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 40-80 minute thorough visits.

Payment is collected via Elation patient payments, through which you may use credit card, debit card, ACH bank transfer, HSA/FSA cards, and Google pay. Elation Patient Payments is powered by Stripe. Stripe is a secure, digital, payment processing platform that is Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant and utilizes best-in-class security tools to maintain a high level of security. Any information you enter during the payment process is securely encrypted. As of Jan 1, 2026, there will be no credit card surcharges, but we no longer accept cash or Care Credit.

By not contracting with insurance companies who provide variable coverage for healthcare services leading to delayed surprise bills for patients, we are able to provide clear transparent fees that are fully disclosed in advance and processed at the time of service. As of Jan 1, 2026 we now require patients to have a form of payment recorded on file. This serves several purposes: • Eliminates credit card surcharges to patients • Streamlines the check in and check out process • Allows for any add-on services to be processed seamlessly and with clear itemized receipts • Maximizes patient access to appointments by reducing the amount of "no-show" and last minute cancellations Unfortunately, no-show and last minute cancellations have become a considerable burden over time. We have a waitlist of patients wanting to get in for certain services. Failure to keep scheduled visits blocks patients who actually wish to be seen from having that opportunity. It also creates an unsustainable financial model for continued care in this setting. Please be reassured: • No charges are incurred until services are rendered provided there is no late cancellation or “no show” • Patients may request to change the card on file at any time • You may choose ACH bank transfer as an alternative to credit or debit card • You will be given a notification 24 hrs prior to any charge processing • Multiple appointment reminders are sent out in advance, elimination the risk of patients not being aware they had an appointment scheduled • If something truly unforeseen has come up last minute, just call. We are all human. *Late cancellation is defined as within 24 hours of appointment start time. No show and late cancellation fees are $25 for a 20-40 min scheduled appointment and $50 for a 60-80 min scheduled appointment.

We believe in transparency AND reasonable rates for quality healthcare. As such, we are happy to provide a detailed list of all of our current fees for both office visits and procedures. Please visit the "fees" section for a detailed list of all rates.

Dr. Ward is separately board-certified in obesity medicine and has extensive knowledge about several weight loss medications, nutrition, exercise, and the ability to co-manage these along with essential hormone therapy. Any patient interested in initiating a weight loss medication such as a GLP-1 agonist will need to schedule the specific GLP-1 consultation. This consultation includes a detailed weight & metabolic associated history, assessment of candidacy for weight loss medication, prior authorization completion if indicated, ordering of baseline labs and further specialist referrals as indicated on an individual basis, and a body composition scan. NEW patients: These are currently offered both in-person on Monday and Tuesday mornings as well as via our telemedicine platform Thursdays at 12pm and have a set fee of $350. Plan to set aside about 80 uninterrupted minutes for this comprehensive one-on-one visit with Dr. Ward. ESTABLISHED patients: These are currently offered both in-person or via telemedicine on various days as well as via our telemedicine platform Thursday mornings and have a set fee of $250. Plan to set aside about 60 uninterrupted minutes for this comprehensive one-on-one visit with Dr. Ward. 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. The included body composition scan of the initial consult can be scheduled to be done separately in the office if the consult is done via telemedicine or if otherwise timing is not right for this testing. 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). Body composition must be reassessed over the course of treatment as well. The goal is to 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 as well to help remove the barriers of transportation time and childcare. This visit type is currently available to any female over age 18.

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 evaluation 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.