Initial Consultation
The initial consultation consists of two separate visits, during which we cover everything from an extensive health background check to innovative lab testing and a treatment plan During the first consultation, we will review your medical history including your current health concerns, your past medical history, medications, vitamins, and supplements you are currently taking, as well as your family history. Based on this initial evaluation, blood work or other medical tests will be ordered. During the second visit, usually scheduled about a few weeks after the initial consultation, the doctor will review your lab results with you and will recommend a customized treatment program for you. Please remember that Carolina Integrative Clinic provides customized health care specific to each individual’s medical needs, therefore your medical treatment regimen may look very different from our other patients.
Follow-Up
Depending on your treatment plan, more follow-up appointments may be scheduled, and more tests may be ordered as deemed necessary to monitor progress as you work towards your optimal health goals.
Medical Records
Costs
This is a comprehensive approach to often complex health issues and therefore the cost to address the root causes can vary for each person. Below you will find an overview of the services covered by the consultation fees associated with your visits.
The first initial session total cost $400 includes:
- CHART REVIEW: 10-20 minutes pre-appointment time review of the chart and any past medical records by the doctor
- PHYSICIAN APPOINTMENT: 50 minutes Appointment with Our Board-Certified Doctor
- WRAP UP: 20-30 minutes with the clinic’s administrator/nurse to review your personalized plan, provide instructions on how to obtain added tests, schedule your follow-up appointment, and answer any questions you may have.
The second initial session total cost $495 includes:
- CHART REVIEW: 20-30 minutes pre-appointment time review of the current lab results and past medical records by the doctor
- PHYSICIAN APPOINTMENT: Up to 75 minutes Appointment with Our Board-Certified Doctor to discuss a personalized treatment plan
- WRAP UP: 15-20 minutes with the clinic’s administrator/nurse to review your personalized plan, order your follow up labs, provide your medically coded receipt and care plan, and schedule your follow up appointment
The Follow-Up sessions total cost $215 includes:
- CHART REVIEW: 20–30 minutes pre-appointment time review of the current lab results and past medical records by the doctor
- PHYSICIAN APPOINTMENT: 25 minutes Appointment with Our Board-Certified Doctor
- WRAP UP: 10-15 minutes with the clinic’s administrator/nurse to review your personalized plan, produce your receipt and care plan, order follow up labs and schedule your next appointment
Deposit
When making your first appointment you will be charged a $75 non-refundable booking fee which acts as a deposit to reserve your initial evaluation. This deposit will be applied towards the cost of your first appointment. If you cancel your appointment after the 30-minute pre-appointment consultation, however, this will not be refunded.
Cancellation/Late Policy
We understand that there are times when you must miss an appointment due to emergencies or obligations for work or family. However, when you do not call to cancel an appointment in a timely manner, you may be preventing another patient from getting much needed treatment. Since there is a lot of time and care that goes into preparing for a new patient to be seen by our providers, and in an effort to ensure every patient gets the attention they deserve, CI Clinic has adopted the following policy:
For the initial consultation and follow-up visits, a 3 business day notification is required. Canceling less than 3 business days before the scheduled appointment or failure to show up at the scheduled time may result in a $75 cancellation fee.
Laboratory Testing Fee
Your fee for laboratory tests ordered during the first appointment can range and will depend on the complexity of the condition. We will work within your budget to help you prioritize testing.
Typically, most of the blood tests ordered through major laboratories such as LabCorp and Quest are covered by the insurance company, however, more and more insurance companies are denying some of the charges. It is your responsibility to check with your insurance company to make sure the lab orders are covered.
The specialized laboratory tests, such as certain stool and urine tests, may be considered out of network and may not be covered by your insurance. In an effort to make this process as affordable as possible, we will offer you the same price we are charged by the laboratories plus a nominal processing fee. You will be paying the specialized laboratories directly and they will forward us the results.
We will try to work with you to help estimate your individual costs and prioritize fees to fit your budgetary needs.
For those who have no insurance, there is a direct pay lab option we often recommend.
Medications, Vitamins, and Supplements
Commercially available medications will usually be ordered through your regular pharmacy. But since we strive to provide individualized care as naturally as possible, the doctor will often prescribe compounded medications. These can be obtained from a compounding pharmacy of your choice.
For vitamins and supplements, we recommend only Pharmaceutical-Grade vitamins/supplements not food-grade or store brand products. The doctor will advise on the various brands at the time of your appointment.
For both prescriptions and supplements, costs will vary but we will strive to work with you to prioritize treatments to fit your budgetary needs.
Insurance Policy:
Although most PPO insurance plans do cover our services under their out-of-network coverage policy, CI Clinic does not bill insurance companies. Our doctors are not preferred providers for any insurance company. You may submit your paid invoice to your insurance for reimbursement. We are not a Medicare or Medicaid provider. Medicare or Medicaid will not reimburse you for services rendered at CI Clinic and you should not seek reimbursement from Medicare or Medicaid. We do have staff available to answer any of your insurance questions.
Knowing your insurance company’s carrier policy is your responsibility.
To schedule an appointment please contact us by email at carolinaintegrativeclinic@
Q & A
Q: What is Integrative Medicine?
A: Integrative medicine can be defined as a healing-oriented medical practice that combines mainstream medical practices and complementary-alternative-medicine (CAM) therapies for which there is high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness. This form of practicing medicine combines the best of conventional and CAM systems, addressing the whole person- spirit, mind, and body- including all aspects of lifestyle.
In this approach, the partnership between patient and practitioner in the healing process is greatly valued and encouraged. The priority in choosing the treatment approach is given to the use of natural, less-invasive, effective therapies to facilitate the body’s innate healing response. In integrative medicine, the promotion of health and the prevention of illness is valued as much as the treatment of diseases.
Q: What does being board certified in integrative medicine mean?
A: This is a very important question and patients need to find out if their health care providers are board-certified in the area they practice. Board certification is one of the easiest and best ways to discover a doctor’s qualification in a given field. Board certification in the field of integrative medicine has gone through considerable evolution over the past several years. Until a couple of years ago, there was not a unified national board certification for integrative medicine practitioners. This caused uncertainty in this field making it hard to set standards for practicing integrative medicine and to verify who was qualified to practice integrative medicine. Since then, however, a nationally recognized board certification process has been implemented through the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS). Such as certifications, according to ABPS “enables successful candidates to present themselves to the public as qualified medical specialists in the practice of Integrative Medicine. Completing the Integrative Medicine board certification indicates mastery of the specialty experience and knowledge as well as a professional commitment to adhere to the ABPS Medical Code of Ethics.”