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 Women's Health & Infertility

Meet Kristen Horner

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Women's Health and Infertility

Meet Kristen Horner

All payments are due at the time of service (cash or checks accepted).

Targeted appointments are intended only for individuals who require frequent (3 or more times per week) treatment.  If your problem is complex or multi-faceted, or if you desire in-depth consultation, please schedule a comprehensive session. Please ask for more information if you require clarification.

Why don't you take insurance?
I do not participate in any insurance billing and payment is due on the day of your visit.  I maintain this policy for two reasons: 
 
First, the majority of patients do not have insurance that covers acupuncture (at this time Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance policies do not pay for acupuncture).  As you are probably aware, billing insurance is a costly and time-consuming endeavor for health care providers.  In order to accept insurance, I would have to hire a full-time employee to keep track of paperwork, fill out and submit forms, make phone calls, send bills, fight with the insurance companies, and follow up on collections.  The cost of this employee would force me to significantly raise my fees for the majority of patients who are paying out of pocket. 
 
Second, I pride myself on providing a level of oustanding, personalized care that you will not find elsewhere.  Because I do not double book appointments and I am not being pressed by reduced reimbursement from insurance companies to see more patients in less time, rarely will you have to wait for more than a few minutes in my reception room.  You will not be rushed through your appointments.  I will listen to you and take seriously what you have to say.  I will personally respond to your phone calls and e-mails in a timely manner.  The only way I can maintain this level of service is by maintaining complete control of my practice and my fees.  By contracting with insurance companies I would be giving up that control and all my patients' care would suffer.   

If you have insurance that covers acupuncture or have a flexible medical spending account, monthly superbills are available upon request. You are responsible for all aspects of filing your own insurance claims and your responsibility for payment to this office is not contingent upon reimbursement from your insurance company.  Fees will not be negotiated or reduced, even if your insurance company’s allowable amount for acupuncture services is less than you have paid. 

How many treatments will I need?
An "average" course of treatment consists of 8-10 sessions, with most patients noticing a clear benefit within 3-4 sessions.

It is impossible to predict up front how quickly your body will respond to acupuncture.  About 10% of people are what we call "acupuncture strong responders".  This means that they will notice dramatic and lasting benefit from just a few sessions.  On the other end of the spectrum is about 10% of people who we consider "acupuncture non-responders".  These people will not benefit from acupuncture, no matter how many treatments they receive.  The remaining 80% of people fall somewhere in between these two extremes. 

If you are going to respond to the therapy, you can expect to see some positive changes within 3-4 sessions.  This does not mean that your symptoms are gone within this period of time, only that your pain or symptoms are less severe, you are sleeping more restfully, your mood is brighter, you are having more "good days" than you did before, etc.  This is an encouraging result which suggests that will continuing care you will experience more and more relief.   

Children or young people in good health with acute problems (for example a cold or minor ankle sprain) often only require 2-3 treatments.  Older individuals and those with chronic health problems typically require a longer course of treatment.  In these cases, treatment is divided into three phases:

Acute care - During this phase, treatments are scheduled weekly (or 2-3 times per week in severe cases).  The goal during this phase is to relieve symptoms and to start the process of addressing the underlying cause of pain or health problems.

Convalescent care - During this phase, treatments are usually scheduled every two weeks.  The goal during this phase is to maintain symptomatic relief while focusing on resolving underlying disharmonies and preventing future problems. 

Maintenance care - During this phase, treatments are scheduled once a month or four times per year (usually at the change of seasons).  The goal during this phase of care is to maintain the progress we have made and to support your vitality and overall wellbeing. 

The length of time you spend in each phase depends on a number of factors, including: 
 
1.  Whether your problem is acute or chronic
2.  How long you have had the problem
3.  Whether you can avoid the conditions that caused your problem
4.  Your age
5.  Your general state of health
6.  How readily your body responds to acupuncture (see above)
7.  Whether or not you follow the instructions you are given regarding diet and lifestyle

Progress will be faster if you faithfully follow your treatment plan by keeping your appointments, taking your herbal medication every day(if applicable), and following any advice that you are given about dietary or lifestyle changes. 

Please understand that I have a busy practice and am eager to get you to the point that you are able to cut back on the frequency of treatments or discontinue treatment altogether as quickly as possible.  You will never be pressured to continue to come more frequently than is necessary and only a small percentage of people require weekly treatment indefinitely.