The provider line has been developed for our patients to feel they are constantly cared for night and day, 7 days a week. This is a voicemail and text line only. This line is to help ease phone calls to the front desk and eliminate the middleman to ensure more accurate communication. What this means is that there are many things that we can assist you with using this line that will help the phone lines stay open to schedule appointments, answer new patient questions, and navigate issues that you may be unsure of or need more information about.
The best way to think of the provider line is quick access to your provider to request medication refills, provide quick updates on an ongoing issue, ask questions, and, of course, communicate how we can help with acute issues when you are unable to be seen in clinic or over the weekend.
The provider line is for quick updates and conversations; anything needing more than a 3-5 minute response should prompt us to offer a phone, virtual, or in-person appointment as soon as possible. This is often how the providers determine this based on your conversation, in which they will either offer to have the front desk reach out to schedule or ask you to schedule.
Each provider checks these messages throughout each clinic day. Not all messages require a response from your provider, as they are information updates. Our nurse will triage some of these messages to offer help when your provider is out of the clinic or seeing patients. If it is a matter that needs to be seen right away, she will offer a time or reach out to the front desk to help get you scheduled promptly. Each provider will set their guidelines and schedule for responding to their patients. Remember, they are actively working in a clinic, so they may not respond if it’s not urgent, but always within 24 hours (business). Sometimes, you may get a quick text stating the information is noted, or medication has been sent.
Also, please DO NOT call us if you are experiencing something EMERGENT. Call 911 for immediate response.
For messages left after business hours or over the weekend, your provider or the provider on call will respond on their next scheduled clinic day unless it is an Acute or Urgent matter. They will respond within a few hours.
If you message over the weekend or a holiday, we always have someone on call checking these, and they will reach out to offer help unless it is not an urgent matter. Then, they will leave for your provider to address when back in the clinic, such as medication refills or updates on an ongoing issue.
Our providers go above and beyond to provide the best one-on-one patient care possible.
Here are a few helpful things to ensure we can respond promptly with the best response.
- Always leave detailed messages if you are sick or have a new Acute issue.
- For example, you want to leave these details: WHEN did this happen? WHEN did you start feeling this way? WHAT are your symptoms currently? WHAT have you done or tried at home?
- If you are calling about a spouse, partner, parent, or child, please specify whom you are calling about so the doctor knows how to advise
- If this is something you can take a picture of and send it to us so it can be accessed to see if it requires an in-person visit.
- Often, we can see a picture and offer a home solution to try to help before being seen in the clinic.
- Things to take pictures of are rashes, burns, cuts, and swollen areas (in which we may ask you to take a picture of both ankles, wrists, legs, and eyes). This way, we can see a comparison to other body parts in question.
- Medication Refills
- Please allow 48 business hours (Monday – Friday) for medication refills
- Our providers are not in the clinic every day, so notifying your pharmacy then us when you are down to your last 5-7 days will reduce the possibility of you running out of medications.
- Controlled substances will only be filled by your provider. These can only be filled every 30 days at a time with no automatic refills; however, we request the same 48 business hours minimum notice of this, but 5-7 days’ notice will ensure there is no delay.
- Please allow 48 business hours (Monday – Friday) for medication refills
With supply shortages with many medications Nationwide, the more notice, the better to ensure no lapse in your refills.
- Please call your pharmacy first for a refill. Most of the medications we will have already been sent with multiple refills. The pharmacy will send the provider the refill request if you are out of refills with that medication with the exact information we need, such as Medication name (Generic if applicable), dosing, and quantity.
- After you request a refill with your pharmacy, please allow 48 hours for us to respond and then contact the “Provider Line” with a quick message to check the status.
- If you call/text the provider line with your medication request, specify the Medication Name and Pharmacy.
- For example: Atenolol 25 mg, one tablet daily to Walgreens Kitsap Way
This will ensure we fill the correct medication dose and send it to the correct pharmacy.