, our primary focus is, rightfully, our patients’ health. And in traditional pediatric practices, the conversation mostly ends there. I wanted to keep it going – I want to make parents’ lives easier too!
24/7 access, what does that entail?
Just like it sounds, 24/7 access means my patients can get in touch with me whenever they want. They will my have personal cell phone number, not a business number, and not a 3rd party answering service. They will be able to text, call, or email me, at their convenience. If a patient has a bad rash, parents can Facetime me to look at it instead of scheduling an appointment, taking off of work/school … you get the drift.
I hope that personalized access to the pediatrician herself is really what separates West Pediatrics from other traditional pediatric practices. I can pull this off when a lot of pediatricians can’t because I limit my patient enrollment to about 10-20% of the average pediatrician. That way, I am always available to Baton Rouge parents.
And house calls? Like they did back in the day?
Exactly! This is a new but old pediatric model. I have 2 kids, and my husband and I both work, so I know that physically going to the doctor can be very difficult – throw in multiple kids and a three-hour waiting room stint, and it’s just plain hard. I want to give Baton Rouge families another option; instead of loading up a bunch of kids, especially SICK kids, and going to the doctor, as your pediatrician I am going to come to you.
What are the common questions you get when talking to parents about West Pediatrics?
The first one is always “do you take insurance?” And I want to be very upfront on that point – no, I do not. That said, many insurance plans will reimburse aspects of West Pediatrics’s care, and a lot of what I do in my pediatric practice aims to reduce costs and face-to-face visits with the doctor, thereby saving Baton Rouge families both time and money.
The next question I always receive is related to pricing, which is understandable. Unfortunately, I don’t have a concrete answer because my pediatric services in Baton Rouge are not one size fits all; pricing varies depending on your family’s size and location. I want to emphasize, though, that I view my services as an investment in your child’s health. My vision is that we work together as a team to help keep your children healthy and proactively head off illnesses. I do believe that in the long run my model, which includes 24/7 access to the pediatrician and personalized house calls across Baton Rouge, can save your family time and money by saving you sick days or vacation days taking your kids to the doctor. Of course there is a trade off, but this is one that I believe a lot of parents will find to be of great value.
If you’re doing house calls, does that restrain your ability to provide some types of care?
Absolutely not. I have vaccines, as well as flu, RSV and strep tests (and much more) that I can administer right in the comfort of your home. If blood work or X-rays need to be taken, I can also order those at an outpatient lab and offer your family a similar turn around time to those items ordered at traditional pediatric practices.
What else do you think people should know about your practice?
The main thing I want to let Baton Rouge families and moms know is that I am here to answer questions. If you have any interest in my services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me and ask away! This is a new pediatric model for Baton Rouge, and I expect Baton Rouge moms and dads to have a lot of questions. I personally want to answer them! My website {www.westpediatrics.com} also has a ton of resources for you to browse. I also blog about once a month and link to some great resources (like Red Stick Moms Blog).
West Pediatrics, LLC
West Pediatrics, LLC is a concierge medical practice in Baton Rouge that provides an intimate patient-doctor relationship in order to promote optimal health care for your children, all in the comfort of your home.
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Dr. Kortney West is a board certified pediatrician. A Lafayette native, Dr. West is a two time LSU graduate (undergrad and medical school) and she completed her residency training at UT-Southwestern in Dallas, Texas. She is a member of The Emerge Center Board of Directors and Baton Rouge Junior League. She is active at St. James Church and St. Alban’s Chapel. Dr. West is the mother of 2 adorable children, Elizabeth (3) and Josh (8 months) and the proud wife to her husband Michael. She thoroughly enjoys cooking, LSU sports and dabbling in amateur painting. In January 2017, Dr. West founded West Pediatrics, LLC, a concierge pediatric practice aiming to change the way we view our pediatrician, bringing the focus of medical care back to children’s health, and preventative care in a convenient manner.
