Frequently Asked Questions
What is Naturopathic Medicine?
Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of primary health care that encompasses science, philosophy, and the practice of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illness as well as restoring the health of the whole person.
What are Naturopathic Doctors?
Naturopathic doctors are doctors who attended a four-year medical school to treat acute and chronic illness. They also take a professional board exam to become licensed, very similar to the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exam) that medical doctors (MDs) take except it includes ALL of our natural and conventional therapeutics including:
- Pharmacology
- Botanical medicine
- Clinical nutrition
- Physical medicine
- IV therapy
- Minor surgery
Naturopathic medicine is a distinct healthcare profession that is regulated by federal accreditation and state licensing boards. Naturopathic doctors’ education is primary care based and focused on treating the root cause of an illness, rather than just suppressing symptoms. Naturopathic doctors develop personalized treatment plans that utilize a broad toolbox, including pharmaceuticals but then extended to vitamins, herbal supplements, nutrition, and more.
Do you take insurance and/or does insurance cover Naturopathic Medicine?
Insurance companies have many different health care plans and coverage is dependent on your specific plan. Most health care plans consider naturopathic medicine as an out-of-network service. As our services are not covered, our office does not bill insurance and fees for services rendered would be an out-of-pocket expense.
Our office can provide you with an itemized statement also know as a "Superbill", that you can submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement. However, we cannot guarantee that they will reimburse you for all, part of, or any of your out-of-pocket expenses. It is strictly dependent on your individual insurance plan.
I have Medicare with a supplemental plan. Does it pay for Naturopathic Services?
Unfortunately, Medicare, with or without a supplemental plan, does not cover naturopathic services.
Is there a discount for cash paying customers?
We do not offer a discount for cash paying customers. Since our office does not bill insurance, all of our customers are cash paying.
How do I prepare for my 1st consultation?
As soon as you are able, complete the New Patient paperwork and email it back to the office. We require your paperwork to be completed 48 hours or more before your appointment to allow adequate time for the doctor to review it.
During the initial consult, the doctor will also review your medications and supplements, so it is important to bring all of your current medications and/or supplements with you.
What should I expect from my 1st consultation?
Your first consultation is 60-90 minutes long, depending on the doctor. This may include a non-invasive physical exam. During this consultation, your doctor will discuss your current health concerns while taking a very detailed health history. At the end of the appointment, you will leave with a detailed Treatment Plan outlining your doctor’s approach to your health and wellness. This may include a request for additional testing, as well as a supplement protocol and/or dietary and lifestyle suggestions. This treatment protocol and any labs ordered will then be reviewed at your next appointment.
During my consult I was given a lot of information. Where do I start?
During your consult, your doctor records the key information that was discussed, any supplements to start taking, and any recommended next steps to be completed before your follow up appointment. Upon check out, this information is handed to you in the form of a Wellness Plan. The Wellness Plan is your “how to” guide and should be thoroughly read for a clear understanding of what your doctor would like you to do before your next appointment.
You can also access your Wellness Plan through the patient portal. Please login go to the "Documents and Labs" section where you will see the document titled "Wellness Plan" with the date of your appointment.
After reading your Wellness Plan, if you still have questions, please email office@walnutcreeknaturopathic.com, or call the office at 925-939-0300. Depending on the nature of your questions, they may be answered via email or you may be asked to schedule an additional consultation.
After my first consult, how often do I need to be seen?
Your care at Walnut Creek Naturopathic is individualized. This means that the frequency of your appointments depends on several factors, including the underlying causes of your illness, how well the doctor’s recommendations are being followed and how quickly your body responds to treatment.
Due to the amount of information to go over after your initial consultation, a 1-hour follow-up appointment is typically scheduled 4 to 6 weeks after your first consult. After that, the number of follow up appointments will be determined based on your health care needs.
Can I do my consultation over the phone?
After the initial consultation, you may schedule your consults as a phone appointment. In order to establish care, our office requires that initial consultations be done in person.
The fees are the same whether it’s a phone appointment or an in-person appointment.
The doctor has requested I have a follow up that lasts a certain time. Can I schedule a shorter one?
Our doctors carefully consider the amount of time needed to spend with you to provide you with the best care possible. Please do not try to shorten your appointments. If the doctors do not need to use the entire time scheduled, you will only be charged for the time you spend with them.
What should I do if I need to reschedule or cancel an appointment?
If possible, we ask our patients to avoid rescheduling, to avoid prolonging your follow-up visit with your doctor. However, if an emergency arises and you are not able to consult with your doctor by phone, you can call us at (925) 939-0300.
**We have a 2 business day prior notice policy for rescheduling or canceling your appointment. The full charge of the visit will be applied if proper notice is not given.
My treatment plan states I am to start on my supplements but I don’t know where to get them?
Our office carries many of the supplements that our doctors prescribe. During the checkout process you are given the choice to take what we have on hand or order them through our online dispensary. If you decide to order them through our online dispensary, FullScript, your account will be set-up with all the recommended supplements within 24 hours of your visit.
Once the account is set-up, you will receive two emails, a welcome email and an email with a link to your account. The link will take you directly to your account and will list all of your supplements by name. To view your supplements and order them, you will need to click the “view recommendation” button and then click the “add to cart” button. This will place your supplement(s) in your cart for purchasing.
If you are finished with adding your items to the cart, you can simply click “client cart” to review your order. You will then click the “proceed” button, which will take you to a new screen, where you will enter your address. Your actual address will appear under your inputted information and you will need to click on your address. Enter your phone number and click the “proceed” button. This will take you to a new screen in which you will need to enter your credit card information. You will need to click the “proceed” button to review your order and confirm your purchase.
Any orders placed after 4pm are processed the next business day. Orders take an average of 3 to 5 business days for delivery.
What if one of my supplements is on back order?
Please contact our office to see if your doctor can recommend an alternative.
What if I need a refill on my prescription medication?
If you have been prescribed a medication through a pharmacy and are running low, please call the pharmacy for a refill at least 7 business days before you run out. The pharmacy will then fax a form to our office for an approval and signature from your doctor. Have the pharmacy fax the request to (925)939-3181.
What is a Patient Portal?
A patient portal is a secure online website that gives you convenient 24-hour access to your personal health information and medical records—called an Electronic Medical Records or EMR—from anywhere with an Internet connection.
Why is using a Patient Portal important?
Accessing your personal medical records through a patient portal can help you be more actively involved in your own health care. Accessing your family members’ health information can help you take care of them more easily. Also, patient portals offer self-service options that can eliminate phone tag with your doctor and sometimes even save a trip to the doctor’s office.
What can I do with a Patient Portal?
The features of patient portals may vary, but typically you can securely view and print portions of your medical record, including recent doctor visits, discharge summaries, medications, immunizations, allergies, and most lab results anytime and from anywhere you have Web access.
Other features may include:
Exchanging secure e-mail with your health care team Requesting prescription refills Scheduling non-urgent appointments Updating your contact information Downloading or completing intake forms A patient portal may also allow you to access these features on behalf of your children or other dependent family members.
How do I get access to a Patient Portal? Contact the front office and they will provide you with instructions for setting it up. There may be a couple of steps involved in setting up your account, including creating a secure password. This is to make sure only you have access to your health information. Once your account is set up, you’ll be ready to conveniently access your health information and medical records.
Your health information is Private, Secure, and Protected.
Patient portals have privacy and security safeguards in place to protect your health information.
To make sure that your private health information is safe from unauthorized access, patient portals are hosted on a secure connection and accessed via an encrypted, password-protected log-in.
EMRs also have an “audit trail” feature that keeps a record of who accessed your information, what changes were made, and when.
Although patient portals use safeguards, there are other safety tips you should follow when accessing the patient portal. Always remember to protect your username and password from others and make sure to only log on to the patient portal from a personal or secure computer.