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New Patient Visits: First visits can take up to 1½ hours. Depending on the patient’s needs, the emphasis will either be on homeopathy or osteopathy together with appropriate life-style recommendations. Please read, "How To Report Symptoms" on-line or with the printed information which was sent to you by mail. Bring copies of recent laboratory work and other relevant medical reports as well as a list of all medications and supplements. Allow some extra time before your first visit to complete a patient registration form. Too often patients shortchange themselves by arriving late. The methods I use are labor intensive and require time so punctuality is important. Initial visits for infants and children generally take less time and the fee is adjusted accordingly. The fee for a new patient visit is $395. Three business days notice is required to cancel a new patient visit. Fees for return visits vary based on the number and kind of procedures performed. Please call the office for details.
My practice is office-based only, so patients are urged to maintain contact with conventional physicians for emergencies requiring hospitalizations, specialty consultation, surgery, diagnostic testing and routine cancer screening. Voice mail messages can be left 24 hours a day and I am available to established patients with urgent medical problems by cell phone.
Health Insurance: We do not accept insurance payments nor do we participate in any networks or plans such as HMOs, PPOs, Workman’s Compensation or Medicaid. The practice is currently closed to new Medicare patients.
Billing: Your treatment usually includes a medical office visit and an osteopathic treatment. There will be separate charges for each modality and each modality will be assigned its own procedure and diagnostic code required for insurance reimbursement to you. When only one modality is used, you will be billed only for that modality.
Payment: Charges for all components of your treatment are due at the time of your visit. Cash, personal checks and credit cards (Master Card, Visa) are accepted. Patients are responsible for charges even if their deductible has not been met. There is no charge for a single dose of a remedy (pellets) dispensed at the time of the office visit. There is a fee for tinctures, liquid remedies and remedy tablets. A separate receipt will be issued for medication charges.
Receipts: You will be given a receipt that contains all the necessary procedure, diagnosis and provider identification information needed to submit to your insurance company. Attach this receipt to your insurance claim form and mail to your insurance carrier.
Cancelled or Missed Appointments: There is a fee for a missed office visit or for visits cancelled within less than 24 hours. Monday appointments must be cancelled by Friday to avoid a cancellation fee.
Lateness: The methods I use are labor-intensive and require the allotted time to complete so please maximize your experience by being on time. If you are late for your appointment and if the next patient has arrived early, the next patient may be seen during your appointment time in an effort to preserve the rest of the day’s schedule and not shortchange any one patient.
Phone Consultations: There is a $35 fee for phone consultations. Payment by credit card is required for the consultation during regular office hours. Phone consultations after office hours will be billed to you by mail. If the remedy prescribed during the phone consultation has not worked, you will be asked to come to the office for treatment. The $35.00 fee will be deducted from the office visit fee so you will not pay twice for the same episode. Remedy kits for home prescribing are available in the office.
