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| Our Office Routine | Financial Policies | Your Privacy | Philosophy on Medical Economics |
Policies and Procedures
SELF-PAY PATIENTS WELCOME - even a discount
Heritage Family Medicine values those patients seeking a revolutionary "old" approach to patient centered medical care - a direct relationship between the patient and their doctor. Patients who pay for their care directly ensure that the physician works only for you, free of bureaucratic interference and consequent overhead expenses. Heritage Family Medicine offers a 30% discount for immediate payment at the time of service from fees already set low to reflect only the average levels in our community. Payment by cash, check, or card (25% discount) are accepted.
We also offer DirectCareMD - a program by which all of our own services are provided without additional charge for $30 - 55 per person per month. Click HERE for details.
INSURANCE PLANS ALSO WELCOME
Like it or not the business of medicine remains dominated by government and commercial insurance companies. They are not evil. For large bills they are an absolute necessity. For the processing of the relatively small bills of family medicine and other "primary care" services they are inefficient distractions, raising costs for everyone. Most strive to pay fairly. Medicare no longer even pretends. DSHS (WA public assistance) pays far less than our costs.
Heritage Family Medicine participates fully in most insurance programs, including Uniform Medical Plan, Premera, Regence, Aetna, First Choice, Tri-care, etc. We welcome Medicare patients participating in a Medicare program sponsored by Physicians of Southwest Washington (check out their excellent products by calling : 360-943-4337). Heritage Family Medicine accepts Labor and Industry cases for injuries less than a year old.
HFM is currently closed to additional adults on DSHS or Molina. Children with DSHS or Molina are welcome - no limitations. Regretfully, as DSHS pays far less than our costs such patients must understand that we may not always be able to continue their care with that payment source.
Pat Davis, ARNP sees Basic Health and Tri-Care patients.
For a more in-depth discussion on managing healthcare costs, we encourage you to read HFM's "Philosophy on Medical Economics", written by Richard Faiola, MD.
Heritage Family Medicine's Death with Dignity Policy
On November 4, 2008, Washington State passed the Washington Death with Dignity Act, Initiative 1000 (RCW 70.245). This act allows terminally ill adults, seeking to end their life, to request lethal doses of medication from medical and osteopathic physicians.
Heritage Family Medicine does not practice Euthanasia or Rx for patients clearly intending to take their own lives.
Heritage Family Medicine does believe life to be a sacred gift and its preservation an inviolate trust that physicians have pledged themselves to since the days of Hypocrites - himself a "pagan" - yet, recognizing the utter hubris - an affront to the gods - of deliberately terminating a human life.
Having said that, we DO NOT BELIEVE IN ARTIFICIALLY PROLONGING the process of dying. We will not start a feeding tube, IV lines, and/or respirators when it is clear our efforts will not restore a patient to meaningful interactive life and their wishes in that regard can be ascertained or inferred. Furthermore, we will remove a feeding tube, IV lines, and/or respirators when it is clear our endeavors will not restore a patient to meaningful interactive life and we are certain as to their wishes in that regard. We do not maintain patients in a "Persistent Vegetative State", unless demanded by family, or the earlier expressed desires of the patient. We strongly recommend against the futile use of medical technology and inappropriate resuscitative ("Code Blue") efforts.
In all our dealings with patients, their dignity will be protected and, to the extent possible, their pain will be relieved, even at the risk of hastening their death.
The following articles explain our innovative office routines and financial policies and allow you to better understand how these methodologies will save you time and money while serving you and your family more conveniently: