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Monthly Specials
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Bulletin Board
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| | | | | HERE ARE SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS | | | Please contact us if you don't find an answer |
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Q: How do I become a patient of AppleTree Medical?
A: AppleTree is a professional business providing health-related diagnostic and therapeutic services to its patients and clients. We desire a professional relationship with you. A professional relationship requires honest financial accountability from both parties. We want to take care of you for a long, long time. So, our Financial policy is a form of communication of this very important part of our relationship with you. For an advance copy of this disclosure, please click here.
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Q: How do I become a patient of AppleTree Medical?
A:We are currently accepting new patients and we welcome you to Appletree. First, contact your insurance provider to make sure that we are part of the same network. Second, call our office for a new patient appointment. We will make every effort to see you at the earliest convenience.
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Q: Why do I need to complete so many forms as a new patient?
A: At Appletree our relationship with you is of the utmost importance. As part of our care for you, we want to know all about you. Our patient documentation is to the point and most useful in our ability to take good care of you. Our patient forms are for insurance information and medical history primarily. The more we know about you, the better we will be able to take care of you. We will make every effort to have all patient forms to you in advance to your visit or you can go to our Medical Division page and print the documents.
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Q: Why do I need to update forms already on file?
A: You will be asked to update the HIPAA, insurance information and personal information regularly because this information may have changed. If there is no change, simply let us know BUT remember that YOU are responsible to keep us informed of any changes. Changes that go without update could be inconvenient for you and us and cause unnecessary expense and delay of care.
Please note: Once a year at your annual physical, you will be asked to update your history. Please take the time to review and update the information because it is in your best interest to do so.
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Q: Does Appletree offer lab work services for my blood tests?
Yes. At Appletree, we invite you to let us serve your lab test needs. We open at 7 am. You can let us know when you wish to come so that we can find a time best for you to stop in.
Remember, most labs require a 12 hour fast prior to the test; we will confirm this for you. If you need to fast prior to the test, you may have your usual medication with WATER ONLY, but you cannot have any other beverage, including coffee. We will draw the blood and forward it to the laboratory chosen by your insurance provider (for most of you it is Labcorp, Quest or Baycare).
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Q: Who will schedule my radiology appointments?
A: We usually use the Morton Plant/Baycare System for your radiology testing, unless your insurance company does not contract with Baycare. As you are checking out from your appointment, the radiology request is faxed to Baycare. We have a personal scheduler who works only with our office. Once she receives the request, she will contact you and discuss with you where you would prefer to go and what time is best for you. She will also assist in the authorization from your insurance provider.
IF you have not been contacted within 48 hours of your visit, please contact our office at 727-581-3171 and we will make sure that your test is performed as requested.
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Q: How do I change my medication if I am no longer satisfied with it?
A: First, NEVER CHANGE OR DISCONTINUE a medication without discussing this with Dr. Laramée or her Physician Assistant, no matter what you may hear on the news or from anyone. If you have any questions or concerns about your medication, please feel free to give us a call and ask our Medical Assistants to check with Dr. Laramée. Remember, a lot of medical news is poorly understood by the media and each patient needs to be treated individually. What may be a problem for one person may be just fine for another.
If you wish to change your medication because of a new insurance plan or because of a problem, please make an appointment. We want to make sure you receive our best care. We will give you the best options based on you and your health. We need to look at the actual medication or find a new one and discuss the risks, benefits and your opinion.
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Q: How do I receive my test(s) result(s)?
A: At Appletree Medical, it’s our policy to notify you about all test results. Most test results are forwarded by mail and we invite you to review them. Usually, you should receive blood tests and XR reports within 2 weeks of the time they were done. Other tests, such as biopsies, may take several days. As a rule, wait 2 weeks and call us if you did not receive one or all of the test results.
Note: sometimes, we may call you with a result. This is because we make every effort to provide the best care with a personal touch. We want to personally discuss certain things with you.
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Q: Will Appletree Medical file my insurance for payments?
A: AppleTree Medical will file your insurance for payments according to our financial policy (see FAQ what is AppleTree Medical financial policy?).
Here are a few of the insurances we currently accept: Aetna HMO/PPO, AvMed, Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO/PPO, Cigna, Humana HMO/PPO. We do not accept any Humana GOLD PLUS program. We also accept Medicare and any Secondary, PHCS and United Healthcare.
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Q: Who should I call when I need my medication refilled?
A: Most insurance companies require 48 hours notice to approve or deny a service, unless it is done as an emergency. We recommend that you call our authorization specialist as soon as you find out the date, time and name of the specialist to see or what procedure needs to be authorized. We appreciate early notice because we are trying to avoid delay in delivery of care. |
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Q: Who should I call if I need a medication refill?
A: If you need a medication that is usually refilled by a local pharmacy, please call the pharmacist's voice mail about 2-3 days before you run out of the medication. We need no more than 24 hrs of notice from your pharmacist, who will fax us a request. Dr Laramée will usually renew 6 months of medication except for the following classes: controlled substances will not be done more than once per month because we need to monitor your usage and meet with you monthly to discuss if you still need the medication. Hormonotherapy are usually refilled at the annual physical and 6 months later. You will not have a refill unless you get a mammogram(if you are on hormonotherapy) or a pap test (if you are on birth control pills). No prescription will be renewed unless we see you at least once per year.
For the refills done by mail, you can either contact your mail prescription provider or call us. We will need to know that you need 90 days supply, otherwise we may send you a regular 30 days supply, simply because we don't know what type of prescription plan you have.
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Q: Why do I need to bring my prescription medications in their original bottle and all my non-prescription medication at each visit?
A: We ask you to bring all prescription and non-prescription medication at every visit for the following reasons. First, we need to review our medication list and make sure that we have the right medication. To err is human but we don't want to repeat the same mistakes by having the wrong medication list. Second, several of you go to many doctors and may have new prescriptions. Surprisingly, often you will not remember the name, dosage and mode of use and it may affect the quality of care and even put you in danger. Third, you need one “cook in the kitchen” (your primary care physician), to review all your medication to make sure that there is no duplication or drugs with similar effect that could have been prescribed by several different physicians. For example, you take a medication that your insurance company changed to generic without notifying you or changed to another similar medication. You may not know that you are taking 2 of the same drug or 2 drugs with similar effects. This can be a major problem and we don't want it to happen to you.
Remember, Dr Laramee considers this a very important issue, that could harm you more than help you by "guessing" your medications.
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Q: How do I place an order for Wellness Products?
A: On any of our web pages, you will see a link for Nutra Metrix Advanced Nutraceuticals. Simply click on this link. Once you have reached the Nutra Metrix website, you can register by clicking “Log In” in the upper right hand corner. Complete the registration form and you are set. All of the Wellness products are in categories: example – digestive health, heart health, etc. Please note: We will not release any of your personal information to any third party.
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Q: Is it safe to order online?
A: How does a Secure Site work? In plain English here's what happens when you place an order. First, you'll notice that you enter a secure site when a padlock icon appears in the status bar of your browser (usually at the bottom). This states that all of the information passed between your computer and our computer will be encrypted. Our computer will tell your computer how to encrypt all information passed between the two using encryption that can only be decoded on our server. Your computer will do such before sending any information onto the phone wire and out onto the Internet and eventually to our computer. When it reaches our server, it will be decoded and logged to our database for processing. Without the decoding key on our server, it is nearly impossible to decipher the encrypted data.
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Q: What is your return policy?
A: Dr. Laramée has done extensive research and training to find that the NutraMetrix Advanced Nutraceuticals are the best bio available and quality nutraceuticals available. Inasmuch, these products cannot be returned once purchased.
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Q: Where is my order?
A: Delivery dates vary based on the availability of the items you ordered. It could take up to 14 business days for your order to arrive. If you still have further questions about your order, feel free to contact us at Appletree at 727-581-3171.
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Q: How can I learn more about AppleTree Wellness?
A: Learning more information about AppleTree Wellness is easy. We would love the opportunity to meet with you. You can ask our office staff trained to answer questions about our services and products. Dr Laramée and her Physician Assistant are happy to work with you and design a wellness protocol for you. Also, feel free to refer to our Wellness Center page to find out all about our products and services. Please feel free to share the information with your friends and family, so that they can feel good and improve their health too!
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Q: How do I subscribe to Transitions Lifestyle System Online?
A: First you need you Customer ID (see above how to place an order).
Then you go to: www.transitionslifestyle.com
Enter your Preferred Customer ID
Enter Your password: America (until you change it)
Then you will be in the welcome page. It is recommended to change your password and to update your information periodically.
To do so, go to www.marketamerica.com/appletreewellness
Go to the top taskbar in "your account" and change your password and update information if necessary.
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Q: Do I need to be a patient of AppleTree Medical to use the programs and services of AppleTree Wellness and Aesthetic Center?
A: No. You don't need to be a patient of AppleTree Medical to participate in our Wellness, Aesthetic or Clinical programs and services. We welcome the opportunity to serve you.
However, we do recommend that you bring your reports of the Wellness tests to your primary care physician to show him or her how much you care about your well-being. Also, it is important that your primary care physician is notified about the nutritional changes that you are doing because it may affect certain drugs..
Also, if you participate in the Transitions Lifestyle System for weight management and weight loss, we also recommend that you share your progress and the program with your Primary Care Physician. As you embrace the program, your medication needs may change and your Physician may need to make adjustments. For example, if you are diabetic, you need to see your physician regularly (even 2-3 times per month) because some of you will have an excellent response to the weight management and will need less medication.
Remember: NEVER STOP OR CHANGE THE DOSAGE OF A MEDICATION WITHOUT DISCUSSING THIS FIRST WITH YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN
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