Doctor Fees
Dr. Sara Gottfried, MD
$475 initial consultation, 50 minutes
$250 follow-up visit, 25 minutes (phone or in person)
$150 follow-up visit, 15 minutes
(phone only)
Appointments lasting longer
than these these times are billed at $100/10-minute increments
Your Questions & Communications Once
established with our doctor, we want your
questions to be answered as promptly as possible.
Please email your question and our office staff will direct your questions to the doctor, if needed.
Usually our office returns calls and emails within 1-2 business
days. Complex medical issues require an office visit or a telephone consultation at regular fees. All straight-forward
emails about health issues or prescriptions that need Dr. Gottfried's attention will require payment of $50. Insurance does
not cover this service. All health problems involving a NEW prescription either need a virtual or in-office appointment.
Detailed information upon request. Established patients only. Note that we require that you have a primary
care provider for urgent care as Dr. Gottfried is a consultant only and does not provide urgent care.
Emergencies &
Urgent Care In case of a serious medical emergency
call 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency room. Our
doctors serve as integrative medicine consultants. We require that you have a primary care physician for your urgent
care. Our staff is available to take your message about your health Monday through Thursday 9-4pm, and Fridays 9-11:30am
(closed for lunch 11:30-1pm). We are not available outside of these hours.
Renewal of medications For best results, we need to monitor your health and a follow
up visit, once your protocol is established, is suggested at a minimum of every six months, depending on your diagnosis.
Initialy most patients need appointments every 3-6 weeks until health is robustly improved. Renewal of medication
may not be possible without regular consultative care at six month intervals or more frequently. We do not refill medication
after office hours when your medical record is unavailable for review. You may call your primary care doctor at other
times for urgent prescriptions. To comply with government regulations, we must ask you to call your pharmacy
and they will fax a refill request to us at 510.530.7036. Please allow 2-3 business days for prescriptions
refills.
Billing We are out-of-network providers. Insurance companies reimburse at various
rates. Our fees must be paid when services are rendered. The Office staff will provide you with a superbill
that has all the information your insurance carrier needs to reimburse you. If you are not sure whether
a service is covered by your insurance, we encourage you to call your carrier for authorization in advance.
Cancellation Policy
Your time with our providers has been reserved for you exclusively. If you need to change or cancel your appointment please call or email us as soon as you can. Please note that we have a 72-hour cancellation policy. We will attempt
to fill cancelled appointments and if successful, there will be no charge. If less than 72 hours notice is given and
we are unable to fill the appointment, you will forfeit your deposit of $80.
Supplement orders Please place your order for supplements online (BEST!), email or call us with your supplement reorders. Allow 5 business days to receive your supplements. Our shipping and handling fee is $9 or more, depending on volume.
Your Prescribed Labs
When the doctor requests laboratory tests it is essential that they be performed promptly. Many tests can
take up to 4 weeks to perform and return to us. Please do not delay in completing your tests. Some of our functional
medicine tests may not be considered medically necessary by your insurance carrier and therefore might not
be covered.
Lab results We will only call you with the results of blood tests or other labs if they
contain critical values that need immediate attention. Otherwise you will discuss lab results during your
next doctor visit.
We do not send out lab
reports prior to your follow up visit.
Should you have questions please fells free to ask our staff at 510.893.3907.
We welcome any suggestions how we can
improve our service to you.
We
look forward to meeting and exceeding your healthcare goals.
