Frequently Asked Questions
Q Can Dr Sawyer be my primary care physician?
A: No. As specialists, our doctors are trained to diagnose and treat specific endocrine disorders. They are not primary care physicians. You will still need your primary care physician for all other health issues which are outside of the scope of endocrinology.
Q Do I need a referral to be seen at the Center for Endocrine Health?
A: This depends on your insurance. Most of the people we see have been referred by their primary care physician. Some people who have PPO or PPOS insurance are self referred. In general we require that you have a primary care physician to whom we can forward our recommendations to, and request that they refer you to our clinic.
Q Can I reach the doctors after hours?
A: Dr Sawyer is not only a specialist physician but also a wife and mother of two young children. She loves her family, just as you do yours, and cherish their free time with them. As a courtesy, she provides her patients with her cell phone number and carries it with her at all times. She asks that after hours calls are kept to a minimum, reserving these for urgent matters, which cannot be left until the morning. In addition it may not always be possible for our doctor to return your call within a few hours. If you are calling for an emergency, you are advised to call 911.
Q How do I request a prescription refill?
A: If you are an active patient in our clinic and the prescription was one originally written by one of our doctors , we wil be happy to refil it. If you have not been seen in the clinic for a long period of time we may require that you be seen first before we agree to fill the prescription. The easiest way to achieve this is for your pharmacy to fax us with a refill request. As some medications require prior authorization from your insurance company, we always recommend that you keep a check on when you will be in need of a refill and give us at least a week to avoid any delay in your getting your medications.
Q What should bring to my appointment?
A: In addition to your current insurance card, we ask that you bring the following:
- Please bring a list of current medications including dosages and instructions on how you take them. It is often best to bring along the actual medications for us to go through.
- We have a New Patient form, which we have you fill in before you are seen. You can download it from this website, fill it in at home, and bring it along with you, or of you do not have access to a printer, come early and fill it in at our office.
- Please have your primary care physician who is refering you, fax us your records, including any relevant lab work and scans, before your appointment.
- Diabetic patients: Please bring along a record of your blood glucose results as well as your meter. We cannot make any assessment of your current regimen or appropriate changes withour this. Additionally, if you were asked to have lab work done at your previous visit, please make sure this has been done a few days prior to your follow up visit.