FAQs
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Currently, I provide all consultations by telehealth. Telehealth can be ideal for discussing health history, reviewing symptoms and lab results, and exploring treatment options. In some ways, it returns us to the heart of midwifery: you can receive care in your own familiar setting and your own comfortable clothes. However, not all concerns can be cared for virtually, and patients will generally have a primary care provider and a gynecologist as well for in-person visits when needed. I will let you know when an in-person visit is advisable. In that case, I am happy to refer you to the appropriate medical provider and make sure they have the labs, imaging, and medical chart they need to care for this aspect of your health.
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I can care for women who are in either California or Maine, the states where I am currently licensed.
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Yes. As a Certified Nurse-Midwife, I can prescribe medications (such as bioidentical hormone therapy, treatment for infections, contraception, etc.) and have an account at Fullscript where you can purchase high-quality supplements at a discount.
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Yes. I can order labs to be done at Quest Diagnostics and can order specialty labs which can be done by mail. During our appointment, we will discuss which labs are essential (depending on your situation) and which are optional if we want more in-depth information. I can work with you to prioritize labs according to your budget. Insurances often cover conventional labs, but usually not specialty labs. You can use an HSA or FSA (if you have one) to pay for lab fees.
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Yes. I can order imaging such as pelvic or breast ultrasounds, mammograms, or bone density scans as needed, at any facility that you prefer.
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As a telehealth consultant practice, I am not available for urgent in-person visits. In an emergency, you will need to seek care at your nearest emergency room or with your PCP or gynecologist (depending on the concern).
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If you have prior labs, imaging, or medical records from the past 1-2 years that may be helpful in our work together, we will discuss having them sent to me or you can upload documents through the patient portal once an appointment has been made and you have an account.
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To provide the quality of care and time I believe all women deserve, I am not able to accept insurance. I am happy to provide you with a superbill to submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement. You can use an HSA or FSA (if you have one) to pay for visits.
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I do not participate in Medicare. This means that if you are on Medicare, neither you nor I can submit bills to Medicare and you cannot be reimbursed by Medicare for my services.
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You will be asked to pay for your appointment when it is made, to reserve that time for you. You can make the appointment and pay through this website, or through the ChARM Electronic Health Record patient portal for future appointments once you have made the Initial Visit and have access.
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You may cancel or reschedule your appointment up to 48 hours before the visit and your fee will be reimbursed.
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If you cancel less than 48 hours before the appointment or do not attend the appointment, the fee will not be reimbursable.
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A CNM is a highly trained women’s health clinician with a nursing degree and then a Master of Science in Nursing and specialization in Midwifery. In many states (including CA and Maine), CNMs can practice independently, collaborating or consulting with physicians and specialists as needed. We are trained to provide women’s healthcare throughout the lifespan from adolescence through menopause, in addition to prenatal care and delivering babies (though I am not doing this now). We can order labs and imaging and prescribe medications that are appropriate to the care that we provide, including contraceptives, antibiotics, bioidentical hormones, and most other medications.
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Integrative medicine is an approach that can include a wide range of modalities that are effective for treating a specific illness or disease in a treatment plan. The plan might include conventional treatment and medications, and it might also integrate dietary changes and nutritional support, supplements, botanicals (herbs), homeopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as body/mind modalities such as exercise, physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, yoga, mindfulness, behavioral therapy (such as cognitive behavioral therapy/CBT), and hypnosis. A patient may be referred to other providers for some of these services.
Functional medicine is a framework focused on identifying the root cause of a particular illness or disease so that the treatment can address not only the symptoms but also the underlying source of the problem. There is an understanding in functional medicine that all the systems of the human body are connected and that we need to consider many factors to evaluate what may be contributing to a health concern and to treat it, such as genetics, the environment, stress, sleep, nutritional status, immune system, gut health, and detoxification pathways.