Do I have to sign up for annual membership or can you do a one time home visit?
We offer two types of services. Concierge and Traditional Palliative Focused Primary Care and Consultations
Traditional: We offer virtual consultations/care for the home limited and when applicable, offer a complimentary home/facility visit to see you in-person once a year. Since our services focus on those who have difficulty leaving home independently, office visits are not offered. Traditional patients do not pay a membership fee for concierge conveniences.
Concierge: has a membership fee for conveniences not covered by insurance and all covered services and appointments are billed to insurance.
We offer a 3 month concierge trial membership option if you are not yet ready to sign up for the annual membership. Even with a one time visit, there is typically a follow up of either result review, referrals, coordination of care, form completion for placement, clinical follow up etc that takes more than just one appointment. That is why we only offer a 3 month trail or annual membership options.
How is Telehealth or Digital Health Billed?
How can I reach my doctor?
Message your doctor through Athena Health Portal for non-urgent issues any time and we will get back to you within 48 business hours. You can also Text (650) 360-9309 during business hours to make same-day appointments or change appointment times. Call (650) 360-9309 our office or reach us through our answering service in the evenings/weekend. Part of our additional services is subscription to this platform to better enable our communications.
After Hours
For issues that cannot wait for regular office hours, After Hours (evenings, weekends, and holidays), phone calls to our office are directed to our triage center or on-call clinician/physician.
Can I access my medical information online?
Yes, the benefits of Athena Health Portal include:
- Viewing your test and lab results
- Accessing your medical records, medications, immunizations, and more
- Scheduling appointments
- Requesting prescription refills
- Sending secure messages to your doctor’s office
If you need a medication refill
- Request a refill as you typically would through the pharmacy. Provide pharmacy with your new doctor’s name and practice location to update their system.
- You can send us a message through the Athena Health Portal to refill a medication and be sure to specify which pharmacy the medication prescription should be sent to.
- Request refills at least 2-5 days before you run out.
- Please give us 5 days to complete your request.
What should I do if your office is closed and I need medical care?
If you are experiencing what you believe is a medical emergency, please call 9-1-1 or go to the closest hospital. If it is a non urgent issue please call the office and select option 1 and you will be directed to the On-Call Service where a nurse can give you medical advice.
What are your billing requirements?
Patients must pay any co-payments at the time of their visit. Patients are responsible to pay any amounts, such as deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance that their insurance company designates is their responsibility.
Why am I being billed for Physical Exam?
The physical exam is preventative care to prevent illness or disease, and it may include counseling on diet, exercise, sleep, stress, vaccines, medications, and medication reconciliation.
It does not cover diagnostic care or acute or chronic care. For example, if we address a medical concern during your physical exam, an additional visit code is added and submitted to your insurance along with the documentation. By law, we cannot alter the billing diagnosis/codes or write off any balance upon patient request. Therefore, we cannot adjust the bill or the amount due.
Will my insurance pay for a physical?
A physical exam is a preventive health maintenance exam during which your physician takes your relevant medical and family history, asks pertinent screening questions, and performs or orders appropriate screening tests to evaluate your overall health. An office visit is a problem-related visit that addresses a specific health problem through discussion, examination, diagnosis and/or testing. Treatment is prescribed as necessary.
Do you refer to other specialists or fill out forms?
Yes, we will assist you with appropriate form completion as needed as well as refer you to select specialists we typically work with in the Bay Area. When we refer you to home health, or other specialists such as Cardiologist, Pulmonologist, Psychiatrist etc, as your Primary Care Physicians, we remain involved in your care as your primary care physicians.
How much do I save using the Home Based Medicine program?
Time and monetary savings are significant when you consider the number of hours it takes to coordinate an office visit for an individual who cannot easily leave their home without assistance or planning. Besides the office wait time, individuals typically encounter barriers such as transportation, need to have a care giver accompany the person to assist with transfers, transportation and getting to the appointment.
Do you make emergency house-calls?
Our Home Based Medicine program is not an Emergency Room replacement and we do not treat patients experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, head trauma, loss of consciousness, or other life-threatening emergencies, as these conditions may require immediate hospitalization. If you are having a medical emergency, please go directly to the nearest Emergency Room or dial 911 immediately.
Do you offer virtual care?
To the extend allowed by Medicare, we offer convenient remote/virtual care appointments to our members. If there is a concern we are aren’t able to fully assess remotely, by phone or video, we will schedule an in-person home visit appointment.