New patient guide
What to expect at your first visit
A 75-minute telemedicine consultation — thorough, unhurried, and built around your priorities rather than a 12-minute symptom check. Here is exactly how a first visit unfolds, what to prepare, and what you leave with.
The first visit, plainly described
The first visit at Cove is, by design, the longest visit you will have here. A 75-minute initial appointment is not a luxury — it is the minimum amount of time it takes to take a real history, understand your priorities, identify the actual pattern under your symptoms, and build a plan you can start the next day. Conventional primary care has been compressed to fit the economics of insurance billing; naturopathic primary care is paid for differently, which lets us spend the time the medicine actually requires.
You will spend most of the visit talking, not undressed. Telemedicine changes the rhythm of an appointment in useful ways — we can review prior labs together on screen, walk through a medication list line by line, and pull up reference materials in real time. When a physical exam is essential, we coordinate with a local provider; this is rare for the conditions Dr. Mary commonly treats.
Plans built in the first visit are concrete and prioritized. You will leave with a written summary in your patient portal — including labs ordered, supplements or prescriptions, dietary or lifestyle changes worth trying first, and the timeline for your next visit. The plan is also explicitly negotiable. If something on it does not fit your life — your budget, your kitchen, your schedule, your sleep environment — we adjust the plan.
Before the visit
You will receive intake paperwork through the CharmTracker patient portal once your visit is booked. Please complete it at least 48 hours beforehand.
Health history intake
A thorough intake covering past medical and surgical history, current medications and supplements, family history, allergies, lifestyle, sleep, stress, mood, digestion, energy, and menstrual or hormonal history when relevant. The form takes 25 to 35 minutes to complete carefully — please do not rush it.
Three-day dietary recall
A short log of what you have eaten over three typical days. Honesty matters more than completeness — there is no judgment here, and this is one of the most useful clinical tools we have for identifying patterns.
Symptom inventory and priorities
A checklist plus a free-text section where you name your top one to three priorities for care. This shapes the visit and the plan more than any other input.
Records release (optional)
If you would like Dr. Mary to review records from another provider, complete the release form and we will request them. Even better: download recent labs and visit notes from your existing patient portal and upload them directly through CharmTracker.
What to have ready on the day
A current medication and supplement list
Names, doses, and how long you have been on each. Photos of the bottles are completely fine. Include over-the-counter products, occasional-use medications, and anything you started recently even if you have already stopped.
Recent labs (last 12 months)
PDFs or screenshots are perfect. Especially helpful: CBC, complete metabolic panel, thyroid panel, vitamin D, iron studies, lipid panel, HbA1c, any hormone work. If you have them and have not already uploaded them via the portal, have them open during the visit so we can review on screen.
A sleep tracker summary (if you use one)
Two to four weeks of data from Oura, Whoop, Apple Watch, Fitbit, or similar. Trends matter more than any single night.
A quiet space and a stable connection
Anywhere private with reliable wifi or cellular data. A laptop or tablet is easiest because you can look at labs and notes side by side, but a phone works for the visit itself.
Your top one to three priorities
If you could walk out of this appointment with answers to anything, what would it be? This one question shapes the entire visit. You do not need a perfectly articulated answer — even a rough direction is useful.
The full arc of a first visit
Before
Complete the intake, dietary recall, and symptom inventory in CharmTracker. Upload any prior labs and visit notes you want reviewed. Dr. Mary reads everything in advance — you will not be retelling your story from scratch on the call.
During
A guided conversation in four movements: settle in and align on priorities (5 minutes); deep history following the threads from intake that need follow-up (30–35 minutes); targeted clinical assessment including any home self-checks (15–20 minutes); collaborative plan-building covering labs, supplements, prescriptions, lifestyle work, and follow-up timing (15–20 minutes). You leave the call with a clear next step in mind.
Within 1 week
A written visit summary appears in your portal within 24 hours: the assessment, the plan, labs ordered, prescriptions sent. Most lab requisitions are sent the same day or next business day. Quick questions through the portal get a 1–2 business-day reply.
30-day follow-up
Most patients book a 30–45-minute follow-up four to six weeks out. We review how the plan has landed, walk through any lab results, adjust dosing or direction based on what your body is telling us, and refine the plan. Follow-up cadence after that depends on your goals — some patients see Dr. Mary quarterly; others move to twice-yearly check-ins once chronic concerns are under control.
How telemedicine works at Cove
All Cove visits happen over secure video. The platform (CharmTracker) is HIPAA-compliant and works in any modern browser — no app download required. You will receive a visit link by email the morning of your appointment.
Telemedicine does not mean less thorough. The history-taking, lab interpretation, and treatment planning that form the core of a naturopathic visit translate fully to video. What telemedicine removes is the commute, the waiting room, and the need to take time off work for an appointment. What it cannot replace is a hands-on physical exam — when one is clinically indicated, we will coordinate with a local provider.
Cove is licensed to see patients in Oregon and Washington. If you are physically located in either state at the time of your visit, we can see you — whether you live there full-time, are a student, or are visiting for an extended period.
Common questions
What if I forget to complete the intake forms beforehand?
Please try to complete them at least 48 hours before your visit. If life gets in the way, complete what you can and let us know in the patient portal — we can still have a productive visit, though we may spend slightly more time on history-taking during the call.
Will I get a diagnosis at my first visit?
Possibly. When the picture is clear — say, lab findings consistent with Hashimoto's and a symptom history to match — we name it and start building the plan. When more information is needed, the first visit narrows the differential and the labs or follow-up visit clarify it. You will always leave with a clear next step, even if a formal diagnosis takes longer.
What if I need a prescription?
Dr. Mary is a licensed naturopathic physician with full prescribing authority in Oregon and Washington, including Schedule II–V controlled substances and thyroid medications. If a prescription is indicated, it is sent electronically to your preferred pharmacy on the day of the visit.
How long until I see results?
It depends on what we are treating. Lab results return within two to 14 days depending on the panel. Nutritional and hormonal changes typically show meaningful movement at four to twelve weeks. Gut healing protocols often require three to six months. Dr. Mary will give you a realistic timeline for your specific situation during the visit.
Do you work with my existing doctors?
Yes. We can send a visit summary to any provider you designate, request records, and coordinate care — particularly for patients managing a chronic condition alongside a specialist. We do not replace your primary care physician; for many patients, Cove functions as a complementary layer focused on root-cause investigation and functional optimization.
Ready to take charge of your health?
Your first visit is a 75-minute telemedicine consultation. Dr. Mary will review your complete health history and build a personalized plan together.