FAQ - Aurum Haven Medical

  • Yes — AHM is currently accepting new patients for gender-affirming hormone therapy and longitudinal internal medicine care. Some people start with a free 15-minute phone consultation to make sure this model is the right fit. If you already know what you're looking for, you can book directly for a full initial visit by texting (323) 212-5404 or emailing info@AurumHavenMedical.com.

  • In-person visits are in West Hollywood — a private suite at Salon Republic, 8550 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 305. Telehealth follow-ups are available for established patients when clinically appropriate. AHM serves adult patients throughout California.

  • Dr. John D. Fernandez, MD — board-certified internal medicine physician, former UCLA Health primary care and gender-health specialist, with a research background in hormone therapy safety. You speak directly to your doctor here. Intentional care, no rush.

  • Two primary services, separate by default:

    • GAHT (gender-affirming hormone therapy): Initiation, continuation, and optimization of hormone therapy for trans and gender-diverse adults. Unrushed 60-minute consults, external labs through Quest or Labcorp, e-prescribing, and continuity care.

    • Neurotoxins: Subtle, physician-injected Botox® or Xeomin®.

    AHM does not provide urgent care, walk-in visits, or treatment for acute illness (flu, COVID, strep, etc.). The practice stays in the lane of continuity and wellbeing-focused care. Neurotoxins are not included in Aurum Direct Care membership.

  • No. AHM operates on an informed consent model — no referral required, no prior mental health letter required. AHM Care is for adult patients, you do need to be 18 years old or older. The initial visit is a real clinical evaluation: your history, your goals, your health, your timeline. That's what shapes the plan.

  • Those platforms have expanded access in ways that matter. AHM is built around something different: a long-term clinical relationship with a board-certified internal medicine physician who has a research background in hormone therapy safety. Visits are unhurried. Labs get explained, not just flagged. Regimens are designed around your body and your goals — not a protocol template. Through an internal medicine lens, chronic health conditions are considered holistically, with hormones as just one part of the whole.

  • Yes, when clinically indicated. AHM manages the full range of GAHT regimens — estradiol (oral, injectable, patch, gel), testosterone (injectable, topical), progesterone, and anti-androgens — for trans women, trans men, and nonbinary patients. The regimen is built around your labs, your goals, your health history, and how your body actually responds over time.

  • Yes. If you're already prescribed or taking hormones and looking for a new provider, you're welcome here. The initial visit includes a review of your prior regimen, your labs, and your history. Care continues with context — not from zero.

  • Yes. AHM serves trans women, trans men, nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender-diverse patients. Care here isn't built around a binary transition narrative. Your goals, your language, your regimen — none of that gets assumed. A lot of people aren't pursuing a conventional binary transition, and that's not something that needs explaining or justifying.

  • That's part of why this practice exists. A lot of people have been rushed, dismissed, misgendered, or simply not taken seriously in healthcare settings. The structure at AHM — longer visits, direct physician access, no layer between you and your doctor — is a deliberate response to that. My hope is that, you don't need to walk in with your guard up; you come as you are.

  • The Aurum Direct Care membership is $150/month, billed quarterly at $450. It includes:

    • Unlimited visits as clinically appropriate

    • Lab ordering and interpretation

    • Dose adjustments between visits

    • Secure messaging for clinical questions during business hours

    • Surgical letters of support (when clinically appropriate)

    • Pre-operative management and care coordination

    • Vetted referrals when needed

    No per-visit fees on top of the membership. For people newly starting hormones — or managing more complex medical history — this tends to cost less than it looks, especially compared to specialist fees without insurance. For established patients stable on their regimen, a fee-for-service option becomes available after one year.

  • No — AHM is intentionally self-pay so care stays personal and paced to you. Direct care means cutting out the middleman, insurance - so that you and I retain control over the medical experience.

    However, external labs through Quest or Labcorp and pharmacy prescriptions may still use your insurance, which can offset those costs meaningfully.

  • New patients start with a $350 initial consultation. Within 7 days you can enroll in Aurum Direct Care — the $350 applies in full toward your first quarter ($450), so enrollment runs $100 more. After that, Aurum Direct Care renews at $450/quarter with no per-visit fees. If you're not ready to enroll after your visit, that's okay — the consultation stands on its own.

  • A single endocrinology visit in LA without insurance typically runs $300–500. Follow-up in that model is usually every 3–6 months, with limited access in between. At $150/month, the AHM membership covers unlimited visits, direct physician messaging, lab interpretation, and prescription management — with no per-visit billing. In the first year of hormone therapy, when more contact is usually needed, the math tends to favor the membership. After that, it's a value question of having consistent, direct access to your doctor.

    • Initial GAHT consultation: 60 min

    • Injection teaching for new patients: 30 min, no charge

    • 1-month GAHT check-in: 30–60 min

    • Routine continuity GAHT: approximately every 3 months in year 1, then typically every 6–12 months once a consistent dose is achieved

    • Neurotoxin visit: 30–45 min

    • Routine neurotoxin follow-up: every 3–4 months

  • Yes, for established GAHT patients. That includes letters of medical necessity, referral coordination, and pre-operative appointments for surgical optimization (typically completed within 30 days prior to a procedure, as required by the surgical office).

  • After booking, you'll receive confirmation and any intake paperwork electronically. The initial visit is 60 minutes — bring any prior lab results or records if you have them, but don't stress if you don't. We start from where you are.

  • Book a free 15-minute consultation aurumhavenmedical.com, or reach out directly to schedule your initial consultation: text 323-212-5404 or email info@aurumhavenmedical.com.

  • Same process. Your initial consultation is $350 through Zocdoc. After your visit, you'll have 7 days to decide whether to enroll in Aurum Direct Care. If you do, your $350 applies in full toward the first quarter and you pay the $100 balance directly to AHM.