Why Telemedicine?

Telemedicine includes any clinical services provided via telecommunications technology. Dr. Blakely completes patient visits via phone and video chat. Telemedicine can be used for a wide variety of health services and patients enjoy the convenience of having a doctor’s appointment from their home or office. This helps avoid traffic, decrease rushing to the next appointment, saves time and decreases the disruption of your daily routine. Patients can schedule their appointments on their time and schedule. Why miss a day of work going to the doctor? Save those rare days off for enjoyment instead of doctor appointments. Improve work-life balance by booking a telemedicine appointment today.

Telemedicine is great for

  • Health consultations
  • Acute conditions that are not medical emergencies
  • Acute conditions when you are traveling
  • Ongoing management of chronic conditions
  • Treatment plan updates and reviews
  • Prescribing pharmaceuticals – Prescribing is okay if you have a pre-existing relationship with the Doctor and you are in the state of California.
  • Patients that live in other parts of the world and cannot be seen in person.

Telemedicine cannot be used for

  • For medical emergencies – please go to the emergency room or call 911
  • Physical exams
  • Any condition where an in-person exam is required because of severe symptoms
  • Prescription medications if you are not a current patient

What you need for a telemedicine session

  • Tools – You’ll need a reliable phone (reception) or Internet / Wifi service.
  • Email – Email is required for communication between you and your doctor
  • Space – Make time just for you without multi-tasking or distractions.
  • Privacy – Be able to share your concerns and speak comfortably without interruptions.
  • Notepad – Make sure to have something to take notes with.
  • Primary Care Provider – Patients should have a primary care provider that can address basic health needs like physical exams, acute care when Dr. Blakely is not available, and urgent care.

How do I schedule a visit?

You can schedule visits online by clicking the appointment tab at the top of the page. Please choose “NO” when asked if you are an “existing” patient, even if you were a previous patient of Dr. Blakely, unless you have a current patient portal account with Dr. Blakely through ChArm.

For non-local patients, what about lab work?

Lab services are nationwide. A copy of your requisition form will be sent to you digitally so you can print it out to bring with you to your lab appointment. The results come straight to Dr. Blakely, and will be discussed at your next follow-up. Specialty lab kits are dropped shipped to you with the requisition included. Please fill out the requisition form completely for the payment section and your personal information. Make sure to include a copy of your insurance card.

What are the treatment options?

Dr. Blakely uses an online dispensary for nutraceuticals and herbaceuticals that offers quality products at a discount which are mailed to you nationwide. Dr. Blakely works with local PCAB accredited custom compounding pharmacies for quality bio-identical hormone replacement medications, thyroid hormones, and other specialty medications. Regular pharmacies are used for non-compounded prescription medications. Dr. Blakely does not prescribe schedule II medications like pain and ADD/ADHD medications.

Please contact your insurance provider to make sure your prescriptions are covered. Some cover compounded medications. Always ask the price of a medication when having it filled. If your insurance doesn’t cover your medication you can ask to have a pre-authorization completed which might get it covered. You can get coupons for many medications at goodrx.com

Fees & Insurance

Payment is expected at the time of service. All major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express)/debit cards (with the Visa/MasterCard logo) are accepted.

A credit card number on file is required to hold your appointment. A 48-hour notice is required to change or cancel your appointment. The fee for a missed appointment is $100.

Health Management Online fee schedule ranges from $125 upwards depending on the complexity and length of the visit. This charge covers the patient visit as well as the doctors time after the visit for patient management like treatment plan formulation, prescription management, labs, and short follow-up emails.

Insurance

Health Management Online does not bill insurance companies directly. Depending on your policy, insurance may cover office visits as out-of-network providers. Payment at the time of the service is required. All major credit cards are accepted. Receipts will be coded so that you can submit them either to insurance, Health Savings Account (HSA), or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for your consults, lab fees, treatments and supplements.

There is no reimbursement option right now for Medi-Cal, Medicare, Tri-Care and most HMO’s.

The only way to be sure of your benefits is to call your insurance company to find out if they have naturopathic medical benefits, and, if so, how they cover these services. You also need to confirm they will cover telemedicine. Your insurance company may require CPT Codes (Appointment Type) to confirm if Naturopathic Medicine is covered under your policy. Sometimes they require ICD 10 Codes (Diagnosis Codes) to confirm, but those are only ever given after your initial appointment. Let us know that you are billing your insurance company so we can provide you with the proper coding and documentation paperwork after your appointment is completed. A superbill can be provided upon request.

How Do I Get Reimbursed?

Many PPOs will reimburse depending on your plan. An HSA (health savings account) and Flex Spending are also payment options. They will often cover consultations, labs and supplements. HMOs do not reimburse for naturopathic medicine. You submit a claim directly to your insurance company to have them reimburse you for your out-of-pocket expenses. A super-bill and any necessary coding/documentation will be provided so you can directly submit to your insurance carrier. Please note that your reimbursement may be impacted by co-pays and deductibles.

Are Laboratory Tests Covered by My Insurance?

Most labs are covered by PPO plans. Unfortunately, this is not the case for HMOs. However, we are often able to work with HMO doctors to enable some lab coverage.

  • Standard labs (LabCorp, Quest, and Boston Heart), are usually covered by most insurance plans. It is your responsibility to confirm coverage of any test ordered before completing the test.
  • Specialty labs (Labrix, Vibrant America, Diagnostic Solutions, Doctors Data, The Great Plains Laboratory, Genova Diagnostics, and ZRT), are covered by some insurance plans and can be submitted for reimbursement. These labs offer a discounted cash price for labs paid at time of service.
  • For cash patients Boston Heart, Vibrant America, and True Health Diagnostics offers discounted cash prices.