Q: What’s the difference between a concierge doctor and other doctors?
A: A concierge doctor sees fewer patients than physicians with more traditional practices. This is because they spend more time with their patients in order to gain a far more in-depth understanding of their lifestyle and health history. Concierge doctors also work with their patients via phone and other methods of non-office communication. Finally, the fee structure is different than traditional doctors’. See our Concierge page for more information.
Q: Do you have to sign up for the concierge services in order to be a patient of Lile Wellness Partners?
A: There is no requirement to sign up for our concierge services. Many of our patients are seen in a more traditional relationship at one of our four locations. While Dr. Lile spends increasing amounts of time growing the concierge side of the practice, her experienced and highly qualified colleagues handle the majority of the traditional side of Lile Wellness. In either case, you receive the best possible care available and the same attention to your overall health and lifestyle issues.
Q: What should I expect on my first visit?
A: Your initial visit may feel a bit different than visits to other physicians’ offices — and that’s because it is. Because we work from a completely different vantage point and approach than traditional practitioners who typically look at one set of labs — which is basically a static snapshot and not representative of the whole picture — we address your health care issues from a more comprehensive view. We will collect previous blood work to place in a spreadsheet, so when we have our comprehensive results we can see cause and effect, thus gaining valuable insight to trends in a patient’s health. Instead of looking at a moment in time, we look at the continuum of a person’s health.
Q: How do concierge fees work?
A: Our hourly and monthly retainer fees vary depending on the complexity of the case and the time involved. Tests and medications incur additional charges. All additional fees are discussed in advance; neither treatment nor testing will be done without the patient’s prior approval and understanding of costs versus benefits. Please let us know if finances are an issue so that we may work with you to provide care tailored to your personal situation if possible.
Many extended medical plans cover non-traditional preventative healthcare and wellness programs; please check with your provider. We are not able to directly submit to insurance companies and therefore require full payment at the time of service being rendered. We do provide the documents required for you to file with your insurance for possible reimbursement.
Q: There’s not a Lile Wellness Partners office in my area. Do you take on patients who aren’t near any of your locations?
A: Yes! That’s another advantage of having a concierge practice — we’re not limited to seeing patients who are within easy driving distance. Because we base much of our work with patients on the results of their blood work — and we order much more comprehensive lab work than traditional practitioners — we are able to consult with patients via phone, Skype and email. More complex cases or cosmetic treatments requiring in-office visits, of course, mean a patient would need to be near one of our four offices.
Q: Do you compound all the medications you prescribe?
A: Not all the medications, no. When there is a manufactured supplement or vitamin that will meet a patient’s needs, there is no need to reinvent the wheel! But when it comes to hormone therapy, we find that mass-produced hormone therapy is not adequate — or sometimes even safe. That’s why we order up such extensive lab panels, in order to get a clear picture of what your body needs, and then create the proper medication.
Q: I’ve never heard of vitamin C being administered intravenously. Why is this done?
A: While we’ve always known the benefits of vitamin C, we now know that administering higher doses of it intravenously has incredible benefit for preventative health and wellness, and is highly beneficial to cancer patients.
Q: Is your bioidentical hormone replacement therapy mostly for women?
A: Absolutely not! We treat many men and provide an individualized plan of care that incorporates proper testosterone replacements and supplementation.
Q: Are bioidentical hormones covered by insurance?
A: Most plans do not offer coverage for bioidentical hormones, but you should check with your carrier to see what they cover.
Q: Do you file insurance?
A: We do not file insurance, so payment is required at the time of service. We do, however, provide documentation you will need to file with your insurance company for any covered expenses. If you have a Health Savings Account (HSA), we can accept this as a form of payment.
Q: My family has medical issues in its history. Do you do genetic screenings?
A: We offer a broad genetic profile, including genetic cardiac screenings, that can identify potential problem areas and allow us to work with you to create a preventative healthcare plan. We also have pharmacogenetics testing that allows us to look at your specific gene type to help determine the proper medications for you individually. This can drastically reduce issues with taking medications.