FAQ's
Q: Is there a fee for joining or getting referrals?
No, joining is FREE and there is no referral fee! We want to support integrative practitioners in any way we can. This was developed by an acupuncturist who understands the private practice of a holistic practitioner. We will be generating revenue from our dynamic CEU courses that we will offer to many different kinds of practitioners.
Q: Do I have to discount my services?
No, you will be covered for your services at YOUR published rate! However, rates will be evaluated by fellow practitioners of your modality prior to sending referrals to you. We do this to make sure they are within acceptable ranges for your profession, and the geographic area in which you practice. For example, if you are an acupuncturist, a panel of acupuncturists will decide what the fair rate for acupuncture reimbursement will be. We want to make sure that integrative medicine practitioners are reimbursed fairly for their services!
Q: Will my services be covered?
We will be promoting a wide variety of integrative modalities be covered for optimal health promotion. However, ultimately, it is up to each corporation to decide what they want to cover, and what they do not want to cover.
Q: Why are patients prescreened?
Prescreening is used to determine the appropriate modality and best practitioner placement for each unique patients needs.
Q: Will I be able to communicate with the patient’s other practitioners through the software?
Yes! As soon as the other practitioners provide treatment and are active participants in the patient’s care, there will be the ability for practitioners to contact each other through the software.
Q: Do I have to submit a HICFA bill?
The billing will be done electronically, and may or may not be a HICF (depending on the practitioner's situation). However, our goal is for the form to be VERY user friendly and simple to use.
Q: If I choose not to join, will I continue to receive emails?
Only if you choose to. You can opt out at anytime, and of course we do not sell or share email addresses.
Q: Who determines level of reimbursement?
It will be determined by a panel of your practitioner peers (i.e. acupuncturists will decide acupuncturists fees, chiropractors will decide chiropractors fees, etc.). This panel will decide what is a fair rate to reimburse based on training and location.
Q: Can I bill for multiple modalities?
It will depend on the type of care that is being delivered on a case-by-case basis. What we are going to be encouraging is that patients get the care they need- no more and no less. This system is about making sure people get well and stay well and we can lower costs by not overbilling the system. You will be evaluated based on your cost-effectiveness of the care that you deliver. You will also be evaluated by the patient on the quality of the care that you delivered. If you are found to be a practitioner that delivers great results for a good price (thus providing a good value) then you will receive many referrals. If there is a trend that you are overbilling the system and not delivering good patient health outcomes, then you will subsequently receive less and less referrals.
Q: Are you doing any sort of screening of practitioner qualifications?
Yes, we will be screening all of the practitioners in our network for license, certifications, schooling, qualifications and training. We will also be asking how long you have been in practice.
Q: Related-on the patient side-what are the patients told about the skill level, qualifications of practitioners involved.
Potential patients will be educated about the qualifications, the number of years the practitioner has been in practice, and the school that the practitioner attended, what the practitioner charges for their services, to name a few.
Q: What sort of systems will I need (as a practitioner) in order to interface with the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system?
YOU WILL NOT NEED TO PURCHASE ANY ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE. You will need access to a high-speed Internet connection and access to a computer (or tablet). Ideally you would be able to scan in documents and upload them to the system, however that is not a requirement. The trend in healthcare is to have everyone on electronic medical records. If you are not there yet this will encourage you to head in that direction. This system will be designed for holistic practitioners, and it will be very user-friendly. Remember this was designed and configured by holistic practitioners to be easy to use.
Q: What will reimbursement be like?
Our goal is to have practitioners be reimbursed automatically through direct deposit from the third-party administrators (who pay the bills on behalf of the corporations) into a bank account of the practitioner's choosing. However, initially it may be sent as a check via the mail. Most likely you will receive the check within 7 to 10 business days (or less) depending on where in the country you live in relation to the third-party administrator. If you are a practitioner that has experience dealing with large insurance companies, we believe you will find this process refreshingly easy!
* Note - Chiropractors
If you are contracted with an insurance company (ex: Cigna, Aetna, etc.) whose network is utilized by the corporation for the employee health benefits plan from which the employee referral comes, you will need to refer to your insurance company provider contract to decide how to bill. Chances are you will bill as you ordinarily would through that insurance company.
If not, you will receive reimbursement as the other integrative practitioners would through the corporate plan directly through the third-party administrator who pays the practitioners on behalf of the corporation.