Patient Communication & Access Policy

 
 

Patient Communication & Access

How to reach us

  • Email: info@RealmND.com

  • Call or text: (619) 272-2518

  • Calls are not answered live; please leave a voicemail with your full name, date of birth, phone number, and reason for calling.

Who responds

  • Stephanie, our clinic assistant, handles:

  • Scheduling and cancellations

  • Billing questions

  • Superbill requests

  • eMAR portal help

  • If your message needs clinical input, she will page Dr. Laurence.

Response times

  • Messages are reviewed during business hours only.

  • We do not monitor messages in real time.

  • Messages are not checked in the evenings, on weekends, on holidays, or when the office is closed.

  • Medical questions may take up to 48 business hours for a response.

  • Response times may be longer during high message volume, provider absence, or office closure. After-hours message delays create safety risks when patients rely on voicemail instead of urgent evaluation.

When not to message us

Do not use email, text, voicemail, or portal messages for:

  • Emergencies

  • Urgent symptoms

  • Severe or rapidly worsening symptoms

  • Mental health crisis

Where to go for urgent help

  • Call 911 for a medical emergency.

  • Go to urgent care or the emergency room for urgent physical concerns.

  • Call or text 988 for mental health crisis, suicidal thoughts, or severe emotional distress.

  • 988 also offers confidential chat support 24/7.

Best way to get care

  • The fastest way to get guidance from Dr. Laurence is to schedule an appointment.

  • Please use the patient portal whenever possible.

  • Stephanie can also help schedule appointments.

  • A brief 15-minute phone appointment may be available for limited issues.

What messages are for

Use messages only for brief, non-urgent questions related to your current treatment plan, such as:

  • Side effects

  • Dosing clarification

  • Timing questions

  • Simple follow-up questions

What should wait for an appointment

Please save non-urgent questions and concerns for your next visit whenever possible, including:

  • Multiple questions at once

  • New symptoms

  • Ongoing concerns that need discussion

  • Requests for treatment changes

  • Broader health updates not related to a current treatment issue

Scheduling priority

  • Patients enrolled in programs or packages receive priority scheduling.

  • Fee-for-service patients may have more limited appointment availability.

Practice model

  • Realm Naturopathic & Integrative Medicine is not a concierge practice.

  • We do not provide unlimited, on-demand, same-day, or after-hours physician access.

  • We are an outpatient integrative clinic and do not provide urgent or emergent care.

Patient responsibilities

Patients are responsible for:

  • Leaving clear and complete messages.

  • Using appointments and the portal as the main way to receive care.

  • Keeping track of non-urgent questions between visits and bringing them to appointments whenever possible.

  • Using messages only for short questions related to current treatment.

  • Seeking urgent or emergency care when needed instead of waiting for a clinic response.

  • Avoiding duplicate messages across email, text, phone, and portal.

Privacy reminder

  • Email and text may carry privacy and security risks.

  • Please avoid sending highly sensitive or urgent medical information through these channels.

  • HIPAA permits patient-requested communication by email or text, but patients should be warned when the communication method may not be secure.