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Reality Check

I had a phone inquiry the other day when I got into the office.  The message said “I want to know more information, please call me back at 818.xxx.xxxx”.  No name, no other info.  So I returned the call and, after some explanations, got through to the person with the question.

 She wanted to know what services I offer.  I explained to her that I practice Traditional Oriental Medicine, which means I combine needles, herbs, dietary advice, exercise and other treatments, as appropriate, on a case-by-case basis.  I then told her that, in general, my patients all receive acupuncture and most of them opt for herbal formulae as an adjunct.

 She asked me about fees, and I countered by asking if she was coming in as a cash or insurance patient.  She said her insurance wouldn’t cover acupuncture, so I told her that acupuncture was $190 for the first visit, $85 thereafter and the herbs were usually between $5 and $10 per bottle and that a bottle tends to last for two weeks to a month.  I also explained that if she needed acupuncture with electrical stimulation the fees are $200 for the first visit and $95 thereafter.  I also explained that additional therapies might be needed depending on her individual case.  I said we would discuss those fees and treatments as the need arose.

 She had started sputtering whilst I was speaking, and she burst out “$85?  For that you only get acupuncture?”  I said, yes, acupuncture treatments cost $85, and she countered with “and that’s all, for $85?””  Her voice was rising, and in the background I heard someone asking if she was okay. She got herself under control and managed not to hang up on me, but it was a near thing and I MAY have been imagining the good-bye.

 I hung up, shaking my head, and went about my day.  But the whole thing has been bothering me.  I live in a large city, where people regularly go to Whole Foods for their lunch and Starbucks for their lattes.  They drive their large SUVs or their import cars through miles of miserable traffic, getting the worst possible mileage and pay some of the highest petrol prices in the country.  They have housekeepers.  They think nothing of going to Burke Williams for a massage and spending upwards of $150.  They regularly buy new clothes, eat out, buy music, and go to movies or the theatre.  The spend money like it’s Monopoly money, until it comes to their health.  Then, they want the most health care for the lowest price.

 Now, I’m not talking about the folks on a strict budget.  From those folks, I tend to get “Money’s really tight right now . . .” to which I say “As you probably saw on my website, I offer a hardship discount.” And they make an appointment, come in, and get their health back together.

 So what do really get for the price of a treatment in my clinic?  You get a health care practitioner who has spent more than 3000 hours in her initial training, as well as extensive, and on-going, post-graduate studies.  A practitioner who applies her knowledge of herbs, human physiology, diet, the five elements, Daoist study, theology and human nature to every treatment.  A practitioner who takes the time to talk, and more than that, to listen, with every patient.  To really hear what the underlying issue is.  A practitioner who won’t dismiss your health concerns, and who is part of a larger referral community so you are referred to other practitioners if that’s the most appropriate for your case.

 Not to sound like a greeting card, but your health really is the most important thing you “own”.  You really don’t have anything if you don’t have your health.  It’s important to find the right practitioner to become a partner in maintaining your health, not the cheapest.

 Think about it at least, and then go find the right health care practitioners to be on YOUR health care team.

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Health

What does that mean?

Does health mean physical vitality, mental acuity or emotional stability?  Or does health mean reducing the number of prescriptions in the medicine cabinet or the number of missed days at work?  For each person, health means something different, and is something we must each define for ourselves.

What would health look like to you and your family?

Would there be more time with your significant other or children?  Or would there be more money for vacations or special purchases?  Would it mean better sleep, and so, better days?  Would it mean gaining or losing weight and then being more active, physically or socially?  How would your family benefit if you were healthy?

What would it feel like to have health?

What would it feel like to wake up each morning without the lingering effects of disease (dis-ease) in your system?  What would it feel like to be able to function during the whole month?  Or plan for something three, six or nine months away?

For many people, this is a concept that is so far removed from their reality they refuse to entertain the notion.

For some, they’ve been told absolutely they CANNOT have health.  Perhaps this is true, but what if it isn’t?  What if the diabetic or hypertensive in your family could get treatments and actually “get health”?  What would that be worth to your family?  If you no longer had debilitating headaches or menstrual cramps?  If your back/neck/arms/legs/joints no longer ached/burned/throbbed?

And what holds people back from exploring their options?  Is it fear of failure or fear of success?

There are any number of terrible “invisible diseases” (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Fibromyalgia, Lyme, Primary Immunodeficiency Disease and Dysautonomias to name a few) which it would be inappropriate to baldly state could be “cured” but what if the debilitating symptoms could be reduced.  And what is that worth?

A leap of faith?

Three or four visits to a health care provider who treats the whole body to see if you get any relief?

What if it worked?  What if it didn’t?

When counselling adult students returning to school after years in the workforce, I often had to field versions of this question. “What if, after going to school full-time for four years, I don’t go into practice as an acupuncturist?”  And I would answer them “What if you don’t.  At the end of those four years, you’ll have gained a Master’s degree, a whole new way of approaching health – yours and your family’s at least.  And you’ll be four years older.  If you don’t go to school, at the end of four years, you’ll have four years more experience in the world, that’s true, and you’ll be four years older, but you won’t have been exposed to the richness of experience you’ll get returning to school.  If you’re not sure this curriculum is the right one, go talk to other schools.  Maybe you’d rather study mental health, or education, or get a Masters in your current field.  Go take some time, listen to the voice inside you that’s telling you to return to school.  And remember, it’s only four years after all.”

They didn’t always come to our school, some went away and stayed in their jobs and some went to schools in other fields.  But each one of them let me know that they appreciated the reminder.  It’s easy to forget, but time is only time.

So what if you did go to, say, an acupuncturist, for a few visits?  What would you lose?  What might you gain?

What is your health really worth?

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I have the BEST patients!

Upon receiving her (first – she’s a new patient) billing statement, one patient looked at the adjustments column and said “What’s this?” 

I told her that they are the contractual adjustments I make because I am an in-network provider with her insurance.  She was incensed – not at me, at the tiny tiny amount the insurance companies feel acupuncture is worth.  She asked some other questions, like why I didn’t change my rates.  I pointed out that even if I did change my fees, all that would happen is that I would have to write off larger amounts. 

It really did my heart good to have a patient get so upset on my behalf.

 I love what I do & I have the BEST patients!  Thanks to all of you.