 |
The HER Place® consultative model gives you an integrated picture of how all the pieces of your “health puzzle” fit together, and then gives you suggestions on how best to meet your goals. |
|
|
|
|
|
The HER Place® consultative model gives you an integrated picture of how all the pieces of your “health puzzle” fit together, and then gives you suggestions on how best to meet your goals. |
|
Frequently Asked QuestionsQ. I’m not sure that my symptoms are hormonally related or that I am appropriate for your practice. What do you suggest? A. The first step is to take the Hormone Self-Questionnaire, or the PCOS Self-Questionnaire and the Fibromyalgia Self-Questionnaire contained in the new patient packet available by contacting HER Place®. Based on your scores, these tests will give you an idea whether your symptoms are hormonally related and whether our services will benefit you. The next step is to read Dr. Vliet’s books, Screaming To Be Heard: Hormonal Connections Women Suspect ...and Doctors Still Ignore, Women, Weight and Hormones, and It’s My Ovaries, Stupid!. Most of our patients identify with the patient stories described in the book. Q. May I see the physician without doing the suggested labwork or additional tests? A. No. We feel the laboratory information is critical to making a correct diagnosis. Symptom lists are non-specific and may lead to incorrect diagnoses if used without proper laboratory evaluation. Q. Do you offer PAP Smears? A. Yes - to meet current Arizona regulations, all of our new patients have a physical exam by Dr. Vliet as part of our complete evaluation. Our incoming patients are asked to have a current Pap and mammogram sent to us prior to initial appointment. We do not feel it is appropriate or necessary to charge you again for this service when you have them done by your primary care physician or OB-GYN. We also encourage you to have a regular annual check-up (including PAP and Well Woman exam) with your primary care physician or OB/GYN physician to maintain that relationship and continue to include them in your care as much as possible. Q. What other services do you provide? A. Depending on location, we offer or can make recommendations regarding the following services: Individual Nutritional Consultation Dietary evaluation and planning are an important part of your health routine. We will discuss positive changes in your eating habits to achieve your health goals, whether you need a specific diet, are trying to lose weight or desire to stabilize your blood sugar for optimal energy or develop balanced meal plans to deal with allergies. Nutritional Analysis Are you really eating as much protein as you should be? Do you know how many carbohydrates and fats you are getting? Are your calories adequate for you to be able to lose weight? Is your diet helping you meet your health goal and give you enough energy to get through the day? Not sure? Have your food intake analyzed. Bring a food diary or fill out a simple food intake questionnaire and we will give you a detailed report analyzing the percentage of protein, fat and carbohydrates you are consuming, as well as tell you if you are getting enough essential vitamins and minerals. Your intake will be compared to Dr. Vliet’s nutritional recommendations for women. Q. Do you evaluate men's hormones also? A. HIS Corner at HER Place® offers a comprehensive package to assess men’s health concerns regarding sexual function, hormone issues, cardiovascular risk factors, and weight management. Q. What can I expect to pay for Dr. Vliet’s New Patient package? A. All patients are seen in person in our clinical office for an in-depth, several hour consultation-evaluation that includes detailed and comprehensive laboratory studies that check hormone levels and many other crucial measures. Our New Patient packages consist of five different packages of hormone and metabolic testing designed to address your individual patient concerns. We do not participate in any insurance plans, and have opted out of Medicare. We do not provide insurance claims filing services for any patients, electronic or otherwise. All of our patients are responsible for filing their own insurance claims with their insurance plans using the "walk-out" statement summary of services we provide you. Each insurance plan varies in terms of coverage of services and reimbursement is possible. Q. Are all services covered by insurance and will HER Place® file for me? A. Coverage of specific services varies by insurance company and health care plan. Because each plan and insurance company has a different policy, we suggest that you call and verify which services they will cover and how to submit your claim. We will provide you with a superbill itemizing services received and payments made, you then file your own claim for possible reimbursement according to the terms of your insurance plan. We do not provide claim filing services. We feel strongly that, as your health professionals, our focus and loyalty should be with you and not directed by your insurance company’s dictates based on their profits. By not signing a contract with any insurance plans, we are able to practice medicine in the way we think is in your best interests, without inappropriate restrictions. We will provide one “medical necessity” letter at no charge for you to submit to your insurance or prescription plan. There will be a charge for subsequent medical letters if required by insurance plans. Q. Do you recommend that I have a bone density test? A. Osteoporosis is the most common health problem after menopause, and is also the third leading cause of death in women after age 60. The average woman has lost about one-third of her hipbone by menopause, but this “silent thief” is not just an older woman’s disease. We see an epidemic of bone loss among younger women, particularly anorexic-bulimics, those who over-exercise, drink too much alcohol, coffee, or soda, or have too little calcium intake. You cannot tell by looking at the outside of your body what your bone condition is inside! The best test to determine whether you have bone loss is the Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). We advise women to have a baseline DEXA of the hip and spine done at least by age 35, just as you do with your mammogram. This test helps detect early bone loss and allows us to plan NOW to prevent bone thinning that leads to increased fractures, disability, chronic pain and early death. Many insurance companies cover this test. We provide a prescription for you to have this done at a site of your choice or if you prefer, we can arrange an appointment at a site near our office. In our HER Place® comprehensive package we include the NTx test, a marker of bone breakdown. The NTx test is useful in conjunction with your DEXA bone mineral density test to assess osteoporosis risk and monitor response to any therapy. Q. I still have questions. How can I find out more about HER Place®? A. Read Dr. Vliet’s books:
|
