Dr. Katherine does not accept any insurance, including Medicare or Medicaid.

THERE ARE MANY INDIVIDUAL FACTORS INVOLVED IN HEALTHCARE COSTS AND PRICING:

  • The fraction of the total cost that your insurance covers, which varies by plan (ex. 80:20)
  • The amount you have already paid for healthcare expenses this year (your deductible)
  • If your insurance provider is “in network” or “out of network” with the lab performing the testing
  • Whether you meet medical criteria required by insurance for coverage of your testing

Dr. Katherine recommends that you check with your insurance provider about your “out of network” benefits and deductible to better understand any restrictions or financial obligations you may have under your current plan. For instance, if you have to meet a large deductible before labs are covered, you may decide that paying cash is a more affordable option and may apply to your deductible for the year. She offers all labs to you at a discounted cash price, but some lab companies will take a co-pay and bill your insurance depending on your coverage.

Her practice is highly specialized and uses advanced and sometimes controversial diagnostic studies and interventions, many of which are not covered by the average health insurance plan, nor should they be. Insurance coverage is really meant for emergencies, non-elective surgeries, expensive medications, routine labs and radiology, and injuries – not health improvement and maintenance.

A growing number of doctors have moved away from accepting insurance because they are tired of insurance companies dictating the amount of time and type of care they can provide their patients.

In the insurance system, every encounter must be submitted as a billing claim to the insurance carrier in order for the doctor to get paid. The doctor only gets a small portion of the billing as payment. Therefore, doctors in the insurance system must see 3,000 patients or more per year (that’s about 30-40 visits per day) just to generate enough billing claims to pay for an office and make a living. This is why you wait so long for an appointment, only to get a few rushed minutes with your doctor.

The insurance system also limits the type of care you get. Your doctor is only able to discuss issues pertaining to the specific visit type so the encounter can fit into an insurance billing claim. Many labs aren’t covered if you don’t have a particular condition that justifies checking them. If you have another issue, you have to schedule another appointment. Most doctors are as frustrated as you are about it.

Dr. Katherine won’t sacrifice her patients’ care. She chooses her patients’ well-being over insurance payments. Because of this choice, she has complete freedom to provide highly personalized, cutting-edge, and unrushed care. Her patients know they can reach her with questions almost any time of the day, any day of the week. She doesn’t need extra staff just to handle insurance claims. Any issue can be discussed that needs to be addressed at any appointment. The focus is on building optimal health, not doing the “bare minimum” or just treating the symptoms of illness after it happens. In this kind of high-value health care practice, you truly get what you pay for.