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Perimenopause / Menopause Telehealth:
Doctor/Patient Collaborative Membership (DPCM)
What I've learned as a doctor since 1999 is that the best way to help women feel healthy as well as calm and EMPOWERED is to give them preemptive knowledge.
What I’ve also learned is that the current model that relies on insurance unfortunately makes the doctor/patient relationship incredibly limited by the most important commodity – TIME.
In our membership, patients will have ample time with me so that
we can collaborate and strategize about perimenopause/post-menopause.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to state medical licensing laws I am only able to treat patients from Connecticut and Florida.
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How does my telehealth practice work?For perimenopausal / postmenopausal support: you get FOUR telehealth Zoom calls per year and unlimited portal messaging with me for ONE annual fee.
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Does this mean you do NOT take insurance?Correct, I do not participate with insurance in my DPCM. (There is an annual charge that covers all 4 telehealth/video calls and unlimited portal messaging).
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Do you ONLY see patients who live in Connecticut and Florida?Due to state medical licensing laws, I am able to treat patients from Connecticut and Florida.
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Can I use my FSA/HSA/HRA?Because the annual fee covers 4 telehealth/video calls as well as unlimited portal messaging, many FSA/HAS/HRA’s will cover it and a SUPERBILL can be provided to you—BUT you should always check with your own company to be sure.
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Do you ONLY see patients for perimenopause/menopause?I am primarily focusing on midlife women in my telehealth-only DPCM. I continue to take care of pregnant patients through my group private practice (Coastal OBGYN in Stamford, CT) and can certainly refer patients to my partners there for general OB/GYN health concerns. I may also be able to provide “consulting services” on a per hour basis for those with QUESTIONS about PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, general health/cancer screening, HPV and herpes—in this capacity I would NOT be acting as your doctor but only a consultant.
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What if I ONLY want to be prescribed hormones?While hormone replacement therapy is a VERY important part of management for midlife women, it is not the only valuable tool, nor is every woman a candidate nor does every person who is perimenopausal or postmenopausal have to use it. For patients who truly only want hormones with no educational/collaborative appointment—I strongly encourage them to speak to their OB/GYN or primary care physician or consider one of the online/asynchronous telehealth models. The purpose of my DPCM is for patients to TRULY understand the process and how it involves and how they can use various methods including (but not exclusively!): hormones, nutrition, physical activity, vitamins/minerals, other OTC or prescription medications, and mindset changes. I believe this collaborative process really leads to the best possible outcome where people understand the changes in their body. All that said, I frequently prescribe hormone replacement for the treatment of perimenopausal or postmenopausal symptoms for those that need it.
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Why do I STILL need my regular OBGYN if I see you?My membership is exclusively telehealth and therefore it IS necessary and actually a requirement of my practice that you still maintain your own primary care physician as well as OB/GYN. I feel very strongly that your general health is incredibly important and that while I can help strategize perimenopause/ menopause, you still need an in person clinician who can be sure to complete all of your screening tests like your screening mammogram, Pap smear/HPV test, routine bloodwork, referral for colonoscopy, bone density test (ALL with the benefit that they are covered by insurance) as well as be able to address any issues that may need a physical exam.
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Will you be ordering any blood tests/radiology tests?When you sign up I will request that you forward me your basic screening tests that should have already been done by your primary care or OB/GYN, these include: Screening mammogram Pap smear/HPV test Colonoscopy if you’re over 45 Bone density test if you’ve had one Blood tests including: Complete blood count TSH (thyroid tests) Cholesterol Vitamin D three After our initial one hour video visit I will be able to determine if other blood or radiology tests are necessary and will be able to order those.
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How does this work with my existing primary care doctor/PA/NP?It is very important for our relationship to be collaborative and that means that I also want to be very respectful of your relationship with your insurance-based clinicians. Since I understand the restraints of that model, I will specifically direct you to make an in person or telehealth appointment with your clinician if there are any medical issues that need to be addressed. The current model is broken because of the hours of unreimbursed care that clinicians are expected to compete complete for patients (i.e. phone calls during office hours or after hours, lengthy portal and text messages, radiology and lab tests that take time, effort and resources to order, evaluate and communicate about.)
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For my fellow clinicians: why am I starting a Telehealth platform?My purpose in starting my DOCTOR/PATIENT collaborative MEMBERSHIP is to be able to have more time with each patient to really help them learn and understand the changes in midlife. I still require my patients to maintain their relationship with their general practitioner and OB/GYN. My HOPE is for this to alleviate the amount of time that you will have to provide UNREIMBURSED or RUSHED care for what we know is a complicated subject that cannot be completed in one single 15 minute insurance-based office visit or during the annual exam. My PROMISE to you is that I will specifically direct our patients to make an office visit with you (or telehealth if it is available) as opposed to asking for unreimbursed telephone calls or sending portal messages requesting for tests to be done. (See "How does this work with my existing primary care doc/NP/PA?" )
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