At Southwest Wellness & Acute Treatment, our recommendations are based on current medical evidence, recognized clinical guidelines, your medical history, examination findings, laboratory results, and an individualized discussion of risks and benefits.
SWAT Health is not a “pay-to-play” or prescription-on-demand clinic. Paying for an evaluation or membership does not guarantee a prescription, medication, laboratory order, medical clearance, referral, or requested treatment.
Our providers will not prescribe medication simply because a patient requests it, previously received it elsewhere, or wants to achieve a particular laboratory value. Treatment must be medically appropriate, reasonably safe, and within the provider’s professional judgment and scope of practice.
Sometimes the best medical decision is to recommend additional testing, lifestyle changes, an in-person examination, specialty care, emergency evaluation, or no medication at all. If we cannot safely manage your condition, we will explain why and help direct you to an appropriate level of care.
The information on this website is intended for general educational purposes and does not replace an individualized medical evaluation. Reading this information, contacting SWAT Health, or submitting an appointment request does not establish a provider-patient relationship.
Every patient and medical situation is different. Treatment recommendations, expected results, medication selection, and monitoring requirements will vary. No treatment outcome can be guaranteed.
Medication, laboratory testing, imaging, procedures, specialist services, emergency care, and services performed by outside facilities may involve separate charges unless specifically included in the applicable service or membership agreement.
Many primary-care and acute medical concerns can be evaluated and treated safely through telehealth. However, some conditions require an in-person physical examination, diagnostic testing, imaging, or a higher level of care.
If, during a telehealth appointment, your SWAT provider determines that an in-person evaluation at our clinic is medically necessary, you will not be charged an additional visit fee for the related in-person examination.
This policy applies only to the same medical concern addressed during the original telehealth visit. Additional or unrelated concerns, procedures, laboratory testing, imaging, medications, outside services, and future follow-up appointments may involve separate charges.
An in-person examination does not guarantee a prescription, procedure, test, medical clearance, or requested treatment.
SWAT Health is not an emergency department. Telehealth and scheduled clinic appointments are not appropriate for potentially life-threatening emergencies.
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department for chest pain, severe difficulty breathing, signs of a stroke, severe bleeding, loss of consciousness, suicidal thoughts, a severe allergic reaction, or another potentially life-threatening condition.
Direct Primary Care membership is not health insurance and does not replace comprehensive medical coverage. Membership includes only the primary-care services specifically identified in the SWAT DPC Membership Agreement.
Emergency care, hospitalization, ambulance transportation, surgery, specialist care, medications, laboratory testing, imaging, vaccines, and services provided by outside organizations are not included unless expressly stated in the membership agreement.
We strongly recommend that every member maintain major-medical insurance, a high-deductible health plan, or other appropriate coverage for catastrophic illness, serious injury, emergency treatment, hospitalization, specialty care, and services not included in the membership.
Members remain financially responsible for services that are not covered by their SWAT DPC membership.
SWAT’s Medical Weight Management program is intended for adults whose weight is affecting—or is reasonably likely to affect—their health.
Medication-based treatment is generally considered for patients with:
A BMI of 30 or higher, or
A BMI of 27 or higher with at least one weight-related medical condition, such as high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, or cardiovascular disease.
These are general treatment criteria, not automatic qualifications. Medication-specific FDA indications and contraindications may differ, and eligibility is determined through an individualized medical evaluation.
This program is not intended for someone seeking to lose a few cosmetic pounds, reverse the “freshman 15,” or temporarily slim down for a vacation or bikini season. It is designed for patients whose weight presents a meaningful concern for their current or long-term health.
Weight-management medication is one part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Depending on the patient, care may include nutrition, physical activity, sleep, behavioral strategies, treatment of contributing medical conditions, and medication when clinically appropriate.
Meeting a BMI threshold, paying an evaluation or management fee, or requesting a particular drug does not guarantee program enrollment or a prescription. Medication will not be prescribed when the provider believes it is contraindicated, unsafe, unlikely to provide a reasonable benefit, or inconsistent with current evidence and professional judgment.
Results vary, and no specific amount or rate of weight loss can be guaranteed. Treatment may be adjusted, paused, or discontinued because of adverse effects, inadequate response, safety concerns, pregnancy, incomplete monitoring, medication availability, or other clinical considerations.
Medication and laboratory costs are separate unless expressly stated otherwise.
SWAT’s Testosterone Replacement Therapy program is intended for adult men with appropriate symptoms or clinical findings and consistently low testosterone confirmed through reliable laboratory testing.
The American Urological Association identifies a total testosterone level below 300 ng/dL as a reasonable cutoff supporting the diagnosis. The Endocrine Society cites a harmonized lower reference limit of approximately 264 ng/dL in healthy, non-obese young men.
These are clinical reference points—not automatic prescribing thresholds. Diagnosis and treatment are not based on one number alone.
Before TRT is prescribed, testosterone generally must be measured:
On two separate mornings
Preferably during the early-morning hours
When the patient is medically stable
Using a reliable laboratory assay
Free testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin may also be evaluated when total testosterone is borderline or when a medical condition may affect interpretation.
A low testosterone result should prompt an evaluation for its cause—not an automatic prescription. Evaluation may include repeat testosterone testing, LH, FSH, prolactin, blood counts, hematocrit, PSA or prostate-risk assessment when appropriate, blood pressure, fertility goals, sleep-apnea risk, medications, obesity, and other potentially reversible causes.
The goal of TRT is meaningful clinical improvement while maintaining testosterone within an appropriate physiologic range—not producing the highest possible laboratory value. The AUA describes approximately 450–600 ng/dL as a typical therapeutic target range, although results must be interpreted according to the medication, dose, timing, and individual clinical circumstances.
Testosterone, symptoms, hematocrit, blood pressure, adverse effects, and treatment response require ongoing monitoring. A hematocrit of 54% or higher generally requires clinical intervention, which may include reducing, pausing, or discontinuing treatment and evaluating contributing causes.
TRT may reduce sperm production and fertility. Patients who currently desire fertility should discuss this before receiving exogenous testosterone.
TRT is not provided for bodybuilding, athletic enhancement, anti-aging purposes, “gym-bro” dosing, or simply achieving a desired testosterone number.
Paying for an evaluation or management program, having nonspecific symptoms, or producing one low result does not guarantee that testosterone will be prescribed or continued. Treatment may be changed or discontinued when it is ineffective, unsafe, monitoring is incomplete, or it is no longer medically appropriate.
Medication and laboratory testing are billed separately.
SWAT provides individualized evaluation and treatment for symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause. Hormone therapy may be considered for clinically significant concerns such as hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disruption, and vaginal or urinary symptoms.
For otherwise healthy women with bothersome menopausal symptoms, systemic hormone therapy generally has the most favorable benefit-risk profile when initiated:
Before age 60, or
Within approximately 10 years of menopause onset
These are clinical guideposts—not automatic qualifications or absolute age limits. Treatment decisions require an individualized assessment of symptoms, goals, health history, and potential risks.
Perimenopause and menopause are usually clinical diagnoses based on symptoms, menstrual history, age, and medical history. Estrogen and FSH levels may fluctuate considerably during perimenopause, so a single hormone panel does not reliably confirm or exclude the condition.
Routine hormone panels are generally unnecessary for patients experiencing menopause at the expected age. Testing may be appropriate when symptoms occur unusually early, the menstrual history is unclear, pregnancy or another condition is possible, or the presentation is atypical.
SWAT does not prescribe estrogen or progesterone merely to achieve a predetermined laboratory number. There is no established routine estrogen target for menopausal hormone therapy.
Patients with a uterus who receive systemic estrogen generally require an appropriate progestogen to protect the uterine lining. Patients who have undergone a hysterectomy generally do not require a progestogen, although individual circumstances may differ.
Low-dose vaginal estrogen used for isolated vaginal or urinary symptoms is different from systemic hormone therapy and generally does not require a progestogen.
Systemic hormone therapy may be inappropriate or require specialist consultation for patients with certain conditions, including:
Unexplained vaginal bleeding
Certain hormone-sensitive cancers
Previous blood clots, stroke, or heart attack
Significant cardiovascular or thromboembolic risk
Active or severe liver disease
Pregnancy
Unexpected or persistent postmenopausal bleeding requires timely medical evaluation and should not automatically be attributed to hormone therapy.
When suitable FDA-approved hormone products are available, they are generally preferred. Compounded medications are not automatically safer, more natural, or more effective and will be considered only when there is an appropriate clinical reason.
Testosterone is not a routine component of menopausal hormone therapy. A low testosterone laboratory result alone does not establish “female testosterone deficiency” or qualify someone for treatment.
The strongest evidence supports carefully monitored testosterone therapy primarily for appropriately evaluated postmenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder after other medical, psychological, medication-related, and relationship factors have been considered.
Testosterone is not prescribed for weight loss, bodybuilding, athletic enhancement, generalized fatigue, anti-aging claims, or achieving a high laboratory value.
Paying for an evaluation or management program, experiencing menopausal symptoms, or having an abnormal laboratory result does not guarantee that estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, or another requested treatment will be prescribed.
Treatment may be adjusted, paused, or discontinued when it is ineffective, unsafe, monitoring is incomplete, or it is no longer medically appropriate. Medications, laboratory testing, imaging, and outside services are billed separately.
Please bring all required forms to your scheduled appointment. We are happy to complete forms related to your examination during the visit whenever possible.
Forms submitted after the appointment or requiring completion outside scheduled visit time may be subject to an additional administrative fee. We hate extra paperwork too—but reviewing records and completing forms accurately takes time away from patient care and our already busy schedule.
Patients can usually avoid this fee by bringing every required form to the appointment and completing their portion beforehand.
Forms requiring extensive record review, immunization verification, laboratory testing, additional examinations, or services not performed during the original visit may require another appointment or additional charges.
Completing a physical does not guarantee medical clearance, certification, athletic participation, employment approval, or other authorization when the applicable medical or safety requirements are not met.
A medical evaluation does not guarantee that antibiotics, hormones, weight-loss medication, controlled medication, or any other requested drug will be prescribed.
Medication decisions are based on the patient’s diagnosis, history, allergies, current medications, examination findings, testing, recognized clinical guidelines, and the provider’s professional judgment.
Certain medications require laboratory monitoring, follow-up appointments, in-person examinations, controlled-substance database review, treatment agreements, or consultation with a specialist. Refills may be declined or limited when required monitoring is incomplete, treatment is unsafe or ineffective, or continued prescribing is no longer medically appropriate.
SWAT Health does not provide prescriptions solely for convenience, performance enhancement, cosmetic goals, or laboratory-number optimization.
Please do not send urgent medical concerns, prescription requests, medical photographs, or confidential health information through regular email, social media, or an unsecured website form.
Use the secure patient portal or contact the clinic directly for private medical communication. Electronic messages are not continuously monitored and should never be used for an emergency.
We encourage patients to ask questions and participate in shared decision-making. Your provider will explain the recommended treatment, reasonable alternatives, expected benefits, important risks, monitoring requirements, and why a requested treatment may not be appropriate.
Our goal is not to sell you a medication. Our goal is to help you make a safe, informed decision based on the best available evidence and what is genuinely best for your health.