Normal Office Hours

Face-to-face visits are offered on Tuesday. Online services are provided on other days except for Fridays and the weekend.
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Communication

• For urgent issues, please call my office phone (919) 357-7204 and leave me a message since I check it regularly. On weekends or holidays I will check it at least once daily, and respond to it as soon as I am able. 

• For non-urgent issues, please leave me a message at the office number or leave me a secure message on Carepaths (through the Patient Portal). I will respond to non-urgent issues within three business days.

• In an emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room!
• The Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-278-TALK is available 24/7​

Email is available for scheduling (FraukeSchaeferMD@gmail.com). If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment close to the 24 hour limit, please leave me a message by phone since I will receive it quicker and can then offer the appointment to other patients who may be waiting for a suitable appointment time. Thank you!
Since email is not a confidential means of communication, I recommend that you DO NOT USE EMAIL to communicate with me about PERSONAL HEALTH CONCERNS.

In the interest of the security and confidentiality of your personal health related information, I strongly recommend that you send electronic messages about confidential clinical matters through the SECURE PATIENT PORTAL or use the PHONE. Please be advised that I am NOT checking Carepaths messages outside of office hours or on the weekend. Using the phone is the best way to get timely attention for urgent concerns on weekends of outside of office hours.

When I am out of the office for several days, you will find a message on my answering machine providing you with contact information for a psychiatrist who will be covering my patients during my absence.