We Respect Your Privacy. We will never give your adult family member, or anyone, any medical information or information about your appointment, unless you ask us to. Please let our staff know if you have any privacy concerns.
You do not have to tell a parent or an adult family member about your choice, if you are planning on having an abortion procedure. This is true whether you live in Illinois or are travelling from another state.
If you choose not to involve a parent, we can take steps to help protect your privacy, when it comes to how we contact you. Please let us know:
- The best way to contact you before and after your visit. We regularly call and text patients. Please give us a phone number that we can safely contact you at and let us know if you prefer a phone call or text message.
- If we can leave a voice mail message for you. We can say that we are calling from a doctor’s office or even use an person’s name if you prefer.
- What time of day is the best time to communicate with you.
- Whether it is safe to mail information to your home address. For example, if you miss a follow up visit or we are unable to reach you via telephone with lab results, we sometimes send patients information through the mail.
There are some special considerations if you are using insurance to cover the cost of your care.
- If you have private insurance through a parent you may not be able to use your insurance and keep your care confidential. Most private insurance companies send statements in the mail or electronically that explain the medical care provided in detail. We will help you find financial assistance if you cannot use your insurance and you cannot afford to pay for all of your care out of pocket.
- Your care should be covered confidentially without any information being sent via mail or electronically to your family, if you have Illinois Medicaid coverage.
- When you use a credit or debit card to make a payment, the charge will state ‘Family Planning Associates’. Anyone who has access to the account will be able to view the charge.
When you take a medication to the pharmacy, that medication will become part of your record and usually is automatically billed to your insurance.
- Your parent may have an email or text alert set up to notify them when a medication is ready for pickup.
- The safest option if you do not want your family know about your prescription medication, is to use a different pharmacy chain from the one your family normally uses.
- Make sure to ask the pharmacy staff if you have ever had a prescription filled with that chain and if they have any information on file for you.
- Remember to request to pay out of pocket for your medications. You can use programs like Good RX for discounted prices.
If you have questions or concerns please let our staff know, we are happy to help you explore your options. Your privacy is important to us and we want to help you find an option that makes you feel comfortable.