Frequently asked questions.

FAQs

  • Lactation consultants are integral supporters of breastfeeding and are part of any breastfeeding care team. Some breastfeeding problems are beyond the scope of practice of a lactation consultant (who is licensed to educate and counsel only). When there are more complicated problems, a physician with expertise in breastfeeding is necessary. See the list of common problems that Breastfeeding Medicine physicians can help manage here.

  • In Touch Pediatrics and Lactation does not directly contract with any insurance companies. We are paid directly for our services by our patients, which allows us to be reimbursed adequately in order to provide more personalized and unhurried care for our patients. You may be able to get a significant portion of your fees covered by insurance through our partner, The Lactation Network (TLN). Find out more about TLN below. Upon request, you can also be given a Superbill or itemized receipt that you can submit to your insurance for possible out-of-network reimbursement.

  • Dr. Rubin is not a member of any insurance plan.  This is good news - it means she can see your child no matter what insurance you carry! This is also what allows Dr. Rubin to spend more time with you during your visits with her and to really focus on you and your needs. She can provide a Superbill or invoice for specific services that you can submit to your insurance, and she would be considered out-of-network for these. 

    We have partnered with Reimbursify for you to easily submit your claims for out-of-network health insurance reimbursement from your smartphone. Submitting claims via Reimbursify is free and easy. Download the app here.

  • TLN is a third-party organization that can utilize your lactation services through your insurance company to cover a significant portion of your total In Touch Lactation fees.

    They currently accept most Blue Cross PPO, Blue Shield PPO, Anthem PPO, Cigna PPO, Humana PPO, and VA CCN(Veterans Affairs Community Care Network) plans as well as most plans that utilize MultiPlan and PNOA. You can click here to verify your beneifts and then In Touch can provide you with the details of any remaining costs for the physician services not covered by TLN.

  • In Touch Pediatrics will charge you using Stripe via our Electronic Medical Record, Hint All-in-One. Via Stripe, you can do bank transfer or credit card (bank transfer is preferred as it carries a smaller fee). You may also pay by cash or check if preferred.  Dr. Rubin will accept payment with an HSA/FSA card, but cannot guarantee that the membership fees will be covered through your health savings account.  We recommend you contact your FSA and HSA prior to using your card. 

    Upon request, we are happy to offer a payment plan to spread out your payments as well.

  • Absolutely!  Dr. Rubin is a referring, ordering and prescribing physician for Illinois Medicaid.  While she is not part of any specific Medicaid plan or HMO and patients cannot be assigned to her as their PCP, she is still able to see them as patients, and she is able to order medications, labwork, and imaging that can be covered by Medicaid, and refer you to other specialists or back to your primary care physician if needed to coordinate your care.  Please ask about our payment plans to help ease the cost of our services when needed.

  • When you sign up for Breastfeeding services with In Touch Pediatrics and Lactation, you will have direct access to Dr. Rubin for questions and urgencies related to the problem that brought you to the practice.

    If your baby is getting their full pediatric care with Dr. Rubin through the 4th Trimester Package, then Dr. Rubin will be on-call for any urgent, non-urgent, or emergent issues that may arise with you baby during the 8 week package. There may be times, though, when Dr. Rubin feels your child will be safest in an emergency room or hospital and she will refer you there. 

    For parents in the 4th Trimester Package or receiving stand-along Breastfeeding Medicine services, Dr. Rubin is considered a consultant, not a primary care physician. Emergent needs should be forwarded to your primary care physician or birth provider or you should be seen in the Emergency Room. You may contact Dr. Rubin and if your issue is within her scope of practice and she is able to provide care for you in a safe and timely way, she will be happy to do it, but it cannot be guaranteed, especially after-hours or on weekends.

    In a life-threatening situation when you believe your child’s health (or yours) is in imminent danger, please call 911 or go straight to your nearest emergency room. 

  • Dr. Rubin is not on staff at any hospitals, but from her years of practice has relationships with neighboring physicians and hospitals.  If your baby needs to be hospitalized during the 4th Trimester Package, Dr. Rubin will keep in touch with your hospital care team and her ability to provide close follow-up may help get your child discharged earlier than typical.    

  • Breastfeeding Medicine Consults are for people experiencing specific lactation challenges that require the evaluation and management of a Breastfeeding Medicine specialist. These can also include stand-alone prenatal consults if you are at risk of having challenges or simply want to be better prepared.

    4th Trimester Packages are more comprehensive and include a prenatal preparation visit and 6 weeks of pediatric and lactation care in your home with Dr. Rubin. These packages provide convenient postpartum support, newborn care, and breast- or bottle-feeding assistance and help guide families through those first weeks after coming home after delivery so that they get off to a smooth start.

    All of these packages are considered physician services and a Superbill will be provided that you can submit to your insurance for out-of-network reimbursement.

  • Absolutely! How you choose to feed your baby is your choice, and Dr. Rubin offers her 4th Trimester Packages to families who choose not to breastfeed, without judgement. The 4th Trimester is a challenging and exhausting time, regardless of how you feed your baby, and all mothers and families can benefit from a 4th Trimester Package.

    The Lactation Network will only reimburse for lactation-specific visits. If you are not planning to lactate at all, you will not be able to utilize TLN services, but Dr. Rubin is still happy to see you.

  • Dr. Rubin will provide general pediatric care for babies enrolled in her 4th Trimester Packages. This package includes 8 weeks of newborn general pediatric care - including well-checks and sick visits during that time, all taking place in your home. After 8 weeks, she will transition your baby to your chosen long-term pediatrician, and is happy to provide recommendations if you would like.

  • Dr. Rubin is a Board-Certified pediatrician and Lactation Consultant.  She is only able to care for adults in the context of problems related to lactation or breastfeeding.  Though In Touch Pediatrics is the first (and currently only!) purely pediatrics and lactation practice in the Western Chicagoland suburbs, there are some membership-based practices in the area that do care for adults, and Dr. Rubin would be happy to provide you with referrals upon request. 

  • Dr. Rubin practices evidence-based medicine and advises her patients (young and old) to follow the CDC recommended vaccine schedule.

    Vaccine administration is not automatically included in our 4th Trimester Packages. Dr. Rubin recommends that your baby receive their first Hepatitis B before discharge from the hospital (this is routine at most hospitals). Your baby’s next vaccines will be the 2-month vaccines at your baby’s 2-month well-check with their longterm pediatrician.

    If a family prefers for the routines mentioned above to be administered by Dr. Rubin in their home, this may be able to be arranged, with the vaccines charged to your insurance. She can also potentially give influenza and TdaP vaccines to family members if she has them available, upon request.

  • This question was asked by a parent who apologized for the silly question, but it’s not silly at all!  This is something that any doctor doing house calls should be prepared for.  Rest assured that Dr. Rubin DOES like dogs, and happens to have a sweet, large, and barky German Shepherd herself. 

  • If you are interested in signing up for a 4th Trimester Package with In Touch Pediatrics, the first step is scheduling a virtual “meet and greet” with Dr. Rubin.  That way you can both get to know each other better, and determine whether In Touch Pediatrics is a good fit for your family.  Dr. Rubin will then send you on-boarding information and schedule your first appointment!

    If you’d like to schedule a Breastfeeding Medicine Consult, please click here to start the ball rolling.