This is probably our most commonly asked question. The simple answer is that we do not bill insurance. We do use a lab for certain blood tests that accepts virtually all insurance. However, we use several different labs depending on the test needed and not all of them accept insurance. For our non-lab related charges, we do provide a superbill which our patients can submit to their insurance carrier for reimbursement and depending on the insurance coverage many of our patients receive reimbursement on a good portion of their treatment.
Dr. Mathur’s decision to not bill insurance is a decision that has not come lightly. The bottom line is she has made a choice that her patient’s health is more important than their insurance coverage. The hard cold truth is once you become an insurance based practice the insurance industry dictates what you charge, what treatment protocol is acceptable etc. What effectively happens is the insurance industry dictates your health care not your doctor. One prime example of this is the use of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT). Dr. Mathur is a highly trained specialist in this field and she firmly believes that specially compounded Bioidentical Hormones are far superior to synthetic hormones. However, insurance will not cover BHRT. So the choice is to do something that is detrimental to the health of the patient in order to collect insurance or do what is right for the patient. Dr. Mathur has made her business philosophy based on what is best for the patient.
We do understand that having to pay cash can be a hardship on our patients as many are used to going to doctors who accept insurance. However, what we find is the vast majority of those doctors, because of their training and the insurance orientation of their practice, are very limited in what they are able to do for their patients and the patient suffers health wise.
This is unacceptable to us. We want you well. In the long run coming to our practice and getting back to health is the most economical thing you can do. The statistics show very clearly that the out of pocket expense for people with insurance is going up and up because they are not really getting well. Our model is to get to the basic cause of your problem and get you back to a state of wellness where you do not need to continue to see a doctor due to deterioration of your health over time.
Take our alternative medicine challenge. Come see us, get back to health and see for yourself that even if your insurance ends up not covering anything that getting healthier and staying healthy ends up saving you money in the long run.