the healthy human
Amber Beckenhauer, DO
Board Certified Family Physician
Founder/Owner/CEO
TM
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How is The Healthy Human different than traditional medical clinics?
We use an innovative model of care known as Direct Primary Care (DPC). In this model, doctors are paid directly by their patients, rather than through governmental payers or insurance companies. Basically, we're cutting out the middle man, along with the hassles. Direct primary care is a healthcare model focused on putting the patient first. That means treating them when they need it, reducing rushed/10 min appointments, and being proactive with healthcare treatment plans.
Does The Healthy Human accept insurance?
Insurance is NOT accepted at the HH for your medical visits/consultations. Your monthly membership covers the cost of your medical visits & medical advice during, and after, clinic hours. However, your insurance may be used, if you should choose to, for other services outside of the HH, such as imaging/specialists/surgery/hospitalizations, etc. Direct primary care clinics do not accept insurance, rather they choose to work directly with the patient, providing wholesale labs and prescription prices along the way. We see no reason for any insurer to have a voice about either the quality or the cost of your family’s health care. DPC Mission, plain and simple, we want everyone to have access to Primary Care, and the answer is, make it affordable AND transparent.
Do I still need insurance?
All patients are encouraged to have at least major medical insurance coverage, aka catastrophic coverage. Although there are times when individuals may not be able to afford a private health insurance policy, we recommend having one if at all possible to cover hospitalization and catastrophic events. As of 2019, individuals without insurance are no longer penalized by the government.
We are committed to educating patients on how to utilize cost savings through cash discounts, etc. One way to save money on your healthcare is by getting insurance with low premiums and high deductibles. If you are looking into other alternatives, you may want to opt for a Health Share plan. DPC leaves out co-pays and deductibles, instead the model offers affordable labs, testing, imaging, and procedures. Why pay $200-900+ toward a deductible you're unlikely to meet when you can get the same tests from a DPC doctor for $15 in cash?
Can my fees be reimbursed by my insurance company?
We do not provide receipts or "super bills" for insurance reimbursement. The contracts that we have with our patients make our rates much more affordable, when compared to insurance contracts with Physician clinics and hospitals. However, for HSA and FSA plans, you may submit invoices/receipts for items such as labs, procedures, medications, and more. The law around using your HSA for DPC monthly membership fees is currently unclear or a "grey" area. This is a question for your tax professional. Legislation has been proposed to clear up the question regarding if HSA money can be spent on a DPC physician's retainer or membership fee.
How much does it cost?
Our monthly membership fees are based on the patient's age. In addition to low monthly membership fees, we have an on-site pharmacy which saves our patients significantly on prescription costs. In some cases, our patients have found that their prescription savings are greater than their membership fee and they are SAVING money monthly with a DPC. Patients will be offered cash prices on lab tests as well, and we have negotiated contracts for bottom-dollar access to radiological services such as X-Rays, CT scans, and MRI's.
Am I locked into my DPC Membership?
Membership to the HH clinic is month-to-month, so no long-term contracts. If you need to cancel your membership, just give us a 30 day notice.
When do I pay my fees for my prescriptions and labs?
Cost for lab work, or other HH services, performed in the clinic will be charged at the time of service to the payment method that was provided. Monthly memberships will be auto-charged at the beginning of each on the on the 1st or 5th. Members with failed payments will be subject to a $15 Late Fee on their account.
Is concierge medicine the same as Direct Primary Care?
The terms are often used interchangeably and essentially refer to the same principles. Direct Primary Care is a healthcare model focused on putting the patient first.
Will I benefit from Healthy Human DPC if I don't require frequent medical attention?
Yes! Unfortunately, most medical care has become very reactionary, something we use as a reaction to having symptoms or being sick. While we always provide sick care for our patients, it is also important to be proactive and create plans for staying healthy.
Certainly, everyone benefits from healthcare tailored to them, and that is our mission at the DPC. Healthcare ONE patient at a time. The traditional healthcare model encourages you NOT to seek care until you are just about dying, but with Direct Primary Care, you can seek care at any time, preferably sooner rather than later, and we can actually prevent things from happening instead of waiting for them to happen. There is nothing standing in the way of calling us, seeing us the same day or next day, or simply asking a quick question by text. Over time, we build a comprehensive knowledge of you and your health, and if you do end up needing more frequent medical attention, we know all about your needs and how to treat you best, which cannot be said for any other healthcare model.
What are the "extra" DPC costs/charges
The DPC is here to make Primary Care affordable with a MONTHLY membership of "x" amount of money per month based off of your age tier. This is the monthly fee that is EXPECTED when you sign up online or in the clinic.
This MONTHLY FEE includes: your medical visits (ALMOST ALL, but not procedure visits) with your Physician and PA-C , ALL phone/text/email communication, and nurse visits. Communication may be medical questions with medical advice or triage by nursing, med refills, financial/pricing suggestions around cash/insurance needs such as imaging, specialists, meds, etc, and more; as well as most point of care testing in house, discounts for "members only" on labs/procedures/aesthetics: skincare and botox/supplements & Rx meds, and more.
Some days we hear the question, "my bill is higher than what I expected?"
And this is the reason why....
What the Monthly Fee does NOT INCLUDE:
(ie, ancillary (add-on) services patients would typically pay for that are above and beyond a baseline Physician visit and are ELECTIVE (not mandatory)...Meaning that we do NOT make ancillary services inclusive in monthly membership fees to eliminate patients paying a higher monthly fee due to specialty needs that may not apply to their individual Primary Care needs and/or are not requested needs.
Such services may include....
-LABS or Pathology Needs sent to outside laboratory
-Medications, Oral Meds or Injections
-Supplements or Medical Food
-Procedure Visit Fee
-Shock Wave Therapy, PRP
-Aesthetics and Procedures
-Specialty Care (Above & beyond Direct Primary Care) such as Allergy Testing/Consult, Nutrition Consults, Integrative Care: Wellness & Fitness Packages, Obstetric Packages and Delivery, Surgical Procedures like Endometrial Ablations/LEEPs/Colposcopies
Our patients always have the option to withhold any additional services and follow a basic Primary Care package/monthly membership. However, they also have the ability to choose their primary medical home for multiple work-ups with labs, med changes, etc and this adds on extra costs to the monthly bill. It is always a "patient decision."
These HH items are considered additional fees, since they would be additional fees at any other location you would go. We just make it convenient to have them in your medical home instead of running around to accomplish these needs...time and money saved, with personalized care at the heart of it all :)
How can you guarantee same or next-day appointments?
We will have same or next day consultation for urgent needs triaged by our LPNs. The patient will be consulted by phone or an in person assessment will be performed by our HH Physician or Providers. The Healthy Human will only be accepting a limited patient panel. By keeping our patient panel low, we can spend plenty of time with you and get you in quickly. This is the kind of attention and accessibility we'd want our family to have, and it's what we offer our patients.
Will Dr. Beckenhauer or Matt Garris, PA-C still take care of me if I need to be admitted to the hospital?
Both Dr. Beckenhauer and Matt maintain their privileges at Memorial Community Hospital in Blair, NE.
Can I get all of my medications from the Healthy Human pharmacy?
As a member, you have access to our entire pharmacy. We only dispense medications we can save you money on. Therefore, almost all of the medications in our extensive inventory are generic. Name-brand prescriptions are generally expensive, and therefore you'll normally get a better price on name brand drugs using an insurance prescription drug benefit or a prescription drug discount card at your local pharmacy. We carry over the counter medications, as well as supplements and skin care products. We do not dispense any DEA-controlled medications in our HH Pharmacy such as narcotic pain medicine, sedatives, or stimulants.
What if I need to be referred to a specialist? Do you offer access to specialty services?
In providing superb care with unprecedented sorts of access, we seek to prevent or reduce hospitalizations and specialty referrals. In instances where those types of care are required, we will work with your hospitalist/specialist. In some cases, depending on the level of care and the expertise required, we may rely on those specialized caregivers to manage your treatment. We do encourage you to carry insurance for these kinds of needs, as we are not considered an insurance plan. In case you do not carry insurance or would like to pay cash for specialty services, Dr. B has negotiated rates with multiple specialties and an outpatient surgical center to take care of your needs.
How can I contact Dr. Beckenhauer or her Team for Urgent or Non-Urgent Needs?
We know that illness and injuries don't always happen during office hours. If you have an URGENT issue after-hours, we are only a text away! We will give you our after-hours cell phone number for needs that would typically result in an urgent care visit. Another way to save your healthcare dollars!
If you have NON-URGENT needs such as a medication refills or to schedule an appointment, you can directly e-mail us or call our clinic during business hours. During clinic hours, we ask that you communicate with us by clinic phone in regards to Urgent needs, appointment scheduling, medication pick up, & more. We want to be available for you, but in case we are busy with patients, you can leave a message with our nursing staff.
Are there medications the HH Team does not prescribe?
We are not accepting new patients for pharmaceutical treatment of Chronic Pain. New Opioid Prescribing Guidelines have recently been released by the CDC to combat the prescription drug abuse epidemic, and those patients who use narcotics for chronic pain are encouraged to seek a pain treatment center.
We will, however, see you for a consult and offer you alternative pain control options, such as Shockwave Therapy, supplements, and treatment of underlying conditions or the "root cause" of your pain.
Outside of paying for monthly membership, are there other fees I might have to pay?
Yes, if you should choose to utilize our Pharmacy, Labs, etc, you would pay above and beyond your membership fee. We offer all of our services at affordable pricing. As a membership benefit, the HH Team will see sick or injured visiting family members for a reasonable one-time office visit fee.
Will The Healthy Human see patients on a fee-for-service basis if they are NOT members?
Yes. There are non-member prices for visits and procedures. Examples of these visits/procedures may be for minor laceration repairs, minor cosmetic surgical procedures, such as punch biopsies, and more. Most insurance plans will not cover "cosmetic" procedures or hormone/integrative consultation . Traditionally, these simple procedures are very expensive without insurance AND with insurance if you have a high deductible. The HH has the lowest prices around on these non-member services.
Does Dr. Beckenhauer still deliver babies?
Yes! Dr. B will continue delivering at Memorial Community Hospital in Blair, NE. Prenatal care and delivery is not only cost-effective through the DPC, but also offers prenatal care on a personal level with one-on-one care with Dr. B. We will determine a payment that fits your individual needs. Please email or call us for a scheduled appointment to discuss our OB agreements, or see the OB information on this website.
Does The Healthy Human see Medicare patients?
YES! Our team is now seeing patients with Medicare, both Dr. Beckenhauer and Matt Garris. Dr. Beckenhauer will also be available for any Integrative/Osteopathic needs they may have. It is $105/mo for a Medicare Membership, which cannot be billed to insurance OR you can schedule for visits as needed if you are needing a one time consult or recommendation.
Contact Us
The Healthy Human is committed to providing quality and comprehensive healthcare. To learn more about our clinic and how we can help you, get in touch with us today.