Helpful Tips for Patients

 

 

Patient Portal:

WHEN TO USE and WHEN NOT TO:

The portal is the best way to communicate with your doctor between appointments. 

 

HOWEVER:

  • If it is URGENT but NOT an emergency, please call the clinic. If it is an emergency, please call 911.
  • If it has to do with a refill, please see below section.
  • We ask that you keep your messages succinct and pertinent. Your doctor receives approximately 20 messages per day.
  • If it requires multiple messages back and forth you MAY be charged for your doctor’s time. Your doctor will alert you if the continued exchange merits an associated cost. Usually, she will request a brief phone appointment in lieu of a portal exchange.

RESPONSE TIMES:

  • We attempt to respond to messages daily, but sometimes it can take until the end of the week.
  • It is OK to send a second message if the first was not responded to within said week. Please remind the doctor of your questions.
  • If your doctor is particularly busy, it is possible another doctor will engage with you to help answer your questions.
  • If it is URGENT, please call. 

Refills: Medicinary, Pharmaceuticals & Compounded Medications

Purchase products through our Fullscript virtual dispensary.

It is your doctor’s expectation that you stay on your treatment plan until your next visit. If you are running out of things that seem helpful, get a refill. If you are not certain in any way, please utilize your patient portal to send a message to your doctor. Our front staff cannot answer these technical medical questions.

MEDICINARY:

  • A REFILL message option exists on the Patient Portal, or you can leave a phone message. If after hours, please send a Portal message. Please DO NOT leave a lengthy medicinary order after hours with the Answering Service.
  • Please allow 48 hours to fill your refill request. Exceptions may be made if needed more urgently.
  • We are able to ship supplements for an additional shipping charge.
  • We have online Medicinary available; it is called FullScript – see below for more information.

PHARMACEUTICALS:

  • If you need an Rx refill, please call the pharmacy directly. If refills are expired, they will fax the relevant doctor a request.
  • Compounded medications take more time. Please give our office 48 hours notice AND consider the compounding pharmacy may also require up to 48 hours to compound. If you are on a very short timeline, please call the office to alert us of the need to prioritize a referral.
  • For prescription or medicinary refills, at least an annual visit is required. 
  • Prescriptions for pharmaceuticals or hormones also require a minimum of an annual visit. Plan ahead and schedule before your last refill runs out.  Please be aware you may need labs, so schedule with enough time for results to be completed.

ONLINE MEDICINARY (aka FullScript) :

Many of your prescribed supplements are available to purchase through our online store partner, FullScript. This does NOT apply to compounded tinctures and certain special order items. For those items, you will need to contact the clinic via phone.

New to FullScript?

  • A Natura staff member will initiate the process for you to receive a welcome email from FullScript. You will then set your password and confirm your login. Once your password is set up, you will be able to access your account to place your order through FullScript. If you do have trouble with this, call the office and we can easily troubleshoot with you.

Two Ways to access the FullScript login:

  • www.fullscript.com OR
  • www.natura.health and click on FullScript link.
  • Once you have accessed your account, you can add supplements to your cart to purchase. Supplements are shipped to the address you provide.

FullScript Tips:

  • Some supplements are available in different sized bottles. Click the name of the supplement to be taken to another page that gives you size options.
  • For questions about the supplements in your account, please contact Natura at (406) 317-1965 or message through your Patient Portal.
  • For questions and troubleshooting about using the FullScript website, please contact FullScript via telephone at (866) 807-3828, via email at [email protected] , or via live chat at https://support.fullscript.com/hc/en-us.

    Prescription and Supplement FAQ’S

    Dispensed vs Whole Bottles

    For most supplements, we tend to dispense small amounts when we start a patient on something new. The intention is to see if you tolerate each supplement before dispensing entire bottles. If you do tolerate the new supplement, we encourage you to refill it. If not tolerated, or if you are unsure, please message your doctor about the need for a different supplement via the Patient Portal.

    How long will you be taking various prescriptions?

    In general, there is no right answer to this question that will cover everyone. However, there are some basic supportive nutrients and herbs that may be suggested for the long-term. Other items will be short-term depending on what we are treating and how you are responding to treatment. We do believe there are basic nutrients that almost everyone should supplement as there is not enough of said nutrients available in even the most organic food sources. A multi-vitamin, B vitamins, Magnesium, most minerals, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D are likely to be needed in one form or another over the long-term.

    Can I get my supplements at any store or website that sells supplements? Can I get them from Amazon?

    In short, no; the supplementary industry was a $31 BILLION dollar industry as of 2018, and it increases every year. What is good about this is that people are increasingly interested in supporting their own health. The negative is that there is a lot of money to be made in an industry that does not have good quality control practices and standards. In short, non-standard and low-quality suppliers can result in exposure to unwanted ingredients. It is also common for some supplement bottles not to contain their advertised contents. An online search to find reputable quality-control sites will find you a wealth of information on this topic. There are increasingly “impostor” products on sites such as Amazon; the bottle is the same as other reputable sources, but the contents are not. Therefore, we have an in-house medicinary of products that we have thoroughly researched and trust. We also utilize FullScript, which guarantees you will get exactly what you order. Lastly, if you are taking supplements we do not know about, or from a company we do not know or trust, then the potential for treatment plan failure goes up.

    Lab Orders

    • As a rule, lab results are interpreted at your next office visit, so please make sure you have an appointment on the books if you have had lab work done. 
    • Your doctor may make an exception to this and will discuss the method of communication and expectations with you. 
    • If labs show results that are urgent or otherwise need immediate attention, your doctor will be in touch with you via the telephone or Patient Portal.

    Specialty Lab Tests

    There are a variety of specialty labs that are available to you and will be considered case by case. 

    • The turnaround time for these labs vary. The approximate time will be communicated to you, but they do tend to be sent to test facilities which may be internationally located, and tend to take longer than conventional labs. 
    • If you have any questions about how to collect lab samples, billing questions, etc., we encourage you to contact the lab directly. If you have further questions please reach out to your doctor. 
    • It is our recommendation that you pay the upfront/cash price indicated by the lab. This assures you the lowest possible cost for testing. You can still enter insurance information, when the lab accepts insurance, and when they may bill insurance. If your insurance accepts it, it will be applied to your deductible or the insurance company will reimburse. The lab companies always charge a higher price to the insurance company than the “cash” price; if your insurance reimburses fully, both you and the lab will get reimbursement. If your insurance will NOT pay, or only credits towards a deductible, by paying up front you ensure you are paying the lowest possible cost. Our office is NOT involved in the insurance billing process. If you have more questions about what tests are covered by your insurance, please contact the lab company or your insurance provider directly. 

    Follow-Up Appointments

    Always schedule a follow-up; you can always cancel or reschedule. Follow-up appointments can be in person, via telephone, or via telemedicine. If you need to cancel or reschedule, please give us at least 24 hours notice.

     

    • Typical Return Office visit 30-45 minutes
    • Fees do not include additional procedures, lab tests, or supplements.

    Telemedicine

    • If your preference is to have a telemedicine appointment, please request this when making your appointment. 
    • Once your telemedicine appointment is created, you will receive a link to the appointment via email.
    • On the day/time of your appointment, click on the link to join the appointment. 
    • Click the “Join Meeting” link to join. If you have not already enabled it, your browser will ask you to allow the meeting to access your camera and microphone. Click “Allow” and you should be in the meeting! 
    • If you don’t see this, and it doesn’t seem to be joining the call, try looking for a camera icon in the top right or left of the screen and click it to show the permissions screen. 
    • Keep your phone handy! If the connection or audio quality is poor, or can’t be accessed, you can do a phone appointment or a phone/video combination. 
    • As soon as you’ve joined, you should be able to see yourself in the mini-window (which can be dragged around) and once the other participant(s) join, you’ll see them as well in the main window. 
    • If you’re having trouble joining the call, or want to use the telephone instead, click on the participant’s icon on the left, and you’ll see instructions for joining the call by phone.

    On-Call Doctors

    We always have a doctor on call. If you need anything urgently after-hours, please call the office at (406) 317-1965 and the answering service will contact the physician currently on call. The on-call doctor may not be your primary doctor. 

    IV Treatment

    We have many different IV treatments. Some are more “Wellness” focused and some are more “Treatment” focused. Your doctor will recommend them when appropriate. Please feel free to ask about them if you are curious and haven’t discussed receiving IV treatment with your doctor. 

    Blood Draws

    • Need to be scheduled.
    • Most specialty labs CANNOT be done on Fridays. 
    • Please alert our staff at time of scheduling if you have any special needs during a blood draw. 

    Well Woman Exams

    Yes, we do them! Depending on your scheduling needs, you may be asked to see a different physician than you normally see for a well woman exam. 

     

    Cancellation Fee

    You will be charged $50 if you cancel an appointment within 24 hours or if you are a “no show.”