Questions in between appointments

It’s very common that patients have questions about their treatment plan and future as they are working on their health. As we start exploring what your needs are, you’re going to notice new things, make new connections and have questions about how to fit your plan into your life and sometimes you don't know that you have questions until after your office visit. It’s normal to have questions, and we want to ensure that you feel supported during your journey working with us.

Recently we have made updates as to how we handle patient portal requests for questions received in between appointments to better facilitate portal communication and efficiency in care. Here are a few tips to help you manage your questions between appointments.

If you are struggling with aspects of your nutrition plan, remember that this part will likely take the longest and require the most troubleshooting for us to get things right. Write down your questions about your nutrition, where you’re needing ideas or solutions and what your pain points are, and we can talk about it in your next appointment. You can’t make a mistake with your food choices! If you have a question about if a specific food should or should not be included just make the best decision that you can with the information provided at your last visit--typically these are fine point details that are okay to wait to clarify until your next appointment. If you need to deviate from what we talked about, just note it down!
If you need assistance with finding a doctor for a referral that you need and a specific doctor was not recommended at your office visit we would recommend that you reach out to your insurance for assistance in locating a provider. For most health insurance plans you do not need a specific written referral from our office to schedule appointments with specialists.
If you’re struggling with the timing of your supplements, just do your best. There are a few nutrients that can’t be taken together or have to be taken away from your prescription drugs. If you’re not sure about your medications, talk to your pharmacist. Unless the doctor has stated clearly when to take something, just work on getting it into your routine any time of the day. Remember the doctor writes how often you are supposed to take your supplements directly in the dispensary account so if you have questions about how often and when you supposed to take your supplements please login directly to review your Fullscript dispensary account and recommendations as your instructions on the timing and how much to take of each is listed directly there.
If you have questions about continuing, adding other supplements not written for at your visit or discontinuing supplements after your office visit please schedule an appointment to discuss if you need an answer before your next scheduled visit or you may wait until your next scheduled visit to make that inquiry.
If questions have come up based on what we talked about in your appointment or what you read in your care summary notes, make sure you write them down! Patients always think they will remember what they wanted to ask between appointments, but we find it helps if you write them down. It’s very common as we start to explain what is happening with your health that you will have questions about what happens 1, 5 and 10 years down the road. Write down your thoughts and we’ll be sure you feel confident and clear about your direction. We may have additional resources we can direct you towards like books or podcasts.
If you have questions about whether or not you should take your supplements or medication during a specific time of the day we advise you to look at your prescription or supplement recommendation to see if it specifies for you to take it during a specific time during the day. If it does not specify there a specific time then you do not have a recommendation or instruction to take it during a specific time of the day and we would advise that you just ensure that you do not take it at the same time with any other medications or supplements that you are supposed to take by themselves. If you need further clarification on the timing of when to take your medications or supplements outside of this advise please schedule a appointment to discuss this with the doctor as that would be a clarification on your plan of care if it has been more than 7 days since your appointment as your insurance only covers these clarification questions within 7 days of your visit encounter.
If you think of something after your visit that you forgot to bring up or clarify during the visit then we would kindly ask you to hold that question until your next appointment. All requests for refills for medication must be submitted either before the visit in your intake paperwork or discussed at the visit in order to be able to refill prescription. We do not process refill requests received after the visit for medications not discussed for refill during the visit.

Sometimes questions need a quick appointment before we were scheduled to see each other. This is totally normal! Here are some examples where we might see each other before we had planned.

If you have questions about lab work that you have with your other doctor(s), receive a new diagnosis or things dramatically change in your health, you should book an appointment to discuss it.
If you have a new and/or worsening clinical concern you can call the office and tell them you need an earlier appointment or you can schedule directly here @ https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=13144669
If you feel like you have a question that is getting in the way of you moving forward, then you should book an earlier appointment. This happens often. We’ll be sure to connect. Call the office and tell them you need an earlier appointment.
If you need a referral, a refill, a new medication, an order, a form, or a letter then you should book an earlier or followup appointment. Call the office and schedule an appointment or
you can schedule directly here @ https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=13144669
If you have questions about clarifying the plan of care after reading your detailed care summary (especially if you have multiple questions) and you feel that those questions need to be resolved so that you can move forward, then we will book an appointment to clarify your treatment plan before your next scheduled appointment. This can happen. We'll be sure to connect. You can call the office and tell them you need an earlier appointment for treatment plan clarifications or you can schedule directly here @ https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=13144669