What is Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine is a medical approach that takes us back to the way the body was designed to work. It is a way of finding and treating the root problems that cause often very chronic and progressive medical issues. Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and cancer - all of these for example, have multifaceted root causes. So, we look for these. We will help you build a plan for helping the body heal itself with lifestyle changes including using food to its best advantage, exercise tailored to your current abilities, and supplements designed to give slow, steady healing to your body's dysfunctional systems. We hunt for hidden offenders like certain toxins, infections or hormonal imbalances. Then we design a comprehensive plan to address what is found to be contributing to your illness. For more info, see functionalmedicine.org.

No, not at this time. You will receive a printable invoice via text and/or email. On it will be diagnostic codes that pertain to your office visit or labs ordered and invoiced/paid. You will submit this to your insurance for reimbursements for office visits or lab fees. Dr. Ellison is "opting out" of Medicare, and patients will not be able to submit their paid bill for reimbursement. Medicare patients will have a contract that states that understanding on file with us. We are considering a discount for Medicare and other uninsured patients based on a sliding scale. But that is not in place yet. Medicare patients are advised on how to submit claims to a secondary insurance. Additionally, the medical devices we use to optimize your health are not covered by insurance at this time, but you can also submit those.

Often patients begin just by seeing Dr. Ellison after filling in the intake and bringing pertinent medical records. In this option, patients are billed by the time they actually spend with Dr. Ellison, plus the $50 non-refundable administrative fee that was paid at the time of making an appointment. The cost for this is $300 per hour. Typically new patients will spend an hour and a half with Dr. Ellison, or if an Alzheimer's patient, the time will easily stretch out to 2 hours. If finances are a concern, we are able to set up payments. We want you to be able to come see us and get the care you need, so we will work with you as best as we can. We will add additional lab testing, healing modalities, and health coaching as needed and as you are able.

Does the practice take insurance or Medicare?

What is the cost of an initial consult for a new patient?

Follow up visits

This section also pertains to Dr. Ellison's previous patients from Cornerstone Clinic.

Follow ups are 30 minutes to an hour long, and the charge is $150 per 30 minutes. We don't intend to supplant your need for primary care. You will need to establish with another provider. We expect you to need 2 or 3 follow-up visits a year, and they are up to an hour long, as we go over labs and other aspects of your plan. Telephone or Online Virtual visits are possible.
Group office visits have a $50 charge per person.

Cancellation/Missed Appointment Policy

Patients will need to cancel at least 48 hours in advance in order to avoid a "no show" charge: the full amount of the scheduled visit length.

Email Communication

At each consult, we will endeavor to be as clear and as complete as possible so that you will not have much need for clarification. Questions via email that allow for a quick response are not charged. But a charge will occur if, because of new symptoms or concerns, Dr. Ellison will need to make additional changes to your plan. The charge for email such responses is $25 minimum, and is billed according to time. Usually we imply suggest you make an appointment.

Prescription Refills

Dr. Ellison will only refill medications she has prescribed to you. She no longer handles controlled pain medications/narcotics as a general rule. Also, she must have seen you within the last six months to refill a prescription.

Call your pharmacy directly to initiate a refill. Processed within 3 business days after receiving a FAXED request from your pharmacy.

Supplement Refills

SEE Wellness keeps many excellent supplements in stock for ease of reordering. Refills of these may be requested as follows:

by email to: staff@see-wellness.com
or by calling: 830-304-3788.
or by text message into the invoicing App you will become familiar with once you are a patient.

Processed within 3 business days after we receive your request, and you will be notified when you can pick them up or when they have been mailed.

She often refers you to her specific online formulary that you can join to obtain discounted medical grade supplements: www.wellevate.me. You will be invited to join Wellevate if Dr. Ellison recommends their supplements to you.

In Case of Emergency

Dr. Ellison does not take emergency calls. You will need to dial 911 in case of life-threatening emergency, or your primary care provider's on-call service for help with other medical needs. If you do not yet have a primary care doctor, you won't be seen at SEE Wellness.

After Hours Care

Dr. Ellison provides care by appointment only. After hours, emails and texts are preferred. Please see the section Email Communication above for details. The text message invoicing system can also be used to communicate via text only with the staff, but after hours these may not be answered.