Services offered –

Cross gender hormone therapy supervision, including injection of hormones if a patient does not wish to inject themselves at home (I will teach you or a friend/partner how to inject yourself if you like)

New (starting August 15th, 2007)! Short term facial anesthesia injections for electrolysis or laser hair removal sessions.  Unlike some other doctors or dentists, I can make these last 6 hours or more, allowing you plenty of time to get to electrolysis and have an extended session.  Areas that can be numbed include upper lip/moustache, chin, and in some patients, cheeks and neck.  I also advocate prescribing "the good stuff" for pain control during these procedures.

Routine physical examinations (pre-employment, school, yearly, etc)

Periodic preventive health visits (pap smears, EKG, blood pressure and cholesterol screening, immunizations such as flu or hepatitis)

Routine office visits (sore throat, bladder or yeast infection)

Travel medicine consultations.

A doctor to call with those nagging questions that come up from time to time! Remember, I am YOUR doctor.

For comprehensive information on my general and primary care services, click here. 

What can be expected at an office visit? – I believe in a hands-on approach.  I work alone and have no office staff.  I will take your blood pressure, pulse and other vital signs and then take a medical history and perform a physical examination.  This may take just a few minutes or last up to an hour, depending on the problem(s) and whether or not you are a new patient or have seen me before.  We will discuss your concerns and come up with a plan we both agree upon.  You are welcome to bring a family member or friend to your appointment.  I hope to develop an online scheduling system.  For now, just call me.

I do not have a "revolving door" hormone practice.  We will establish a productive, communicative long term patient-physician relationship.  You can expect prompt, personal attention with your matters.  I expect that you come for follow-up visits when needed, and required labwork must be received before I can prescribe or refill medications.  I do not require frequent visits, in office injections or any other unnecessary services that drain the finances of transpeople.
 

What about insurance? – Not at this time.  Participation in insurance plans leads to rushed doctors who may feel constrained in their practices.  Insurance billing leads to higher overhead costs and requires office staff and/or a contract with a billing company.  I accept cash, check or credit cards and will provide you with documentation (including a copy of your medical record, if needed) which can be submitted to your insurance company for reimbursement.

What are the costs? –
Initial consultation (most patients): $200 (60-90 minutes)
Initial consultation (some post-op patients): $135 (30-40 minutes)
Follow up visit, basic: $75 (15-25 minutes)
Follow up visit, multiple or new issues: $110 (25-40 minutes)
Injection visit : $35
Facial numbing, upper lip/chin only: $40

Facial numbing, complete face: $65, additional costs may apply
Lab collection fee: $20
Injection teaching fee :$35
Letter writing or paperwork processing: $25 per document/incident
Duplicate prescription or paperwork (for lost documents): $10

Is there a sliding scale? - No.  In order to continue to provide the quality of service and personal attention that I offer (which differs from most typical medical settings) I am unable to provide a reduced fee schedule.  I am not able to make exceptions, as it would not be fair to my many other patients whom also would like a reduced fee.

Arrival, scheduling and missed appointments - I work alone.  The benefits are that I am very accessible and flexible with my patients (how many doctors answer the phone themselves?)  The disadvantage is that I have to handle all of the scheduling myself.  Given my flexible schedule, I may be walking over to the office for just your appointment.  Missed appointments, late arrivals and last minute schedule changes make it very difficult for me to continue to provide flexible, accessible service at a reasonable cost. 

Of course, unexpected emergencies and traffic situations occur.  Beyond these, my scheduling/missed appointment policy is as follows: Appointment changes or cancellations must be made 24 hours in advance. Any missed appointment, appointment changes or arrival more than 30 minutes late will require that a fee be paid equal to the cost of your appointment before I can reschedule you.  While most scheduling is handled through E-mail, Please call me as soon as you realize you will be late or need to change; I may be walking over to the office just for you!  This is Los Angeles; Please be sure to leave plenty of travel time when coming to your appointment.

Office Hours - My office hours vary.  In general, hours are very flexible; I live 2 blocks from my office and operate somewhat like a "country doctor".  If there is a time you'd like to come and I am free, I'll walk over and meet you!  Stay tuned for web-based self scheduling.  In the meantime, call or e-mail me to make an appointment.

Directions and office info -

The office is located in Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles.  The building is across the street from the 4th St. exit of the Pershing Sq. Metro Red Line station.  Why downtown?  Not only am I centrally located for my patients who come from all over Southern California, I am easily accessed by Metro Rail, MetroLink commuter rail or Amtrak (Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, San Diego, and Ventura counties and beyond).  What's more, as mentioned above, moving the office next to my own home has allowed me to both extend my office hours as well as offer far greater flexibility in scheduling.  Map of 417 S. Hill St #201, Los Angeles, CA 90013.

Parking - There is no parking at 417 S. Hill St.  A "Joe's" lot Next door to the building charges $3 for 15 minutes, maximum $12.  A lot across the street from the building charges a similar rate, but Joe's is generally $1-2 cheaper.  Besides initial consults, If your follow up appointment begins more than 15 minutes after it's scheduled time, I will cover 50% of your parking fees.  After 4pm, parking is just $4 flat rate at the Joe's lot, and street meter parking does become available later in the afternoon and early evening.  While this parking is not cheap, if you consider the reasonable rates I charge and look at the overall cost of a visit, it is still a relative bargain.  I strongly encourage the use of public transportation.