Frequently Asked Questions:
What license does Dr. Anne have?
Dr. Anne is a medical doctor (MD), with extensive physician training from UCSF, UC Davis, and UCLA. She is board certified in Internal and Geriatric Medicine.
Does Dr. Anne take insurance?
Unfortunately, Dr. Anne currently does not accept insurance. However, a superbill (similar to a receipt showing services provided) can be provided to you, which you can then submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement. In addition, all services are HSA-eligible.
Do I need a referral?
No, you can book directly with Dr. Anne.
How do I get in touch with Dr. Anne between appointments if I have questions?
Dr. Anne uses a platform called PracticeBetter, which includes a Client Portal. This portal includes great resources, customized guides to treatment plans, and secure instant messaging, which you can use to contact Dr. Anne.
Will Dr. Anne be my primary care doctor?
No, she will partner with your primary care doctor, rather than replace your primary care doctor, and communicate with him or her as needed throughout your work together.
Are in-person services offered?
Unfortunately not at this time.
Why do I have to be a California resident to become a client?
Dr. Anne is only licensed to practice in the state of California.
Why spend my money to pay for medical services not covered by insurance?
Today's healthcare system is not set up to address the root causes of illness. In the typical medical setting, you might get 8-12 minutes with your well-meaning, but rushed physician to review your recent labs and blood pressure, and give a quick listen to your heart. If everything is normal, you may go on your way. However, as Peter Attia says, normal may not be optimal. And you may still be suffering from symptoms despite "normal" results. In a another scenario, you may have a diagnosed condition; diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune disease, or one of many others. Your physician will likely treat the disease, but may not examine the root cause of these problems, which may be able to be addressed so that the problem either resolves or significantly lessens.
Dr. Anne is here to offer a different way of looking at things. Through extended visits, she offers enough time to explore every nook and cranny of your health and wellness. Through this exploration, as well as advanced testing of functional pathways, you will begin to understand the root causes of your symptoms and illness and address them through personalized protocols, often beginning with lifestyle (nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, social systems). Our current healthcare system often devalues this powerful aspect of medicine in favor of taking medications. Furthermore, by addressing the root cause of a symptom, you can prevent that root cause from causing separate or more serious issues.
Why Dr. Anne?
There are many types of medicine and practitioners out there today; it’s tough to know where to start on your journey to optimal health. Dr. Anne practices with techniques from functional, preventative, and internal medicine backgrounds. This unique approach allows her to personalize care to meet your needs and goals, with sound medical knowledge. She is also a partner for growth and change. The latin meaning for doctor is teacher, and this is at the heart of what Dr. Anne strives to do: teach you as much as you can about your health and wellness so you take the best care of your self. She is also an athlete who understands the value of being in full form. These aspects of Dr. Anne make her a great partner for your wellness journey.
What can I expect from the process?
Prior to your initial visit, Dr. Anne will request that you submit background information so she can be prepared to hit the ground running during your first visit with the right approach. During this initial visit, she will listen to your story from the very beginning, and make sure she has a good understanding of your journey, current troubles, and goals for the future. From there, she may order both traditional and advanced testing to evaluate gut health, hormone function, metabolism, neurologic function, or the body's detoxification system. For preventative and internal medicine focused visits, she will provide in-depth guidance on further testing targeted at personal risk factors for future disease and in depth counseling. Also taking into consideration results from lab testing, she and you will then embark on a journey together with a holistic plan to move you towards your best health. Depending on your situation, she may also recommend you work with a nutritionist or health coach along the way.
What kind of testing will Dr. Anne order? Will be it be covered by insurance?
If you have not had any recent bloodwork, Dr. Anne may order a comprehensive panel of labs typically ordered in a health assessment. These may be covered by your health insurance. She may also order labwork that is more in depth than may be typically ordered in a regular doctor's visit. Some of these labs may also be covered by insurance. She may recommend advanced testing to evaluate gut health, hormone function, metabolism, neurologic function, or the body's detoxification system. These comprehensive tests may cost several hundred dollars out of pocket, but are often HSA-eligible. Before ordering any sort of testing, Dr. Anne will always discuss the specific compelling reason for ordering each test and alternatives to testing. Cost will be transparent.
How much money will all this cost?
Dr. Anne strives to be as transparent as possible with you, with upfront discussion of cost during your free consultation. Appointment cost is based on time, and details can be found here. The overall duration of treatment will depend on your specific situation. An initial assessment, plus one to four follow up appointments, may be sufficient to meet your needs. Dr. Anne takes an education-based approach to empower you to improve your health and well-being, and this process can evolve over the course of treatment from addressing acute issues to optimizing wellness, continuing to build on insights gained over the course of treatment. Other costs incurred may be related to lab testing, purchase of supplements, or additional coaching (nutrition, personal training, health coaching) from outside services. These costs can be discussed further during the consultation call.