WHY WE DO NOT ACCEPT INSURANCE

Many people who have contacted our office for our services have asked us why we do not accept insurance when other medical providers do. We fully understand the financial challenge this presents to some patients and we wish there were a way for us to bill your insurance company. Unfortunately, at this time, there is not.  Here is why:

When medical offices bill health insurance companies directly, the physicians are required to become participating providers. The physicians 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 are not focused on any preventative or wellness services. They are heavily invested in the conventional model of health care that too often relies on drugs and surgery.

We are committed to the Functional Medicine approach that addresses the underlying causes of your symptoms with specific nutritional and lifestyle recommendations.

A participating provider must agree to accept the fees the insurance company establishes, regardless of whether the fees are reasonable or applicable to that practice. In general, these established fees cover the actual cost of the briefest (and we believe the lowest quality) care. Physicians who are participating providers are required to accept discounted fees for their services, and they cannot bill the patient for the difference between their fee and what the insurance company will pay. Therefore, the physician must write off the difference, often as much as 50% or more of their fee for the service they provided. At the same time, the participating provider’s office overhead costs have increased dramatically because of the staff, time and equipment necessary for processing and tracking claims.

Additionally, the insurance companies dictate the amount of time the physician spends with the patient as well as what medications to prescribe.  We do not believe it is up to insurance companies to make these decisions.

We expect and fully hope that you find the level and standard of care you receive by not including your insurance is unsurpassed.