New Patient Visits
Appointments are dedicated to assessing patient status with a thorough review of the patient history, current symptoms and lab tests. The objective of this visit is to establish or work toward a diagnosis, summarize treatment options and help the patient understand what is entailed regarding length of treatment and medications/side effects. The practitioners will work with each new patient to select the approach that balances both patient constraints and treatment effectiveness. Allow 1.5 hours for this appointment.
Recent Tick Bite Evaluations
Patients who have had a recent tick bite can be evaluated on a limited basis to determine if treatment is necessary. These appointments generally take 15 minutes to 30 minutes.
Lab Reviews
This appointment is specifically designed to enable an in-person discussion about your lab results, implications on the treatment plan, details on how to implement the plan and what can be expected while taking the various medications in the regime.
Follow Up Visits
Treatment of Tick-Borne diseases requires close monitoring of the disease response to specific medications. Appointments are designed to make assessments of patient progress and medication effectiveness. The practitioners may require a patient visit before any different medications can be prescribed. Allow 30 minutes for this appointment.
Phone Consultations
Many patients live long distance from our office, making frequent trips cost prohibitive. To help reduce costs, phone consultations will be available. Note, an office visit may still be required in order to change your medications. Fees are billed for the length of the call.
Prescription & Refills
Patients will be required to have either a phone consult or office visit at the end of each 4 to 6 week period at which time the treatment effectiveness will be assessed and a new prescription will be written if continued treatment is necessary. If no appointments are available, you may be given a partial new prescription until your next appointment. In the case where a refill has been granted, we will call your pharmacy with the refill information. Please allow 72 hours for processing the refills. Plan ahead—requesting refills after you are out of the medication should be avoided. Do not call the emergency line for refill request. We will not respond to patient phone calls regarding refill requests. If your medication is not covered by insurance and there are no acceptable substitutes, the practitioners will call or fax prior authorization only once at no charge. If any further appeals are necessary, there will be a minimum charge of $50.00 for the processing of the paperwork and for the practitioner’s time interfacing with your insurance company.
Billings
All fees are due at the time of the appointment (including follow-up appointments, phone calls and IV services) We accept Visa, MC, Discover, and personal checks. We do not bill insurance. We do not accept Medicare. Patients are responsible for full payment at the time of the service. If you cannot make full payment, other payment arrangements must be made prior to your appointment with our practice manager. Patients must obtain approval from the practice manager for other payment arrangements. Please do not approach the practitioners directly regarding other payment arrangements. Phone our practice manager for more details. We do not bill Medicare and are not Medicare providers.
These are generally not completed by our office. Your primary care doctor should assist in the completion of these forms. Only in rare and extenuating circumstances will our office complete these forms. A minimum fee of $35.00 will apply (may be more depending on size of chart)