Frequently asked questions
No. We do not accept payments from any insurance plans for the actual provider visit portion. You may still use your insurance benefits for labs, pap, imaging, and medications.
This is considered a boutique style fee-for-service medical office with direct care in a small personalized practice setting. The benefits here include quality time spent directly with your provider, timely access, and improved communication.
Larger practices bound by insurance rules and reimbursement depend on large volumes and thus tend to rush patients in and out, have long waits, unhelpful automated systems, and typically will not allow any problems to be addressed at the time of annual preventative visits. Our model allows for a much smaller volume of patients to be seen in a day, providing new patients with 40-60 minute thorough visits.
Weight management consultations can be booked on Mondays at 8:00am or Thursdays as 12:00pm and have a set fee of $350. This visit type can be found on the booking link under the "Weight Management" section. Plan to spend about 80 minutes here for this comprehensive one-on-one visit with Dr. Ward, a board-certified obesity medicine specialist. It is essential that you are on time and that you complete intake forms well enough in advance to allow time for their review to maximize the efficiency of this consult.
Visit includes assessment of candidacy for weight loss medication, prescription and prior authorization completion as indicated, ordering and review of baseline labs and further specialist referrals as indicated on an individual basis, and a Styku body composition scan.
Continuation of therapy requires regular follow-up, as with any other medication for a chronic condition. In the early phases of treatment, follow-up will be recommended at 4-8 week intervals ($115/visit) while titrating doses and targeting specific weight loss goals. Over time the follow-up interval spaces out to 3-6 months ($175/visit). The goal is get to a point of maintenance long term, with a sustainable 6 month follow-up interval. Consider this an investment early on into one of the most profound health parameters you can target, and take comfort knowing that long term management can be accomplished in a low-maintenance fashion without a never-ending membership subscription.
Please note patient hours for Dr. Ward specifically fall between 7:30am and 3:00pm Mon-Thurs. If your job and life circumstances do not allow you to complete follow-up in this window, this may not be the best fit for you. We do offer a telemedicine option for follow-up to help remove the barrier of transportation time. Virtual visits for the initial consult can be considered as well.
Yes, patients can pay with their HSA or FSA cards for health services provided here.
The gyn "annual" exam includes a breast and pelvic screening exam, pap screening when indicated, and order and review of mammogram. The screening exam is recommended annually regardless of whether the pap is due that year. If a woman chooses to decline a pelvic exam based on personal preferences, please note that an annual preventative female wellness visit is still recommended as there is much to review beyond the pelvic exam itself.
Under age 21, breast and pelvic exams are typically only done as indicated on an individual basis.
The pap is only one small part of the women's annual visit, and it is specifically a test to detect cervical cancer. It is recommended at 3-5 year intervals starting at age 21, depending on individual history and prior results. Between ages 21-24 minor abnormalities can usually be monitored conservatively due to a high rate of spontaneous regression. Before age 30, human papilloma virus (HPV) testing is done reflexively only for abnormal cells. After age 30, HPV co-testing is recommended. After age 65 or after a hysterectomy where the cervix was removed and no previous precancer found, the routine screening pap may be discontinued. In that case, the screening exam is still recommended - for evaluate of the vulva, vagina, and ovaries as applicable.
Mammogram is recommended annually after age 40. This is an imaging study with a high sensitivity in detecting small cancers of the breast before they would be palpable. It is done in addition to the clinical breast exam.