New Patient Orientation

LAVENDER SPECTRUM HEALTH, PLLC

New Patient Orientation

Labs • Referrals • Prescriptions • Messaging • Visit Policies

Welcome to our practice. This handout covers the things new patients ask about most: how to get your labs done, what happens after we place a referral, how prescriptions and refills work, how to reach us between visits, and what to expect at your appointments. Please keep it somewhere you can find it again, every policy referenced here also lives on our website at the links provided.

Lab Instructions

If labs were ordered for you during your visit, please schedule yourself for blood tests at Quest Diagnostics.

Scheduling your draw

Schedule at: appointment.questdiagnostics.com. Select “all other tests” as your reason for visit.

https://appointment.questdiagnostics.com/schedule-appointment/as-reason-for-visit

What to bring

• Yourself, your photo ID, and your insurance card.

• Check in or register using whatever name is associated with your health insurance.

• A printed or downloaded copy of your lab orders, in case the phlebotomist cannot find them in their system.

Fasting

Unless you were told your labs are non-fasting, please fast for 8–12 hours beforehand, nothing to eat or drink except water and your medications. The easiest way to do this is to avoid eating after midnight and get your blood drawn before breakfast. Fasting allows us to get accurate cholesterol and blood sugar results.

Biotin

Check your supplements and stop anything containing biotin 3 days before your lab work. Biotin interferes with many blood test results. It is commonly found in multivitamins, B-complex vitamins, and “hair, skin, and nails” supplements.

Timing for hormone labs

Testosterone results take 10-14 days to come back. Please have your blood drawn with enough lead time for results to arrive before your follow-up appointment.

• Testosterone injections: get your blood drawn 4-5 days after an injection.

• Estradiol valerate or cypionate: get labs drawn 1-3 days after an injection.

• Testosterone or estrogen gel: get labs drawn 2-4 hours after applying the gel.

Finding your lab orders in the portal

We upload a copy of your lab orders to the patient portal. To find them:

1. Log in to the patient portal.

2. Click the box that says “Review Medical Record.”

3. On the left-hand side of the screen, click “Documents,” then choose “Patient documents” from the drop-down.

4. Look for a PDF named something like “Lab Orders.” Click it to view and download a copy.

Using a different lab

You are welcome to take your lab order to any lab you choose. If you do, you will need to help make sure that lab sends your results to us, and we recommend bringing a copy of your results to your follow-up appointment.

Insurance coverage for labs

It is your responsibility to understand your insurance coverage for any lab tests ordered during your visit. If you are unsure, contact your insurance plan before your draw.

Referrals to Specialists

When your provider places a referral, here is what happens and what we need from you:

• We will send you a portal message with the specialist's contact information within one week of your visit.

• You are responsible for contacting the specialist yourself to schedule. Please plan to reach out to them, do not wait for the specialist's office to call you.

• If you have not heard from us within one week, send us a portal message so we can check on it.

• We recommend confirming with your insurance that the specialist is in network before your appointment.

New referral requests need an appointment

We are not able to create a new referral from a portal message. Requesting a new referral requires a visit so we can gather the information needed to evaluate the request safely and create the documentation insurance companies and specialists require.

Prescriptions & Pharmacy

Full details, including what to do when a medication is out of stock, denied, or unaffordable, are on our Pharmacy FAQs page.

https://www.lavenderspectrumhealth.com/for-patients/resources/policies/pharmacy-faqs

The essentials

• Request refills through the patient portal, that  is the fastest route. Give at least 5 days' notice before you run out. Select "Request a medication refill" rather than message a provider

• Providers have up to 5 business days to fill routine refill requests.

• Controlled substances (testosterone, ADHD stimulants, opioids, benzodiazepines) require a follow-up visit at least every 3 months, no matter how long you have been on them, and every 1 month for new medications or dose changes

• Stable, well-managed chronic conditions generally require a follow-up every 6 months. Conditions that are unstable, poorly controlled, or recently changed need more frequent visits.

• Our providers are licensed in Oregon and Washington and can only send prescriptions to pharmacies in those states.

If something goes wrong at the pharmacy

• Start by calling your pharmacy. They can tell you whether the prescription was received, whether it is in stock, whether a prior authorization is needed, and when it will be ready. We do not have visibility into their queue.

• If the prescription was never received, send us a portal message or call/text the office.

• If it is too expensive or was not covered, message your provider, options may include a prescription assistance program, a GoodRx coupon, or switching medications. A follow-up visit may be needed to discuss alternatives.

• Out of stock? You can ask your pharmacy to transfer a non-controlled prescription elsewhere.

• Pharmacies are able and legally required to transfer a controlled substance in Oregon or Washington once if you request it and medically appropriate

• Reshelved because you did not pick it up in time? Just ask the pharmacy to fill it again. You do not need a new prescription.

Portal Messaging & Getting Help Between Visits

https://www.lavenderspectrumhealth.com/for-patients/resources/policies/portal-messaging-policies

Do not use portal messaging for urgent or emergency symptoms

It may take up to 72 hours for a provider to respond, and providers only respond during business hours. If you have symptoms that need attention sooner, chest pain, trouble breathing, stroke symptoms, thoughts of harming yourself or someone else, severe pain, uncontrolled bleeding, or anything you would call severe, go to urgent care or the emergency department. Do not wait for a reply.

Urgent Care & ER Finder: https://www.appsheet.com/start/071b0b67-8334-4754-b8c0-058a8f885e0f

Requests that require an appointment

Some requests cannot be handled by message, because we need enough information to act safely and to create the documentation insurers and specialists require. Please schedule a visit for:

• A new referral

• Disability, FMLA, or medical leave paperwork; letters of support for surgery or electrolysis; health or life insurance forms; emotional support animal letters; any other forms

• New lab orders that have not been ordered before

• A new prescription for a medication your provider has not prescribed before

• New symptoms, or symptoms of a problem that has not been discussed before or is changing

• New imaging (X-ray, CT, ultrasound) or other diagnostic testing

• New orders for durable medical equipment or supplies

• Abnormal lab results, or results that need further discussion or testing

• Any question complex enough that your provider judges it needs a conversation to answer safely

Coming to the Clinic: Illness, Masking & Scents

https://www.lavenderspectrumhealth.com/for-patients/resources/policies/acute-illness-masking

Masking

All patients attending in-clinic appointments are required to mask during their appointment. We provide surgical, N95, and KN95 masks at the door at no cost. We encourage telehealth whenever it is clinically appropriate.

Acute illness screening

Every patient completes an acute illness screening at the door before an in-person visit. The screening asks whether, in the past 48 hours, you have had any of the following symptoms that are new for you: cough, rash, shortness of breath, chest tightness or pain, runny nose, congestion, new or worsening headache, new or worsening diarrhea, fever, sweats or chills, or vomiting.

• If you do not wish to complete the screening, you may do a telehealth visit from the parking lot, though not all services can be provided safely that way.

• If you have acute illness symptoms that are not part of a pre-existing chronic condition, please cancel or reschedule your in-person appointment.

• With fever, new cough, new whole-body rash, new shortness of breath, or new vomiting/diarrhea, you will need a parking lot telehealth visit or a reschedule. New patients will need to reschedule and will not be charged a late cancellation fee.

• With congestion or a runny nose only, or a cough or shortness of breath that is part of a pre-existing condition, you will be offered an N95/KN95 for an in-person visit, or a parking lot visit if appropriate.

• If you appear ill during your appointment, your provider may ask you to finish from your vehicle or reschedule, to protect staff and patients receiving procedures that must be done unmasked.

• Answering “no” to the screening when you are in fact acutely ill can carry consequences up to and including discharge from the practice.

Scent-free facility

Please avoid scented products on the day of your visit - perfume, cologne, scented lotions, body washes, sprays, shaving products, and detergents. Many of our patients and staff have allergies and sensitivities. We also ask that you bathe or shower regularly so body odor is well managed, and we keep wipes on site for anyone who has barriers to regular bathing.

Appointments & Attendance

https://www.lavenderspectrumhealth.com/for-patients/resources/policies/attendance-policy

Cancellations and no-shows

• 24 hours' notice is required to cancel or reschedule any appointment. Emergencies are handled case by case at provider discretion.

• Cancelling with less than 24 hours' notice, or not showing up, carries a $70 fee. This applies to insured patients as well, with the exception of WA Medicaid / Apple Health patients, who cannot be charged. If you are not sure whether the fee applies to you, just ask us.

• Arriving more than 10 minutes late may mean a $70 fee and/or losing the appointment, at your provider's discretion (again excepting WA Medicaid / Apple Health).

• Three violations of the attendance policy in a year results in termination from the practice. Providers may terminate for more or fewer violations at their discretion.

• If you wake up sick the day of a visit, we may waive the late cancellation fee case by case. If you have been sick for more than 24 hours, we expect notice and cancellation.

Telehealth and office hours

• You may request that a visit be converted to telehealth at least 2 business hours before the start time, if medically appropriate. Later requests are treated as a late cancellation or no-show.

• Visits outside office hours (9:30 am – 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday) are telehealth only.

How long your visit will be

New patient appointments are 60 minutes; follow-ups are 30 minutes.

Those blocks include 15 minutes (new) or 10 minutes (follow-up) for your provider to send prescriptions, create referrals and orders, and finish documentation.

Expect a maximum of 45 minutes of face-to-face time at a new patient visit and 20 minutes at a follow-up.

We chose longer visits so care isn't rushed, while still accepting insurance including Medicare and Medicaid. These policies are what make that model financially sustainable. When life happens , emergencies, illness, the unexpected, we approach each situation with flexibility to the degree that we can.

All Links in One Place

Patient portal

https://www.yourhealthfile.com/portal/login.jsp

Quest scheduling

https://appointment.questdiagnostics.com/schedule-appointment/as-reason-for-visit

Pharmacy FAQs

https://www.lavenderspectrumhealth.com/for-patients/resources/policies/pharmacy-faqs

Portal messaging policies

https://www.lavenderspectrumhealth.com/for-patients/resources/policies/portal-messaging-policies

Acute illness & masking

https://www.lavenderspectrumhealth.com/for-patients/resources/policies/acute-illness-masking

Attendance policy

https://www.lavenderspectrumhealth.com/for-patients/resources/policies/attendance-policy

Urgent care & ER finder

https://www.appsheet.com/start/071b0b67-8334-4754-b8c0-058a8f885e0f

Lavender Spectrum Health, PLLC

5500 NE 109th Ct, Suite A, Vancouver, WA 98662

Call: 360-727-1641  •  Text: 360-314-6357  •  Fax: 877-349-1923

Email: Info@LavenderSpectrumHealth.com  •  www.LavenderSpectrumHealth.com

Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:30 am - 5:30 pm