Office Protocols

Face Masks

For patients that are coughing or have cold symptoms, we recommend, but do not require that you wear a face mask when you come in for an office visit. Understand that our staff may wear masks/protection at their professional discretion. 

Restrooms

We have one ADA restroom in our office. The nearby corridor near building 6740 suite #110 has public restrooms during normal business hours Mon-Thur.

Gender Transition Hormones

Oakhaven Health DPC does not administer hormones for the purpose of gender reassignment. While we seek to treat everyone with dignity and respect, we believe this may have adverse long term effects on the health of those undergoing such types of treatment.

Vaccines

We do not administer vaccines at our office, but we can refer you to local services that do provide them.

Regarding children and parental choice, see our page dedicated to that topic.

Office Closures

From time to time our office is unexpectedly closed. We will do our best to inform our members when this happens, but you can assume that we will be closed on USA federal holidays unless otherwise noted. We have our normally closed holidays posted on our hours page.

Payment Policies

About how fees can be paid to Oakhaven and membership requirements for payment, see our page dedicated to that topic.

Text and Email Communications

Our office staff and doctors are able to directly communicate with members, but members should be aware of security implications.

Email Security

Our email services use state-of-the-art encryption so that when we send emails, they are encrypted up to the point of delivery to the member's email system—provided the member's system is configured correctly. If you are using Gmail or another major provider, you are likely in good shape; otherwise, it is possible for someone to view your emailed information while it is transferring between your provider's servers, or between their server and your device. Sending information that must be kept strictly confidential should not be done across different email service domains.

Text Messaging Security

When you send an SMS message from your phone, it is encrypted, but not necessarily between cell towers or between carriers. Once within the telecom network, it is transmitted in plain text, which can be read by people operating telecom equipment or government agencies.

Do not transmit highly sensitive information through text messaging, especially if that information has permanent value. A one-time password is usually time-sensitive, which reduces the risk slightly. However, your personal health information can be valuable for many years to come, so please ensure you only transmit information you would be comfortable sharing publicly.

Timely Responses to Messages

Text messaging and email are offered as a convenience to patients to help coordinate things like appointments; they are not intended as the primary source of communication or treatment. That said, we make every effort to be responsive to messages and want to set realistic expectations for various situations:

• Emergencies: Do not use messaging for emergencies. Instead, dial 911 and get to an emergency room as quickly as possible for any urgent, life-threatening situation.

• Urgent Needs: If you have a non-emergency, urgent medical need, you can let us know by text, but during office hours you should also call our office directly.

• Medication Refill Requests: You can normally expect a response within 72 hours during the regular business week (it will likely be faster). Please note that a request sent on a Friday afternoon may not be handled until Monday (or the next business day if Monday is a holiday).

• Normal Flow: You may get used to responses coming quickly and feel that this is the new normal. While we always aim to respond as quickly as possible, it is not always feasible. It is important not to expect an immediate response at all times, even if it happens frequently.

• After Hours: For evenings, weekends, and holidays, you should generally expect a response by the next business day. The response might be that we received your message and will be handling the request at some point in the future.

While we make our best effort to maintain high standards of responsiveness, sometimes our staff get sick or have their own family emergencies to deal with and for those times, we especially appreciate your patience and understanding.