Loula Referral Program: Code of Conduct
This document applies to clients Loula refers to you through the Referral Program. It does not apply to clients you source yourself; those remain governed by your Membership Agreement and Participating Provider Agreement. The Loula Referral Code of Conduct supplements your Participating Provider Agreement and the Referral Program Addendum. If anything here conflicts with those documents, the Addendum controls. Participation in the Referral Program is voluntary, and you can withdraw at any time.
Last Updated: October 16, 2026
Part A: Requirements
These are conditions of participating in the Referral Program. They are enforced under Section 7.3 of the Addendum.
- Only accept who you can actually serve. Take a referral only if you have the capacity, location, and availability to serve the client.
- Never discriminate. Don't decline a referral, or treat a client differently, because of race, color, religion, national origin, language, immigration status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, marital status, pregnancy outcome, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you can't communicate effectively in the client's preferred language, let Loula know so we can match them with a doula who can.
- Log covered visits through Loula only. While you're in the Loula network and the client is covered, their covered visits are logged in the Loula platform and billed by Loula, not under your own NPI, not through another group, and not as a private-pay arrangement.
- Protect referral client information. The name, contact info, due date, and plan details we send you are confidential. Use them only to decide on and serve this referral, and delete them if you decline. Don't share a referred client's information, or the fact that they were referred, with anyone outside what's needed for their care, unless the law requires it or the client authorizes it. Handle all client information in accordance with HIPAA, the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, and your Agreement.
- Document every visit in writing. For each visit you bill, you keep a written record that it happened, such as a confirmation text or email with the date, time, and visit type, or a short follow-up afterward (a recap, next steps, or a quick “great seeing you today”). For phone visits with nothing else in writing, you also keep your call log. This protects you if a client ever disputes a visit.
- The client's choice is always theirs. Let clients know they can request a different doula at any time. Never pressure a client about staying with you or with Loula.
- Tell Loula when care is not going as expected. A no-show by you or the client, a request to switch doulas, a safety concern, a complaint of any kind, prolonged unresponsiveness, a billing or insurance issue, a personal or professional connection to the client, or anything else that could reasonably affect the client's care.
- Work with Loula to transition client care when necessary. If you must stop serving a client, or you plan to leave the network, tell Loula before your last visit, log every visit you provided, and support Loula with the handoff.
- Have a Loula backup for births. Organize a backup doula for birth support when you accept a referral, and make sure the backup is a Loula doula who has accepted the Addendum and is in network with your client’s insurance. If you need help getting a backup doula to support a client referral, reach out to Loula promptly so we can help.
Part B: Expectations
These expectations reflect the standard of care Loula promises clients when we match them with a doula. These are not strict rules, but rather guidelines we would like you to follow. Loula considers them, along with client feedback, when deciding which doulas receive referrals.
- Respond promptly to connection requests. A connection request asks if you’re willing and available to offer the client a complimentary 15-30 minute consult. You accept or decline within one to two business days. Once connected, you can see the client’s intake and insurance info, but neither of you has committed to working together yet.
- Make match decisions promptly. After the consult, you accept or decline the match within one week. If you and the client both agree to work together, it’s a match.
- Initiate care quickly. You contact the client to schedule a first visit within a week of accepting the referral, and if you can't reach them after a few attempts, you let Loula know right away.
- Be reachable and available to your client. You reply to client messages within a business day, and you or your named backup are on call as the due date approaches.
- Prioritize continuity of care. You give reasonable notice if you need to reschedule, you plan the next visit before ending the current one, and you see the client early in the postpartum period.
- Provide quality care. You give referred clients the same care as any other client: prompt, respectful, culturally responsive, trauma-informed, within doula scope, and respectful of the client's broader care team. You use inclusive, client-centered language and the name and pronouns the client uses for themselves.
Groups
The Group Owner is responsible for making sure every doula in the group meets Part A, and each doula is personally accountable for their own conduct with referred clients.
If a requirement is not met
Loula may respond with coaching, a written warning, a corrective action plan, suspension or removal from the Referral Program, financial remedies under the Addendum, or termination from the network, alone or in combination, depending on severity and pattern.
