Welcoming New Patients

We make every effort to meet the needs of our patients, offering both routine well visits and sick visit appointments. We encourage our patients to make an appointment by calling our office. Because of the unique schedules of teenagers, the Adolescent Clinic encourages walk-is as well as scheduled appointments for your convenience. 

Yes!  We want you to see that provider you would like to see if at all possible. Please let the office know which provider you would like to see at the time of scheduling your appointment.

We have a provider on call 24/7/365. When our office is closed overnight and you have an urgent issue that cannot wait until morning, you can call our after-hours care and the provider on-call will give you advice regarding your child's problem. Please call (256) 381-9350 for after-hours care.

We also offer weekend hours at our main office in Tuscumbia for our patients. Weekend clinic is a walk-in clinic from 8-11am on Saturday and 1-4pm on Sunday. We do not answer office phones on weekends and you do not have to schedule an appoinment.

In general, we ask for a 24 hour or the longest notice you can give us if you are going to miss your appointment. This allows another child to be seen in that slot. If you are late for an appointment that is not urgent such as a check-up, you may be asked to reschedule. We will never turn away a sick child; however, if you have requested a provider and you are late, you may be worked in with the next provider available. 

We have Spanish translators available at our Tuscumbia, Florence and Russellville locations during the week. We have a language line with a live translator via phone that provides access to hundreds of languages.

We accept most major insurance companies. We accept BCBS, Alabama Medicaid, Tricare, Aetna, Cigna and United Health Care to name the major ones. Please make sure you give us a call to see be sure we accept your policy. It is your responsibility to know the limits and coverage of your particular health insurance policy.

Our billing staff will do their best to assist you with insurance questions; however, if you have questions about your coverage, it is best to check with your specific insurance company.

Yes, we accept patients with Alabama Medicaid. Please call our office with any questions about Medicaid visits or to schedule an appointment.

Yes! Dr. Melvin is a veteran and we think taking care of the children of our military is our duty as well as our priviledge. 

Yes. Insurance co-pays are expected to be paid at the time of service. If you are unable to pay, you will need to speak with the billing department prior to the visit.

• Your insurance card
• A photo id of parent or guardian
• Any paperwork we might need
• An immunization record
• Any custody paperwork

We ask that a parent or guardian be present at the first visit. 

Years of experience and education has led us to believe all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics. These vaccines and their schedule are the results of many years of scientific study.  This means the vaccines given together and the age at which they are given are researched and determined to be the safest and most effective in this order and combination. 

Vaccines are a victim of their success. Because they have been so effective, many parents now have not seen the illnesses that we vaccinate against. That, coupled with inaccurate information on the internet, has made vaccines seem unimportant or even dangerous to some people. This is not scientifically accurate. Dr. Melvin has seen many of these illnesses due to his long tenure as a physician and he is very adamant about the importance of vaccines. All providers will be happy to discuss vaccines with you.

We do not allow unvaccinated patients to remain patients of TVP. We require all vaccines that the schools require. In addition to the above information, we cannot put our tiny babies and medically fragile children at risk in our office with contact with unvaccinated children. Again because of the above information, we do not think altered vaccine schedules are appropriate. We only follow the researched CDC schedule.

The reason we are selective in our recommendation of urgent cares is that many routinely give antibiotics and steroids to every patient, whether needed or not. This can be very detrimental to your child’s long term and even immediate health. We do not promise you an antibiotic with every visit because every illness does not require one nor is it in the best interest of your child. We are very cautious with steroids and they are not frequently recommended in young children. They often cause more problems than they fix. We do promise to support our parents and caregivers to help our patients feel better in the best way we can. There is not an instant cure for all illnesses, especially viruses. We understand busy working parents but some illnesses still only need “chicken soup” and "rest.”