Late Fees:
We have a strict 72-hour cancellation policy in effect. If you do not cancel your appointment more than 72 hours before the time of your appointment, a $100 late fee will be applied.
Boutique Care:
Only available to those living within the state of California. Must visit Dr. Sara Gottfried in person for initial appointment. You also are REQUIRED to have a separate primary care doctor (Dr. Sara Gottfried is a hormone consultant and gynecologist, NOT a primary care doctor. There is no after-hours or urgent care – you must have a primary care doctor for this purpose).
Medical Records:
The cost of having Medical Records sent to you or your doctor is $50. A release form must be signed. Please allow 7-10 business after you have signed the release form to receive your records. No exceptions and we are unable to expedite your process.
Prescriptions & Refill Requests:
What’s the policy with refills?
Refills are granted at the time of your appointment and not in between visits. Please DO NOT ask your pharmacist to call the office asking for a refill. When you are running low on your medication, it is a reminder that you are probably due for an appointment. Dr. Sara Gottfried prescribes enough medication to last until your next appointment.
How much medication can I get at the time of my appointment?
If you have no issues and you are stable on your medication you can usually get 3- or 6-month supply. If you have issues that are not under control then you usually need to return every 1-3 months for medication and evaluation (thyroid problems, for example). Some people who have dangerously out of control issues have to see their primary care doctor. So the moral of the story is to get your health issues under control in partnership with me, and make sure you ask for your refills at the time of your office visit so you are not surprised when the pharmacist says “Sorry, you have run out of medication.” You MUST have an appointment at least every 6 months to receive refills. Otherwise, I can not safely prescribe for you.
Why can’t I just call when I’m on my last pill like at other doctor’s offices?
The average medical office is inundated with refill requests and they often need to hire lots of staff to handle the sheer volume of refill requests. Thirty percent of the phone calls to the average office are related to refill requests. Another 20% of calls are second calls in the same day from the same person who did not get their call returned. “It’s 4:45 and nobody called me back! I just took my last pill! Help!” We have a firm boundary around this so that we prevent this from causing a bottleneck in our practice.
Why is it my responsibility to keep track of my medication?
Physicians usually have many patients to keep track of at the average office. It is impossible for physicians to keep track of your medication. It is also hard on the pharmacists if you wait till the last minute to ask for a refill. Please keep track of your medication so you can ask in advance of using your last pill. It is best to schedule an appointment while you still have several weeks of supply left.
What if I know you wrote me a longer supply than the pharmacists says I have left?
Tell the pharmacist to pull the “hard copy” and make sure that the pharmacist entered it in their system correctly.
Anything else I can do to make things easier?
If you take a look at your prescriptions and try to get them renewed on the same cycle such as every 3,6,9 or 12 months then you will have them all in sequence and easy to remember the renewal date on all of them. Ask each time you go to the pharmacy to make sure you know when you will run out. Keep that list in your wallet so you will know when you come to your appointments.
What if I’m in a pinch? Are there exceptions?
Pharmacists will usually give you a 3-day supply to tide you over in an emergency. You may also contact your primary care provider (required, since I am a consultant only) for last-minute requests – but what works best is for you to create a sane, reasonable plan for your refills.
Please note that prescription refills are only filled for patients signed up to Boutique Care.
Office Hours
Monday through Thursday
9:00 am to 4:00 pm PST
Contact Information
Email: info-(@)-saragottfriedmd.com
Fax: 1-888-724-2443
I hope this was helpful! Thanks for being proactive and helping me have an efficient and streamlined medical practice. This allows us to respond faster to your emails and other requests for help.
