Frequently Asked Questions

We’d love to be your partner along your journey towards vibrant health! Please review frequently asked questions listed below and feel free to contact us for any other questions via email or phone.

Scheduling & Visits

During your initial consultation, Dr. Yoakam will carefully review and discuss your medical history as well as perform any needed physical exams.  Dr. Yoakam will discuss the necessary lab tests and schedule your follow-up appointments.

Schedule your free 15 minutes discovery call to learn more about pricing.

If you are NOT an in-state resident, your initial visit at Sarah Yoakam, MD must be in person. After the first visit, all follow up visits can be conducted by phone or virtually using our secure video channel if you choose.

If you live out of state and would like to consult with Dr. Yoakam on your case, this is possible with a virtual visit. She can send recommendations to you and your physician. However, this does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship, and Dr. Yoakam will not be able to order labs nor prescribe medication.

Patients have messaging capability within the portal with our Sarah Yoakam, MD provider team. However, if a question or request is deemed by one of our staff to be too complicated or involved for a response via portal they may, at their discretion, require that the patient schedule a phone, telemedicine or in person visit instead of responding via the portal. In addition, there will be a fee charged for time spent answering new questions on the portal.

Dr. Yoakam is not contracted with any insurance plan and does not participate in Medicare. The clinic doors are open to all. Payment in full is the standard order of business. Cash, check and credit cards are accepted.

If a patient wants to file an out–of–network claim with their insurance company, Dr. Yoakam can supply a receipt with sufficient detail for potential out–of–network consideration and reimbursement. The patient submits their receipt to their insurer and the reimbursement check is mailed directly to the patient once the out–of–network deductible is met.

Cancellation: The full appointment fee will be charged for late–cancellation appointments (cancelled with less than 48 hours notification), or missed and no–show appointments. A credit card is required to keep on file for each patient in the event of a missed, no–show or late–cancellation of appointment. For new patients, 50% of the new patient appointment fee will be collected when Dr. Yoakam schedules your first appointment. The remaining balance will be charged on the date of service of the new patient appointment. Appointments cancelled with at least 72 hours’ notice will receive a full refund of the prepayment, but the pre–payment will not be refunded for cancelled appointments with less than 72 hours’ notice or missed and no–show appointments. New patients must pay with credit card for the first intake or consultation appointment. Understandably, as a physician, exceptions will be made for serious illness, but please, make me aware.

Billing & Insurance

You will still need to see your primary care physician for routine health maintenance tests, medication management etc.

It is important to note the following however:

  1. We do not fulfill an insurance company’s requirement for an in network primary care physician as we are not in-network with any insurance plan.
  2. We are not available for same-day acute emergency appointments, please call 911 or your primary care doctor.
  3. We do not have a 24-hour answering service and do not take calls on weekends. If you need to be seen urgently or have a medical emergency you would need to visit an ER or urgent care center.
The cost of any services provided by Sarah Yoakam, MD which are not included in the episode of care fee will be billed to you directly. Non-Sarah Yoakam, MD medical expenses such as lab tests and prescription medications may be covered by a member’s health insurance plan per that plan’s rules. Sarah Yoakam, MD will not submit a medical claim to insurance on your behalf. We cannot assist you with claim resolution for our services. We will provide you with a detailed billing summary that you may submit to your insurance for reimbursement. There may be procedures or lab tests that are not covered depending on your plan’s rules.
  • Most lab tests ordered by a Sarah Yoakam, MD physician will be billed directly to your insurance by the lab.
  • Some lab tests we offer as part of our functional and integrative medicine testing program may not be covered by insurance and in these cases you will be charged a fee for a particular test by the lab or through Sarah Yoakam, MD.
  • The specific tests ordered will be personalized to you based on your initial evaluation with an Sarah Yoakam, MD doctor and may include blood saliva urine or stool testing.
  • We will make every effort to make you fully aware of any additional lab fees that may be incurred and to give you the opportunity to choose which lab tests you feel comfortable paying for.
  • You are under no obligation to purchase any specialty testing.
  • Should any lab results indicate you may need further testing you will be directed to continue your care with your primary care physician or a relevant specialist, or should you choose you may continue to work with your Sarah Yoakam, MD physician.
  • If your particular insurance company only pays for blood work done at a particular lab facility like LabCorp, you must inform us of this in advance of having blood work done. Most insurance plans cover labs done by major national labs – including Bioreference and other labs often used by Sarah Yoakam, MD Health because of their favorable pricing policies for patients.
 

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Journey With Me

Perhaps you have questions you’d like to ask before you make a decision to become a patient. Set up a free 15 minute Discovery Call with Sarah Yoakam, MD to learn if we’re the right fit.
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