FAQ
What is “Direct Primary Care”?
This is a model of medicine that offers medical care for a low monthly membership fee, rather than billing insurance.
How is this practice different from others?
This is a model of medicine that offers medical care for a low monthly membership fee, rather than billing insurance. Using the direct primary care model allows us to cut down our overhead because we don’t have to hire three people to do insurance billing. That reduced overhead allows us to limit the number of patients in our practice and lower prices. No more feeling like a number. No more waiting days or weeks to see the doctor for a rushed 7 minute visit. No more call centers.
Do you accept health insurance?
No. Although insurance is important to have for more serious illness or injuries, it tends to create barriers for day-to-day things like primary care. You would never expect or want your car insurance to cover your oil changes, tune-ups, or minor repairs, which would require cumbersome paperwork for reimbursement and prior authorizations for the work. By cutting out the middle man, medical costs are much more affordable, and accessible.
Do I still need a health insurance plan if I am a member of Lotus Family Practice?
Yes. It’s important to be covered for catastrophic events. Depending on your medical needs, we can help find a plan that pairs the best with your membership. For example, if you are fairly healthy and don’t anticipate many visits to specialists or hospitals, you may do well paired with a high deductible/ low premium plan. On the other hand, if you will likely require visits to specialists, or need a surgery or expensive name brand medication, you may do better with plan with more coverage.
If I don’t usually go to the doctor’s office very often, will I still benefit?
Yes. Because we focus on keeping you healthy, we offer a variety of wellness classes throughout the week as a part of your membership. Also, we are here when you need us. We are available by text, call and email after hours. When you need to be seen, we make it happen same or next day, by a physician who knows you.
Can I become a member if I am eligible for medicare?
Yes. Medicare patients can become a member for a flat fee of $60/month. Medicare will not reimburse for your membership fee, but your medicare benefits can still be used for any lab work, medications, imaging, hospital visits.
How do I know if the practice is right for me?
We would be happy to set up a complimentary meeting to answer all of your questions and tour the office.
How do I become a patient?
You have two options.
Option 1: You can go to the ‘sign up’ page and complete the online form. If you are not sure of dates or events it asks you about, just leave them blank for now. A form of billing method is required, which is saved on a secure third party website. Nothing will be charged until we’ve confirmed your membership.
Option 2: Call the office to set up an appointment with our coordinator, Erica, who will walk you through step by step.
What happens if I join the practice, and then leave?
There is no minimum commitment, but if you discontinue your membership in less than a year, our policy would apply as follows: office visits will be charged individually, minus any membership fees paid. Any balance will be due upon cancellation. A fee schedule for this circumstance can be made available upon request.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acupuncture
What should I expect during my first visit?
During your initial visit, you will be asked to complete a health history questionnaire. Your acupuncturist will also complete a detailed intake, focusing on your main complaint as well as a head-to-toe systems check. Questions may vary but usually they include areas associated with the head (eyes, ears, nose, and throat), respiration, chest, gastrointestinal system, urination, gynecology, body temperature, energy, sleep, and emotions. An aspect of the intake may also include assessment of your tongue, abdomen and pulse. After gathering adequate information, your acupuncturist will formulate an initial diagnosis and treatment strategy. You will then relax on a comfortable treatment table and your acupuncture treatment will begin with the strategic insertion of thin, sterile, disposable needles. On your first visit, you can expect to receive a 20 to 40 minute acupuncture treatment during your hour and a half long visit.
Is acupuncture safe?
Acupuncture is completely safe when conducted by a licensed practitioner. In Maine, acupuncturists are required to attend a rigorous four-year Masters Degree program and pass state and national board exams prior to practicing. Although there are typically no side effects to acupuncture, a patient should be forthcoming in disclosing any medical conditions. Acupuncturists at Whole Health promote the highest standards of safety by complying with OSHA regulations, practicing universal precautions, and using only stainless steel, sterile, disposable needles.
Are acupuncture needles safe?
Here at Whole Health, all of our acupuncture practitioners use needles that are pre-sterilized, pre-packaged, and disposable. Each needle is used only one time and deposited in a hard plastic bio-hazard container, to ensure safe disposal.
Why does my acupuncturist look at my tongue or palpate my abdomen?
In Traditional Chinese Medicine the inspection of the tongue and palpation of the abdomen are very important in helping your acupuncturist to properly diagnose your condition. In tongue diagnosis, different areas of the tongue relate to various organ systems in the body. The color, coating, shape and texture of these areas of the tongue yield information about the state of your health. The tongue shows the depth and nature of an imbalance. For example, a yellow coating indicates internal heat, so appropriate points would be chosen to clear the heat. Practitioners also use the tongue as a measurement tool to gauge the progress of a disorder. Like the tongue, different parts of the abdomen pertain to different internal body functions. Detecting tension in different areas of the abdomen allow a practitioner to correctly choose the appropriate treatment points. Prior to an acupuncture appointment, it is important not to eat or drink anything that will discolor the tongue and give a misleading impression to the practitioner.
How does acupuncture work?
According to Chinese medicine theory, acupuncture works primarily by promoting the free movement of energy, which acts to balance and harmonize the body. Western scientific research has shown that acupuncture causes the production of the morphine-like pain suppressing molecules in the body called endorphins. However, acupuncture is used for many other conditions besides pain. More recent research has provided explanations for how this works. These studies have shown that when an acupuncture needle is inserted into the body, specific regions of the brain are activated. This brain activation then allows regulation of other systems in the body primarily through the modulation of molecules such as neurotransmitters and hormones. Collectively scientific research has shown that acupuncture can modulate all the primary systems in the body including the nervous, endocrine and immune systems. Current research is aimed at understanding exactly how this happens, and the nature and specific usage of the various acupuncture points for different medical conditions.
Does acupuncture hurt?
Acupuncture needles are much thinner than the regular needles used to inject substances like vaccines or insulin. The needles are so fine, that when an acupuncture needle is inserted into the skin many patients feel only a mild sensation – or nothing at all! The amount of sensation varies between different point locations on the body and different people’s sensitivity level. It is essentially a painless experience, and is not stressful, even for people who dislike needles.
How many acupuncture treatments will I need?
The number of treatments required is determined by the nature of the complaint, the underlying health of the patient and how the patient responds to treatment. For many complaints, especially acute conditions, several treatments per week for the first 2-4 weeks are usually recommended. This allows the treatments to have additive and cumulative effects and speeds up the healing process. After this intensive treatment period, treatments are usually taken on a weekly basis. Treatment duration can be anywhere from a couple of weeks to 6 months or more. Some folks continue treatment on a monthly basis to prevent illness. This is in keeping with one of the basic philosophies of Chinese medicine, which is that prevention is better than cure.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chinese Herbal Medicine
What is Chinese Herbal Medicine?
Chinese Herbal Medicine in an ancient system of healing using plants, animal products and minerals to help restore health. Its theory, practice and herbal pharmacology has developed over several thousand years into a highly specific and systematic form of herbal medicine. Chinese Herbal medicine in one of the most well developed forms of herbal medicine in the world. Its popularity is growing and it is used extensively in treat a variety of health concerns from acute pain conditions to chronic internal medical conditions. In the United States, it is often used in conjunction with acupuncture.
What is an herbal prescription?
Rarely does Chinese herbal medicine use only one herb to restore health. Usually, the herbs are combined into formulas or prescriptions that are composed of several herbs. A typical formula may have an average of ten different herbs. The process of combining herbs allows the herbalist to customize a formula that is specific to your particular needs. This ability to tailor a formula to meet the needs of a particular client is one of the unique benefits of Chinese herbal medicine. Herbal prescriptions can come in various forms – pills, capsules, powders, tinctures and raw herbs that you boil at home. At Whole Health, we use capsules and powders that you add to water and drink. These methods of administrating herbs ensure convenience as well as effectiveness..
What are the herbs used in Chinese Medicine?
Chinese Medicine’s pharmacopoeia contains thousands of substances derived from plants, animals and minerals. A typical Chinese Herbal pharmacy in the United States will have about two to three hundred different herbs that are used to combine into formulas. The vast majority of the herbs are derived from the various parts of plants (roots, leaves, stem, bark, etc.). Some are derived from animals such as oyster shells and others are minerals found in nature such as talcum. Many of the herbs are common in a typical home kitchen. For instance, cinnamon, ginger, scallions, cloves, orange peels and licorice are all commonly used herbs in Chinese formulas.
Is it safe to take herbs with prescription drugs?
Yes, in certain instances, depending on the drugs and the herbs that are involved.While drug/herbal safety is addressed on a case by case basis, there are general principles that are followed. Certain classes of herbs are to be avoided with certain classes of drugs. For instance, herbs known as blood moving are to be avoided with blood thinning drugs such as coumadin, because their similar effects could create too strong of an effect. We at Whole Health are conservative when recommending herbs to patients taking prescription drugs. If there is any reason to suspect a negative drug/herb interaction, we will forego prescribing herbs and address the patient’s health condition in other ways, such as acupuncture, and dietary counseling.