These are some of the frequent questions we are asked. Please reach out if you have additional questions!
Q. Do you take insurance?
We accept most major Montana/regional private insurance plans and bill insurance as a courtesy. We also accept Medicare but do not accept Medicaid at this time. However, please check with your specific plan as occasionally select plans may not cover services outside their narrow network. Other plans may have deductibles that must first be met out of pocket before coverage takes effect.
Q. Will you be my primary care provider?
We are happy to be a primary care provider with the understanding that we believe in a patient centered root cause approach that requires active patient participation in their plans of care. We are also happy to serve individuals who are established with a primary care provider to provide preventative services and education as part of a collaborative team approach.
Q. What is the difference between primary care and functional medicine?
There is no difference, or at least shouldn’t be. Functional medicine is primary care that focuses on the root cause of symptoms and disease. We believe a patient’s story is a relevant and critical aspect of achieving wellness, not just the treatment of disease. Functional Medicine is not “green medicine”, although we do incorporate extensive lifestyle interventions, individualized preventative education, and supplementation when needed. Sometimes medications, referrals, and traditional interventions are needed to provide a team based whole body approach to care.
Q. Do I have to get a whole bunch of labs done?
Labs provide helpful information but are not a substitute for a patient’s unique history, symptoms, and clinical exam findings. When possible, we start with traditional labs specific to the patient that are most likely to be covered by insurance or purchased at a reasonable wholesale cost. When more extensive labs are clinically recommended, and are not typically covered by insurance, this is a decision decided on between the provider and patient. If you have had labs completed within the past year, bring those to your visit to avoid repeating labs you have recently completed unless indicated.
Q. Do you offer memberships for self-pay patients?
We do not currently offer memberships but this may be a future consideration. We do offer a prompt payment discount to self pay patients. Please contact us directly for specifics. We also accept HSA payments for high deductible plans.
Q. Do you offer virtual/telehealth services?
Yes! We recognize that for people that live outside of Billings, travel can often be difficult during the challenging winter months, or for those with daytime responsibilities that make it difficult to always make it in for an in person visit. When possible, we recommend an in person visit at least once a year for a full physical exam that can be difficult to obtain virtually. If that is not possible, we recommend having a primary care provider that can see you for a preventative exam each year in addition to our services, and are happy to provide labs and work with them as part of a collaborative relationship.
Q. I live out of state, can I see you virtually?
Currently, we are licensed to offer telehealth/virtual services in Montana, Idaho, and Oregon with Wyoming licensure coming soon!
Q. Do you see children?
Yes! We love our little ones! We see all ages from newborn through age 18 and also offer well child exams and sports physicals. Because we are a functional medicine clinic, for establish care visits, we recommend having all parents or primary caregivers involved so care plans can positively impact the entire family by establishing prevention and wellness early on.
Q. What services do you offer?
This is a general list of services we provide through a root cause functional medicine approach:
- Primary care from a functional medicine lens
- Wellness visits and preventative care, adult
- Well child and preventative care
- Chronic disease prevention and root cause treatments:
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Heart disease prevention
- Obesity/Weight loss
- Thyroid dysfunction
- Chronic pain, fibromyalgia
- Chronic fatigue
- PCOS (PMOS)
- Perimenopause/menopause
- IBD
- Celiac Disease
- IBS
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Hormone therapy
- Sports Physicals (Not covered by insurance)
- DOT Exams (Not covered by insurance)
Q. Will I need a bunch of supplements?
We believe a food first approach is the most important medicine, alongside adequate sleep, stress reduction, daily movement, and healthy relationships. We recommend non-pharmacological remedies as a first line approach. Sometimes temporary or long term supplements are needed to address significant deficiencies or when first line interventions alone are not enough to relieve symptoms. Sometimes supplements are also used to support treatments that require prescription medications. Because supplements are not regulated by the FDA, we only recommend products that are pharmaceutical grade and third party verified.
Q. Can you refill my prescription medications?
Yes, but it also depends if those medications are prescribed by a specialist also involved in a patient’s care, such as cardiology or psychiatry. In cases where outside providers are providing speciality care, we work alongside them to ensure treatments are synergistic and not contraindicated with their current prescription therapies. We can manage routine medications used in primary care. However, we only incorporate medications as needed while maximizing first line root cause interventions, when first line therapies alone are not sufficient, and per patient share decision making.
Q. How do I schedule an appointment?
You can schedule online or call to make an appointment. You can find our contact information and online scheduling link on our website at https://rophefm.com. Please read over our website to ensure this is the right fit for you and reach out with any questions you may have.
Q. Do you provide urgent care services?
Generally no, as we are a small clinic and do not offer acute care in house services such as point of care lab testing, suturing, imaging, or splinting. However, for established patients needing to be seen virtually for common complaints that do not require in house imaging or point of care labs, such as mild viral illness symptoms, sinusitis, or other minor complaints, call and if an appointment slot is available, we are happy to squeeze you in. Otherwise we recommend utilizing your nearest urgent care for same day services or visit the emergency department for immediate critical needs.