In reply
In contrast with the experience described by Drs Foels and Terranova, in which a health plan provides nurse call center telephone triage for members at no cost to the physicians, most pediatric practices that use nurse call centers for after-hours telephone care pay a fee for these services. Although children's hospitals that sponsor call centers frequently underwrite a portion of the costs,1 the financial burden, with charges ranging from $5 to $15 per call, can be substantial.