About Us

Pediatric Practices of NE PA (PPNP) is a general pediatric practice located in the rural region of Northeast Pennsylvania north and east of Interstate Highways 81 & 84. The group consists of 5 pediatricians, 2 physician's assistants, and 2 nurse practitioners. We currently serve over 13,000 active patients in four offices located in Wayne and Pike counties. PPNP provides not only routine outpatient pediatric care, but also provides office consultations for more complex, chronically ill children and attends routine pediatric inpatients at Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale.

PPNP was formed in 1976 when Dr. Alan Kohrt came to Tafton to fulfill his commitment to the National Health Service Corp. Soon thereafter a second office was opened in Honesdale next to Wayne Memorial Hospital. Subsequently satellite offices opened in Carbondale (1979), Hamlin (1984), and Milford (1992). "If you build it, they will come" seemed to be the PPNP motto for a while as Drs. Robert Morton (1984), Paul Diamond (1990), Theresa LaFranco (1994), Amy Betz (2000), and Alexander Pinsky (2009) joined PPNP. The support staff has grown to over 40 people and offices now operate full time Monday through Friday at all of our practice sites. Honesdale remains the hub of PPNP and sees patients by appointment 6 days per week and Sundays for emergencies.

By 1990 we had outgrown the original Honesdale office and subsequently moved to the present 4000+ square foot location about 1 mile from Wayne Memorial Hospital. In 1993 The Carbondale office moved from a building adjacent to Carbondale General Hospital to a building across from Carbondale High School and in 2007 relocated once more to a new office in nearby Waymart. In 1998 the Hamlin and Tafton practices were combined and moved into a 5000+ square foot building in Sterling Township.

PPNP has been computerized since 1988 for scheduling and billing services and since that time all offices have been linked "live". Electronic Claims are state of the art and improve office efficiency. Computerized scheduling is an important feature for staff and patients. It improves our ability to find available appointments and allows parents to schedule new or follow-up appointments at any of our offices regardless of which office they are being seen. Many of our managed care referrals are now done directly through the Internet. Physicians can access the office computer from their home computers. Facsimile machines in all offices speed the communication of information between offices and/ or the hospital. Wayne Memorial hospital radiological services are now digital allowing all offices to access and view X-rays from our office. Online we can also access lab results from Wayne Memorial Hospital and view Geisinger providers' notes and lab reports on our patients.

All our offices have medication and equipment to stabilize and begin treatment for children with life threatening emergencies. Additionally pulse oximetry is available in the offices as well as routine CBCs, strep tests, urinalysis, throat and urine cultures. In the office we have the ability to suture or glue simple lacerations, do minor surgical procedures using local anesthesia, and apply fiberglass splints for uncomplicated sprains and simple fractures. Pediatric Practices of NE PA is committed to providing the highest quality possible in pediatric care.

The world has changed tremendously in the last 20 years. Advances in immunizations, office testing and medical equipment suitable for home use has decreased the overall need for hospital admissions. Nurse Practitioners Janet Eisele (Waymart/Honesdale) and Lee Gonzalez (Honesdale/Sterling) along with Physician Assistants "Joey" Soward (Honesdale/Sterling) and Steve Cahoon (Milford/Honesdale) are now an integral part of our organization and essential members of our provider team. They provide competent, personable, and professional pediatric care and help us meet the increasing need for timely appointments. Our goal remains to meet the medical needs of children as quickly, professionally, and pleasantly as possible and to provide a range of primary care pediatric providers so that every patient has a provider that they can reach and relate to.

Looking into the future you will see more positive changes. As of July 2010 our group discontinued nursery coverage at Wayne Memorial Hospital and increased office hours to better meet the demand for outpatient services. Not covering the nursery also allows us to run more on time by eliminating interruptions and last minute cancellations due to emergency deliveries and C-sections. Keeping with national trends, nursery coverage at Wayne Memorial Hospital is now provided by hospital-employed pediatricians. Goals for the near future are to add another pediatrician and integrate an Electronic Health Record (EHR). EHRs will make all of your child's medical information available regardless of which office he/she is being seen in, thus enhancing continuity and making our care more comprehensive and safer.

Always committed to improving care, our practice became a Certified Medical Home in December 2010. A Medical Home is a comprehensive approach to healthcare with the emphasis on the partnership between families, children with special healthcare needs, and pediatric clinicians. It is a partnership that enhances continuity, empowers families to make decisions, and enables the healthcare providers to learn from each experience to help better serve patients. One of the first projects implemented by our Medical Home team was a “Parent Partner Group” or parent advisory board. Two families represent each of the four offices and provide the “parent perspective” for our Medical Home team. They are the voice of the families, a resource to other parents in need, and help ensure that our services target the needs of families. To learn more about this concept visit www.pamedicalhome.org