• We recommend a Comprehensive New Patient 90-minute for your first visit, so that we may fully understand all aspects that are impacting your current health.  Typically includes …
  • Complete review of health history and labs
  • Recommendations for advanced functional testing
  • Complete Personal Health Plan, including nutrition, supplements, lifestyle, and medications as needed
• Focused New Patient 60-minute visits are great if you know exactly what you want to achieve, or if your single concern is fairly straight-forward and has only been going on for a short time.

• 60-Minute Comprehensive visits allows sufficient time for in-depth discussion of your entire plan and status.  It’s also best if it’s been a while since we caught up.
• 30-Minute Focused visits are great for fine-tuning your plan, reviewing labs and for general catch-up conversations.

• Initial visits are 60 minutes and covers the overall health and history of your child.
• Follow-up visits and well-child exams are normally 30 minutes
• Acute same-day visits are also 30 minutes.
• We offer pediatric services for your children aged 1 year and up for all concerns.  We also offer simple well-infant visits for ages 6-12 mo.
• In all cases, we strongly recommend that you have a traditional pediatrician on your care team, as we are not on-call and/or may not be the best option for urgent concerns.

As primary care practitioners, Naturopathic Doctors learn about  your health goals, begin to know you as a person, discuss how  your health fits into your lifestyle, consider aspects that are interfering with you reaching optimal health, develop a sense of how your symptoms relate to each other and the underlying cause, and create a partnership with you. We are happy to work with your other health care providers as we believe that each specialty of medicine has advantages and advances that create a comprehensive approach when combined together. The doctors have the training and experience to ensure that the therapies they recommend will not interfere with other therapeutics or medications.

What To Expect From Your First Visit

Your first visit is primarily dedicated to information gathering and are 60-90 minutes long. You will leave with a brand new perspective on your health situation, instructions for further lab testing, and the first steps of your Personalized Treatment Plan. These initial steps often provide relief, but more importantly give us helpful information on how and what your body will respond best to.

In most cases, a follow-up visit will be scheduled for 3 to 6 weeks from your first visit, in which all the pieces of your puzzle will be pulled together and you will embark on your longer term plan.

How exciting! 

What To Expect From Follow Up Appointments

Follow-up appointments last approximately 30-60 minutes. We will spend the time understanding how your health has progressed and how it currently sits in relation to your goals. We will perform any pertinent physical exams and order  any laboratory work. We will discuss the previous treatment plan and make any  necessary changes.

How Often Do I Need To Come?

There is no commitment to frequency nor number of visits.  We run our office like a typical doctor’s office, you come as often as your health needs to be monitored or you come if you are not feeling well or your treatment plan needs adjustment.  Treatment times for specific health conditions can vary from weeks to years, depending on your unique situation.  Most of our patients find that they benefit from periodic  “check- in’s” with their doctor to maintain optimal wellness, even after their acute concerns are addressed. 

How long will it take before I begin seeing results?

Treatment time and intensity varies from person to person. Some patients are simply looking for guidance and education on ways to live healthier and incorporate preventative health techniques in to their daily living. Other patients are searching for help with chronic issues that they may have been dealing with for many years. Each case is unique and deserves specialized treatment based around the patient’s particular concerns. Successful treatment requires equal effort from doctor and patient, and no treatment is seen as a “quick fix.” Naturopathic doctors believe in finding the root cause of the patient’s issues in order to heal from the inside out.  This type of treatment may require some time and patience, however the health benefits you will feel are worth the effort.

All California residents can experience the same level of care our clinic provides through our virtual appointment offerings.

If you live outside California, our doctors will serve as educational health consultants and will be unable to provide diagnosis codes for insurance.

If you reside in Colorado, you can see our NWC Global branch that has licensed Colorado based providers, who also see patients globally through health educational consultations.

Yes, our doctors utilize both natural and pharmaceutical tools in their treatment plans, according to your needs and desires.  

HSA and FSA cards generally work perfectly with our services.

Regarding insurance, we are an out-of-pocket practice, meaning that we do not accept insurance directly and payment is due at the time of service.

For patients with PPO insurance, we do offer complimentary submission to your insurance, which normally helps reduce your deductible.  If your deductible has been met, then you may receive a check from your insurance company directly for a portion of the charge.

You may also submit your visit to your insurance.  Your invoice receipt that you receive in email has the codes (NPI, ICD-10, CPT) necessary for your insurance.  Note, only the visit itself is generally reimbursable, not supplements nor specialty labs.  

How can I submit to insurance myself?

We want to help you get the most out of your insurance. We’ll walk you through the necessary steps to support you upon seeking reimbursement.  Please note that this information is from 2018, but generally still holds true.  

For most insurance companies, the below is excessive – often, you can just log into your insurance company website and look for the ‘submit a claim’ button that’s generally fairly noticable on the front page.

1) Locate your claim form that matches your insurance carrier. The claim form should be fairly self-explanatory to fill out. We have uploaded the August 2018 forms that were available below.

a) Forms (California Only)

2018 Aetna Claim Form

2018 Anthem Blue Cross Claim Form

2018 Blue Shield Form  (Oct 2018: Logged in, click on Claims, then look for “Submit a Claim”)

2018 Cigna Claim Form

2018 HealthNet Claim Form

The insurers can change the forms at any time – let us know if you find a new one!

2) Have the following available:

a) Your Insurance card

b) Superbill from Naturopathic Wellness Center (It’s the receipt that was sent to your email on the day of your appointment). The ICD 10 code and “Activity” codes (99205, etc) are the relevant ones that insurance are most interested in.

3) FULLY complete the claim form for your insurance provider.

For more detailed tips on how to file a claim, CLICK HERE.

Common Q & A
Q: How long will it take to see if I received a reimbursement?
A: It depends on your insurance. Expect anywhere from 3-6 months before you receive status information.

Q: Will I receive a check from my insurance company?
A: Dependent upon your insurance company, you’ll receive a reimbursement check directly
OR
Your insurance company will send Naturopathic Wellness Center, in which case, we’ll forward the payment to you via USPS.

Q: How can I check on the status of my claim?
A: You can call your insurance company to check on the status or login to your insurance portal to check on the status.

Q: Can I submit a claim with my insurance company even though I saw the Naturopathic doctor 6-months ago?
A: Often, yes! Most insurance companies allow you to file a claim with a date of service as far back as one year.

For standard bloodwork, our office can write orders for both Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp, which are both large nationwide labs. One or both are usually  “in network” with most insurance carriers. We work to help you get the best insurance coverage possible.  Note that coverage is always influenced by your deductible remaining.

Specialty tests that may be suggested during your appointment may require out-of-pocket payment. Your doctor will discuss the different testing options during your appointment so that there are no surprise costs.

We have discounted rates through Quest Diagnostics (the lowest in LA, to the best of our knowledge) that we are able to provide for those who do not have PPO insurance coverage.

You will know ahead of time the total cost, so no surprises. After paying our clinic for the total, you are provided a pre-paid lab order to take to any Quest location.

The difference between an MD and an ND is in their treatment philosophy.  Both Naturopathic Doctors as well as Medical Doctors get the same basic medical training, where they start to differ is in their training over treatment.   Where MDs will get additional training in pharmaceutical treatment, emergency care and start to specialize in a particular field, NDs learn how to treat the body as a holistic system.  They learn about how to get to the root of the problem and treat the body using a variety of modalities including changing lifestyle habits,  nutrition,  herbs, homeopathy, vitamins and minerals, energy work, along with a variety of other natural treatment options.  

Additionally, you may find that your Naturopathic Doctor spends more face to face time with you than other doctors.

ND’s also focus on prevention and health maintenance.  Many of our patients come to us without a specific concern but with an  interest in preventative care and to achieve optimal wellness.

Dr Sandford wrote a further article about this a number of years ago.

Once you book your appointment, you will be able to upload your most recent labs (within 12 months) to our Charm patient portal. If shared 48 hours before your appointment, your provider will be able to review them before your appointment and adjust your treatment plan accordingly. 

We have a very small dispensary in-house for emergency support. Our doctors use FullScript, an online supplement dispensary to be sure you receive quality, third-party tested products at a discounted price.

NWC offers a comprehensive herbal dispensary on-site. If your doctor decides to provide a customized tincture, you will receive that from our clinic at time of service.

You can schedule an appointment by booking online HERE (https://www.nawellness.com/booknow/) .  You can review the bio’s of our doctors HERE (https://www.nawellness.com/meet-our-doctors/)  and select an in-person or telemedicine new patient appointment with the doctor of your choice

Once you schedule your appointment, you will get an email with intake paperwork that needs to be completed 72 hours before your appointment.  You can also download these forms, here. (https://intakeq.com/new/1FONGF_)

 If you need assistance in scheduling or have further questions, you can reach out to us by calling 310-926-4415 (M-F 9am-4pm, lunch 12-1).