HealthPartners and Park Nicollet pediatric care team includes the following types of primary care doctors and clinicians who care for children from their first checkup as a baby until they’re off to conquer the world.

• Family medicine doctors – The unique benefit of family medicine doctors is that they care for everyone in your family – from the new baby to grandma. They can provide highly personalized care because they’re familiar with your family’s medical history.
• Pediatricians – Pediatricians specialize in caring for children, from newborns through early adulthood. Trained to treat both minor illnesses and injuries, as well as more complex conditions, pediatricians are experts at keeping kids of all ages on track toward a healthy future.
• Physician assistants and nurse practitioners – Physician assistants and nurse practitioners provide medical care and are licensed to diagnose and treat illnesses, manage chronic diseases and prescribe medication for patients.
• Internal medicine/pediatrics doctors – A combined meds-peds physician has a dual board certification and can treat patients from newborn through adulthood. They are both pediatricians and internists.

All HealthPartners and Park Nicollet pediatric care specialists are passionate and experienced in children’s health care. They’re also dedicated to supporting parents, from checking in on how you’re doing and recommending helpful resources, to providing reassuring parenting tips for new moms and dads.

You can get started by making a pediatric appointment online.

Or you can choose a doctor or choose a location to get started.

You’re going to spend a lot of time with your child’s doctor, especially during their first year of well-baby checkups. Pediatricians and other primary care doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners are unique because they’re trained experts in hundreds of different health conditions. Many also have specialized expertise in certain areas, like diabetes or geriatrics. They work with you to coordinate your care, arrange for consults with specialists when needed and collaborate with other members of your care team to help make getting the help you need easier.

Choosing a doctor for your baby, toddler or big kid that you both feel comfortable with can make doctor visits a lot easier. As you look at the doctors available to you, here are some things to consider:

• Choose a doctor who is board certified. That means their education and experience goes beyond the state-issued permit to practice medicine, and the doctor has completed additional training and passed the required board exam.
• Choose someone you think you and your child can relate to by reviewing the online biographies. Ask yourself, “How does this doctor’s biography make me feel?” “How well does it communicate the doctor’s expertise and interests?”
• Choose a HealthPartners or Park Nicollet pediatric clinic that's close to home, school or work.
• Choose a doctor that’s part of a care group that has multiple care options, like convenient urgent care locations, online treatment (like Virtuwell) and a 24/7 nurse line to call with health questions.
• Choose a doctor and clinic that offers you access to online medical records for easy access to your child’s health history, lab results and immunization records.

Meet our team who cares for children and find one that’s right for your family.

If you need care, but can’t make the trip, don’t worry – there are still several ways to talk to our pediatric care specialists. Get care from any device for coughs and colds, ear pain, rashes, allergies and much more.

With video visits for kids’ health, you and your child can talk to your doctor and get personalized care and treatment – all without leaving home. A video visit includes everything you’d expect in an office visit.

For kids age 2 and older, our online clinic, Virtuwell, also treats many common conditions. Board-certified nurse practitioners are available around the clock to learn more about your child’s symptoms and develop a customized treatment plan, day or night.

We’re different in small ways, like making kids feel comfortable during appointments, and big ways, like our community-wide health initiatives.

We know that health and well-being begin at birth. Research shows a strong link between health and well-being early in life and better health outcomes later in life. We have the opportunity to positively impact the health of the children in our community, and we take it seriously. We’re one of the largest pediatric practices in the Twin Cities, with over 50 clinics, and are proud to earn positive patient care ratings in pediatrics and primary care.

We include developmental screenings at all of our well-child visits that focus on social and emotional well-being in addition to the usual developmental milestones. From nutrition tips to behavioral issues and autism screening, we are there to support all of your needs.

Our clinics also have innovative teen questionnaires that carefully assess teens for issues that are unique to their age group, including screenings for mental and sexual health. This includes having confidential visit time with their doctor so teens can ask questions and share how things are going in their life.

Sports and school physicals are part of the summer routine, so clinics also have convenient options for getting physicals completed and all of the forms that you need before the school year starts.

Here are some of our efforts to support parents, children and our community:

• Children’s Health Initiative – We have initiatives to support mothers and children from pregnancy through adolescence. Our three focus areas are promoting early brain development, providing family-centered care and strengthening communities.
• PowerUp – PowerUp is our community-wide youth health initiative to make better eating and active living easy, fun and popular, so that our youth can reach their full potential.
• Reach Out & Read – This national program gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric well-checks and encouraging families to read aloud together.

Parenting is important work, so we do our best to make your child’s health care a little easier. Here are some of the reasons parents choose us:

• Online account offers easy access to medical records, immunization records, lab results and bill pay.
• We offer convenient online appointment scheduling.
• You'll receive text reminders for appointments and when lab results are ready.
• We have 20 pediatric urgent care locations.
• Our online clinic Virtuwell can get you care from anywhere, with a diagnosis, treatment plan and prescription if needed.

Download our pediatric vaccination schedule for a look at what immunizations your child will need from birth until they reach 18 years old.

Yes. Minnesota law requires school-age children to get their immunizations before they attend school unless they have written proof that they are exempt from getting vaccines. In order to make it easier for your child to get their vaccines, the Park Nicollet Foundation supports the No Shots, No School program.

The No Shots, No School program starts in August and runs until the second week of September. Our participating locations offer immunization-only appointments. A limited number of same-day appointments are available.

Immunization appointments are available to any child – they don’t have to be an established patient at our clinics. And we provide immunizations at no direct charge to your family.

To learn more about the No Shots, No School program and find participating locations, visit our No Shots, No School information page.

When it comes to your child’s health, there’s no time like the present. We have options for those moments when your family needs help now. (If you have a medical emergency, please call 911.)

Evening appointments – Several of our clinics offer evening appointments for extra convenience. Check the clinics near you for hours.

Pediatric urgent care – See a doctor for minor illnesses and injuries at any one of our 20 Minnesota or western Wisconsin locations. Open weekdays, weekends and some holidays with no appointment needed. View our urgent care locations.

Call for 24/7 help – When you need help or advice, we have nurse lines to help answer your questions:

• For HealthPartners patients, please call 612-339-3663 or 800-551-0859.
• For Park Nicollet patients, please call your clinic directly. If after business hours, please call 952-993-4665.
• For questions and advice on new baby care, call our 24/7 BabyLine at 612-333-2229 or toll free at 800-845-9297.

Virtuwell – Get treatment from our online clinic, Virtuwell, for 60+ common health conditions wherever you are, on any device.

Primary care doctors and pediatricians are trained to treat almost all kids’ health conditions. Specialists are trained to treat the most complex conditions, especially those that don’t respond to the most common course of treatment. If your child needs something more, we’ll connect you with the right specialist for your child.

We accept most health insurance plans, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, CIGNA, HealthPartners, Medica, Medicare, PreferredOne and many others.

Not sure what your insurance covers? Call the number on the back of your card for help looking at your options.

Don’t have your card in front of you? Here are member services numbers to help you get started:

• HealthPartners: 800-883-2177
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota: 800-382-2000
• CIGNA: 800-244-6224 (insurance through work); 866-494-2111 (insurance directly or through the Exchange)
• Medica: 800-952-3455
• Medicare: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
• PreferredOne: 763-847-4477 (in the Twin Cities); 800-997-1750 (outside the metro area)
• United Healthcare: 877-842-3210