-$100 one-time admin fee is due at the time you book the first appointment. -$38 per month for membership, starting on the 3rd of the month following your first visit.

No. We apologize, but we do not at this time. Our reasons for this are many, the 4 main justifications are below: 1) Most health insurance companies right now do not reliably cover gender care services. And the ones that do tend to make it so hard for the patient to qualify for the coverage that ends up being the same as if they didn't cover it anyway. 2) Insurance companies change covered benefits every single year. So while the services may be covered one year, the next year it may not be covered. This creates absolute chaos and panic when patients depend on their insurance to cover these services, and then lose that coverage. 3) An interesting (and devious) thing about insurance companies is that they force healthcare providers into contracts that dictate exactly the kind of care they can give if they want to be reimbursed for their work. This results in a kind of "cookie cutter" hormone therapy that focuses on the lowest cost to the insurance company, where the patient's individual needs are not able to be met because of the inflexible contract the insurance company forces the provider to comply with. We would rather continue to provide individualized care the way it is meant to be than be concerned with only selecting the lowest cost hormone options so as to save money for the insurance companies. 4) Hateful lawmakers can easily outlaw insurance companies from covering gender affirming care. And with the ever-changing political environment right now, this is a distinct possibility. ***Those with insurance coverage may be interested in the service offered by Reimbursify. This business will file a claim with your insurance company for you to see if you can get reimbursed by your insurance for a visit with us. The first claim they file for you is free, and after that it is about $4 per claim. Look them up at https://reimbursify.com/individual-page/ -This will not work for Medicaid or Medicare, however. It is more geared towards commercial insurance policies.

-If you have never been on HRT before, then you will do an initial appointment first to discuss and set your plan in motion. -After that, you will follow up 3 months later to get repeat labs and discuss progress. -After that, you will follow up every 6 months (but don't worry, you can always ask questions through our secure text app). *Frequency can also be determined by your age, physical health, mental health, and stability of your hormone levels. The longer you have been on HRT, the less frequent your visits will likely need to be.

In many cases, video chat is perfectly fine. This can depend on many things, especially what your needs as the patient are. Some people are not comfortable unless they are sitting in front of a person while others are perfectly fine being seen from a distance. You must decide what is right for yourself in that regard.

Appointments are scheduled here through our website. Click on the "Appointments" tab in the site menu, select your state, and then select your appointment type. It will then ask you for your time zone, a date, and a time to select from our available openings. Afterwards, it will ask you some preliminary questions about yourself, and once you are done, you will submit the appointment request. Tadah!

Telemedicine is a convenient form of healthcare able to be performed via live streaming video chat sessions. It operates kind of like how FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype works. You and your healthcare provider will meet by using a computer, phone, or other electronic device with video capability. That way, you can complete your visit at home, bringing your healthcare directly into your living room!

No. You do not need a referral. You do not need a mental health letter either. We believe in informed consent for starting hormone therapy, meaning that we educate you and you decide for yourself if you are okay with everything hormone therapy can involve.

Yes, but it may require some extra effort for you due to current federal laws about licensing, visits, and type of medication (testosterone vs estrogen). So, if you live in another state other than MS/AZ/CO and want to start hormone therapy with us, you would need to be seen in person for your very first visit at the clinic in MS, and we would need to have your medications shipped to you by a mail order pharmacy, such as Empower Pharmacy, Amazon Pharmacy, GeniusRx, or others. We usually try to space appts out every 6-12 months when someone does this so that they don't need to come as often. Subsequent visits could then be done via video chat from any location within one of our licensed states if that is closer to where they live. If this is what you will be doing, please email the clinic ahead of time about it to ask questions and make sure you will be able to comply with those rules. :) spectrum@otherclinic.org

Yes! We use a secure chat app by Spruce Healthcare to text, send pics & documents, and do video visits.

Sure! You can always email or text us on the clinic line for questions you have. Hormone therapy is not for everyone, so we want you to be comfortable when starting.

We currently are able to see ages 18+. MS legislators recently saw fit to end gender affirming care for youth (under 18) in the state of MS through the passage of HB 1125. During intake, you will need to upload a copy/pic of your driver’s license (or other government issued ID with birth date) during the registration process to serve as proof of age and identity. You will also have to be seen in person in the clinic for at least the very first visit.

Maybe. Many do. But health insurance companies all cover different things to varying degrees. Check with your health insurance company to see if they cover "gender affirming hormone therapy associated costs." Even if your insurance doesn't cover labs, there are other options we can discuss with you. Just tell your provider. We are partnered with a national company you can purchase labs through for reduced cost!

Depending on type of hormone therapy, the cost falls somewhere between $70-$150 per lab panel through our lab partners, Analyte Health & Clinicore. We generally do labs every 3 months in the beginning, and then go to every 6 months when your levels are stable.

Depends on if you are covered by insurance or paying out-of-pocket: -If using insurance coverage, then you may be able to go to just about any lab that accepts your insurance, including our in-house lab. -If paying out-of-pocket, you will be going to a Labcorp or Quest location that we are partnered with, or using our in-house lab. Either way, there are ample options available. *We have a lab available in the clinic itself and some limited at-home finger stick options as well. Read more about this under the lab tab in the menu*

It depends on the stage you are at, length of time on hormone therapy, your age, your overall health, and the stability of your hormone levels. In general, at first you will have blood drawn prior to starting your medication, and then about every 3 months after until your hormone levels stabilize. Once stabilized, we go every 6 months.

It may, but if you don't know, you should contact your insurance company and specifically ask them if they cover "gender affirming care" related services for transgender people. Even if they do "offer" coverage, many insurance companies make it so difficult to qualify for the coverage to actually be used that it is the same as if they didn't cover it at all. 🙄 *See our other FAQs questions for info on medication and lab costs out-of-pocket. Honest Advice: Plan for them to not cover it, then it will be a pleasant surprise if they do.

In general, medications cost between $10-$40/month. It is hard to put an exact cost on it because each pharmacy is going to have slightly different prices, so sometimes you might want to shop around a bit before settling on one. Another factor is that not every patient will be placed on the same medications and/or doses, and this can also make the prices vary. A good resource to investigate the prices of medications with is GoodRx. It is a handy phone app and website that you can use to research medication prices, and it also includes coupons you can use to lower your overall prescription price.

Depending on your situation, you may choose to pick up prescriptions from your local pharmacy or have them mailed to your house from our pharmacy partner, Empower Pharmacy.

Everyone is different, and some effects are more rapid in onset than others. It can also depend on the age at which you start. In general, it can take anywhere from 2-5 years to reach the maximal effect of hormones, but some effects can be seen within the first 3 months. Think of it this way: It is like a second puberty. You didn't go through your first puberty in less than a year, did you? The same rules apply here. Your body needs time to adjust and grow!

Yes and No. Some effects, such as deepening of the voice or development of breast tissue, are permanent. But many effects are not. It can also depend on the length of time you have been on hormones. This is another topic you will be learning about during your visits.

That is, of course, your choice. And it is perfectly fine. You should inform your provider, though, so they can instruct you on how to safely taper off of hormone therapy so as to minimize any side effects and/or unpleasantness.