Many new and prospective patients have asked why we cannot bill insurance directly when some other medical providers do. We fully understand the financial challenge this presents to some patients, and wish there were a way for us to bill patients’ insurance companies without compromising the care we provide.
When medical practices bill health insurance companies directly, the providers are required to become participating providers. The doctors must sign a contract that allows the insurance company to determine which services they will and will not provide and how much they can charge for those services. In general, insurance companies do not focus on preventive or wellness services. They invest heavily in the conventional model of health care that too often relies on drugs, outdated medical care, and surgeries. As providers who specialized in functional and hormonal medicine, I am firmly committed to the prevention, wellness, and natural solutions to health problems.
My goal is to address the underlying causes of your symptoms with specific nutritional and lifestyle recommendations, bio-identical hormones, and other holistic therapies — interventions that are generally not reimbursed by insurance companies.
Also participating provider’s office overhead costs have to increase dramatically because of the staff, time, and equipment necessary for processing and tracking insurance claims. Most doctors and clinics cope with the requirements of being participating providers by keeping their office visits very brief so that they can see many patients within a given time frame.
In order to take the proper time to assess your medical needs and provide the care you deserve, we cannot participate in insurance plans. However, in some instances, you may be able to utilize your health insurance benefits for things such as laboratory blood testing. Our team can assist you in this regard.