COMMUNICATIONS POLICY:
Effective communications are the backbone of successful health care. And in the current technological age it seems there are no shortages of ways to communicate. This can be a blessing, but can also create a less than ideal situation when transmitting your protected health information (PHI) as many of these modes of communication are not secure. We at Rogue Natural Medicine understand what is at stake, and that is why we go to great lengths to keep your PHI secure.
Phone/Voice Mail:
This is the standard mode of communication, the most official, the most timely and generally the most secure. If you need to potentially share PHI, a phone call is appropriate.
*Note: Telephone support is to assist in clarifying recommendations made during an office visit. If new material is covered or an extended amount of time is required over the phone, it will be billed at the same rate as an office visit.
Texting:
Texting is very non-secure and currently an unacceptable form of communicating with Rogue Natural Medicine. The only exception is during the day of your appointment for brief, non-PHI communications in regards to your appointment (such as letting us know you are running a couple minutes late, etc.).
Email:
- Standard email is not a secure mode of communication and we ask that you refrain from using standard email services for all purposes that may include the transmission of your PHI. For the transmission of sensitive information, we use a secure email server. Please call us at (541) 727-1893 if you would like us to send you a link to our secure email.
- Standard email is generally fine for setting up appointments, letting us know what supplements you need more of, asking questions that don’t require discussion, clarifying recommendations made during an office visit and other basic non-PHI related purposes.
- When communicating with us via email, please clearly identify yourself in your email.
- We may use email to provide you with appointment reminders, provide clinic updates, and answer questions.
- Do NOT seek emergency help through email. Call 911 instead.
- Please be aware that we may not check email on holidays, days off or after hours.
- If we need to email you any material that is PHI-related (lab results, etc.), we will use a secure, encrypted email so that your information is not compromised.
- You may still choose to use a standard, non-secure email for communications involving PHI (though we don’t recommend it). If you do so, it will be treated as official communications and may be included in your medical chart. If you initiate communications with us through a non-secure email we will assume you are aware of the risks and that you would like us to respond to your questions through the non-secure email unless you state otherwise.
- DO NOT share Dr. Kunkel’s email addresses with anyone without his prior consent unless they are a professional health care provider directly involved in your health care.
PAYMENTS:
All payments are due in full at the time of service, except for the initial new patient visit which is due before scheduling your initial visit. Dr. Kunkel accepts cash, checks and credit/debit cards. Returned checks will be subject to a $25 return fee. Please make payments out to: Curtis Kunkel, ND
HEALTH INSURANCE:
In order to provide patients with the best care possible, Dr. Kunkel has chosen not to participate with the health insurance system. In order to enter into an agreement for health services rendered by Dr. Kunkel, you agree to be solely responsible for payments in full to Dr. Kunkel with no expectation for insurance reimbursement. Dr. Kunkel does not provide paperwork sufficient for most insurance companies to pay on claims. This was a hard decision for Dr. Kunkel to make, but he believes it is the best decision in allowing him to continue to provide excellent and in-depth service to his patients.
*Please note, Dr. Kunkel will not consult with your insurance company to assist in reimbursement.
LABORATORY ORDERS:
Dr. Kunkel has searched out the best laboratory providers for both quality and cost. Many of these labs can not be found anywhere else for a lower non-insurance price. All lab fees are prepaid in full directly to Dr. Kunkel. If you have a primary care physician where most of your labs have been covered by insurance, Dr. Kunkel is more than willing to provide you with a list of labs he would like you to perform, so that you may ask your primary care physician to order them for you.
SUPPLEMENT POLICIES (including returns/exchanges):
- Dr. Kunkel prescribes professional quality supplements specific to each person’s need. Most are available at the clinic or at Dr. Kunkel’s online medicinary.
- If we need to send supplements to you that aren’t available from our online medicinary, shipping and handling will be charged.
- If you find that you need to return any new, unopened, non-refrigerated items that you purchased from us, you have 30 days from time of purchase to contact us. A 15% restocking fee will apply. The amount refunded will be in the form of a credit that can be applied to future purchases.
- Special order and refrigerated items cannot be returned.
- If you react poorly to and cannot tolerate a product Dr. Kunkel prescribes, let us know within one week of receiving it and we will provide you with a credit worth 50% of the sales price of that product. You will need to return the unused portion of the product to Dr. Kunkel in order to receive the credit.
MEDICAL RECORDS:
Medical records are available upon request at a cost of $0.10 per sheet.
CANCELLATIONS:
Our goal is to provide you with exceptional individualized care in a timely manner. We understand that life is full of complexity and we have no problem working with you to adjust your appointment time. However, no-shows, late shows and last-minute cancellations may inconvenience other patients who need access to care. We ask that you contact Dr. Kunkel’s office at (541) 727-1893 as soon as you need to reschedule or cancel an appointment. By respecting our time as well as the commitment you have made to improving your own health, everyone benefits.
Cancellation Policy:
To cancel an appointment, please call the office at (541) 727-1893 and speak with Kathy or leave a detailed voice message so we can call you back. Cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance will be charged $100. No-show appointments, as well as being more than 15 minutes late to an appointment, will be charged the full fee for the scheduled appointment and will be recorded in the patient’s chart as a “no-show”. Of course, we are flexible in the case of emergencies. These cancellation/no-show fees must be paid at or before the time another appointment is scheduled. If late cancellations, no-shows or late-shows occur more than twice without good reason, you may be discharged from the practice.
PRIVACY POLICY:
Rogue Natural Medicine and Curtis Kunkel, ND respect you and your personal information with the utmost regard and we do everything we can to make your information as secure as possible. We believe the patient-doctor relationship is sacred and that the privileged information shared should not be compromised. We will NEVER sell, rent or share your information without your written consent unless: (1) we are legally required to do so by law (2) and/or to protect your personal safety or that of the public.
Part of the reason Dr. Kunkel does not participate with the health insurance system is due to the frequent compromise of patient information as it is logged into and stored within electronic medical record (EMR) systems for the purpose of being shared with insurance companies and amongst other providers. This is also why Dr. Kunkel has chosen not to use an EMR system, as he believes their use further compromises your personal health information due to the fact that EMRs are stored in the cloud and provide access to a vast number of users. The various users that can potentially access your personal health information include all health professionals who use the same EMR, health insurance companies, life insurance companies, billing and claims management services, medical research companies, Medicare, the Social Security Administration and even some employers and school districts. While most of these third parties are given access with good intentions, your personal data has a greater chance of being compromised each time it is accessed and transmitted.
For your financial security, Rogue Natural Medicine and Dr. Kunkel do not retain/keep on file your credit/debit cards or any of your financial information. These will need to be submitted each time service is provided.
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