For all follow-up tasks, we recommend using the portal. Portal messaging is the only secure messaging we have and is best for keeping information centralized. If you have questions or concerns, call our office or send us a portal message. Below is information on common follow-up tasks. 

Labs

We may send out labs to any of the below facilities; the process after collection is the same. We will release your results to your patient portal once we have viewed and interpreted your results. Registering for the portal helps to ensure prompt follow-up and helps us to avoid phone tag. If you are not registered for our portal and we receive abnormal test results, we will reach out over text or call for a follow-up. 

Your lab message will describe normal results or recommend a follow-up appointment based on what was found. You can always book a follow-up appointment, regardless of your labs being marked as normal. If you have any questions about your labs, please message us on the portal or give our office a call.

If you have received your results, but not heard from our office, please feel free to send us a message on the portal or call; they are likely still being reviewed, but occasionally have not been sent from the collecting lab. 

If you are unable to make an appointment, or your location is inconvenient, please bring your printed labs to another location and let us know you have changed locations. If you don’t have your printout or never got one, please call our office, and we would be happy to help change the location for you.  

Quest 

• Making an appointment is recommended. Go to Quest's website and make an appointment for the location we discussed.

• Quest will automatically return your test results. No need to notify us you have gotten your blood drawn 

LabCorp

• Making an appointment is recommended. Go to LabCorp’s website and make an appointment for the location we discussed. 

• LabCorp only sometimes automatically returns results. Please text or message us on the portal to let us know these have been completed so we can be proactive about getting your results back to you. 

UC Health Longmont lab or other outside labs 

• UC Health lab is located at 1925 Mountain View Ave, the lab is located in the shorter building, directly after entering to the right. You can walk in without an appointment. 

• UC Health only sometimes automatically returns results. Please text or message us on the portal to let us know these have been completed so we can be proactive about getting your results back to you. 

• Outside labs not mentioned above may differ in their processes; check if an appointment is needed, and let us know when you have completed your blood draw. 

CPAP/ Home Sleep Studies

After a referral, your home sleep study company will reach out to you. If they do not, we recommend calling them. Your company and phone number can be found in your paper referrals or the post-visit summary located in your portal. 

After completing your overnight pulse ox or sleep study test, we will reach out to set up a follow-up appointment. If you have completed the study and not yet heard from us, please call, text, or message us on the portal; we will check for your results and book a follow-up appointment. 

GLP1

If after your sleep study, we prescribe a GLP1, we will likely need to wait for a prior authorization from your insurance. This can take a few days, and up to a week. After you start your dose, schedule a 4-week follow-up with us so we can discuss dose and side effects. If you develop side effects, please don’t hesitate to send us a portal message notifying us of your symptoms. 

CPAP

If, after your sleep study, we order CPAP, your CPAP company will be in contact. If they do not reach out promptly, you recommend calling them. After starting CPAP, schedule a follow-up visit in 4-6 weeks for a compliance visit. This is required by insurance to keep your CPAP and ensure you are tolerating your treatment. 

Referrals 

Specialist referrals may take a number of days for outside facilities to process; this depends on their policies, but differs greatly. Generally, specialist offices should contact you when the referral is processed. If you have not heard from your specialist office after a number of days, you can always reach out to them using the number provided on your referral. For online appointments, all visit information is sent in the Zoom room chat or listed in your visit summary, which can be found on your portal. 

If the office we referred you to does not take your insurance, has a lengthy wait time, or is not a good fit, please let us know, and we will happily find an alternate office. 

For Medicaid patients, we know finding providers taking Medicaid, especially new Medicaid patients, is difficult. As we see patients all over the state, we cannot be referral experts in all regions to help us find you the care you need. Please visit the Medicaid find a provider site (https://www.healthfirstcolorado.gov/find-doctors/), and let us know where you would like us to make a referral based on reviews, location, and availability. We appreciate your help in finding your preferred provider. 

Welcome!

We are so glad that you have trusted us with your health journey. Our team is here to help. 

We have an open-door policy. While we may not be able to schedule a visit right away, you are always welcome to come by our office with any questions, and we will work to help you as best we can. 

Working Hours:

Monday - Friday         10 am to 6 pm

Saturday           By appointment only 

Sunday              Closed 

Our Mission 

Seeking care is often complicated, stressful, sometimes even invalidating. Our mission is to provide compassionate care without the headache. Our small operation allows us to see patients sooner, take the time to meaningfully engage during appointments, and respond more quickly to patients outside the office through our app messaging, text, and call. 

Care First 

We aim to go beyond “do no harm”, prioritizing patient needs above all else. The healthcare system is complex, and no patient should suffer at the hands of medical supply, pharmaceutical, or insurance companies. We will exhaust our creative problem-solving to meet your needs and advocate for you. 

Text and Call - This is the best way to reach us for time-sensitive or urgent needs

If you are unable to reach us with a call, please leave a detailed voicemail with your full name and the information you’d like us to have. We will address the issue in your voicemail as soon as possible and call back if needed. Voicemail is a great way to leave us information. Our phone hours are 10 am to 4 pm on weekdays. Outside of this, expect to leave a voicemail, which we will address as soon as we are able, especially for urgent or sensitive matters. For non-urgent needs, or ongoing correspondence, please use the patient portal. 

Home Visits 

Should you or a loved one feel unable to visit our clinic or otherwise confined to the home, we provide home visits. This does not cost extra, and we will bill your insurance as normal. Home visits should be scheduled by phone call and will likely take place outside of regular hours. We are honored to offer this service, but we are restricted to serving patients in the greater Lyons area.

No show/ late policy 

While we do not enforce late or no-show fees, we request that patients give notice if they plan to miss an appointment or are running more than a few minutes late. If by 10 minutes from the start of your appointment time, we have not communicated about changes, your appointment will be removed and marked as a no-show. This helps us stay on time for future appointments. 

Athena Portal - Using the portal keeps medical information secure, private, & centralized. It helps cut down on telephone tag and frees us up to spend more time with you. Access the portal on our site, or by downloading the athenaPatient app

• Portal Messages: This is the best way to ask your doctor non-urgent medical questions. We will work to schedule you if needed. Please call for urgent or time sensitive matters.

• Pay a Bill: Balances come from portions of the visit not covered by insurance. The best way to view and pay balances is on our portal. 

• Schedule an Appointment: You may schedule directly in the Athena calendar. 

• Refill Medications: Please check with your pharmacy for refills. You can also request refills through your portal. 

• Lab Results: Lab results from bloodwork and imaging will show up in the patient portal. It is essential you register on the portal to view labs. If you have a question or concern about labs or interpretation, these can be addressed in a short follow-up appointment.   

• Pre-Visit Tasks: Completing these tasks on the portal before your appointments makes the check-in process easier for you and our team, freeing us up to spend more time with you.  

  • Sign Consent form: This gives us permission to provide care, bill insurance on your behalf, access your medical records, and communicate with you. 

  • Add Insurance: Adding insurance before your appointment minimizes billing confusion, helps us manage appointment timing, and gives us accurate information on your insurance coverage for the visit. 

  • Complete Medical History Forms: This helps us know more about your health before your appointment. 

If you’re having trouble using the portal, just give us a call.

ZocDoc 

ZocDoc is a great resource, and how we are able to find new patients. However, ZocDoc can make errors. After your initial visit, we recommend booking on our site: humantouchhealth.ORG or calling to schedule over the phone. 

Integrative Medicine 

Wellness and health are much more than just doctors' appointments and medications. While Dr. Harker does not have any credentials in any integrative or functional medicine modalities, we are eager to learn more about what this looks like for you. What makes up health is so much more than blood work, medications, and office visits. We would love to hear how you are taking care of yourself using homeopathy, acupuncture, plants, food, and all other modalities.