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FAQ

General Office Questions

Hours will vary, so please contact the office to inquire by using the online appointment function.

Dr. Stevens is currently seeing patients at 2 locations:
The Downtown Charlottesville office is located at 417 8th St NE, inside Relax CVille
There are dedicated free parking spaces for Relax CVille in the parking lot in front of the office. On the rare occasion that none of these spaces are available, please park temporarily to come inside and ask where you should park for your appointment.

The Hollymead office is located at 1544 Insurance Lane, inside Heppner Family Chiropractic and Wellness Center
There are dedicated free parking spaces in the parking lot in front of and around the side of the office.

You can call or text 434-234-4721 or click on the Contact link to fill out the form to request an appointment 

Dr. Stevens is trained as a family medicine physician and is licensed and board certified to see people of all ages, including children. She has had many years of experience in diagnosing and treating both acute and chronic illnesses and has attended to patients in both the primary care and hospital based settings. Depending on symptoms discussed during your visits and prior workup completed, Dr. Stevens may recommend that you see other health care teams for further workup if she has concerns that you need other testing or treatment options that she does not provide.

-We will go over a very thorough health history, so it is important that you fill out all of your paperwork prior to your visit!
-We will try to discuss all of your health concerns at your initial visit, however we do need to keep on time in order to remain on time for the next patient. If we cannot discuss all of your concerns during the initial visit, we will schedule you for a follow-up to continue our conversation within a timely manner
-It is possible that we may be able to begin Acupuncture treatment at your first visit, depending on how much time we need to discuss your health history. Please dress accordingly!
-Dr. Stevens may recommend vitamins or supplements 
-Dr. Stevens may recommend additional lab testing
-Dr. Stevens does not write for prescription medications.
Dr. Stevens may recommend workup with other health care providers if she has concerns that you may have major illness that has not been appropriately tested for in the past.
*While some people may notice an improvement in their condition, this may not happen immediately and you may not notice any change at all after just one session. You may notice an initial improvement for only a few hours or days after your appointment with a return to prior symptoms over time. Some patients actually notice an initial increase in symptoms as their body adjusts to these treatments.
*Some patients notice bruising after their treatment, which is normal
-Please fill out all requested forms prior to your appointment
-Please bring a list of any prescription medications you are taking
-Please bring all of your vitamins and supplements or photos of the labels (front and back). This is very important because there is variability in the dosing and ingredients between vitamin and supplement companies
-Please bring any prior testing you have had done with other offices in the last 3 years
-Please bring the radiology reports from any imaging you have had done in the last 3 years. I am unable to read discs from  different imaging (radiology) testing software, so you do not need to request these for our visit

Wear loose, comfortable clothing that allows access to arms and legs (above the knee.)

It is possible that we may be able to begin acupuncture at your first visit, depending on how much time we need to discuss your health history. Please dress accordingly!

New patient visits are 1.5 hours.
Follow-up visits are varied, depending on health goals and needs and will last between 40-80 minutes.

Acupuncture only: 
Much like with Chiropractic, Osteopathic, Massage, or other manual medicine therapies, most patients are seen for acupuncture with more frequent visits initially. These visits then begin to spread out as patients begin to have improvement in their symptoms. Initially, this is usually once a week, then moving to every 2 weeks, then every 3-4 weeks and longer. How quickly you move away from the more frequent visits depends on your symptoms and how you feel you are doing. I will make recommendations based on how you feel, but this is a shared decision making process that is based on your goals. Generally speaking, many patients come to the office weekly for 3-4 weeks and then move out to increased spacing as they begin to feel better. This will be different for every person and situation.
 
Functional Medicine only:
After our initial visit, we will determine a plan for your return visit based on the number of health concerns that we are working to improve. This will likely be at 3-4 week intervals, but this will be different for every person and situation. Additionally, I may request that you return sooner if we are unable to discuss all of your health concerns at your initial appointment.
 
Acupuncture + Functional Medicine combined:
Most people will fall under this category of care. You will be seen for Acupuncture only visits similar to the above sample visit schedule (every 1-2 weeks) with visits to have Acupuncture treatment and discuss both Acupuncture and Functional Medicine progress at the 3-4 week interval. This can be modified to a Functional Medicine only visit if you have increased your Acupuncture treatment spacing before this time. 
 
My goal for you is to be seen as little as possible, but as often as you need to be seen to continue to progress with your health goals! This can be more of an expense initially and I am willing to work with patients so that this cost is manageable over time.

Acupuncture can address essentially any health concern in a way that is very different from Western medicine. While not a required part of treatment with Dr. Stevens, it can be very helpful and add a different way to manage symptoms related to many different types of pain or chronic health concerns, or to help manage symptoms related to medications needed to treat illnesses. Dr. Stevens understands that many people who are not familiar with acupuncture might be nervous about the needles initially, but rest assured this is not required in order to work with Dr. Stevens towards your health goals. Patients can always try acupuncture at a later date. Patients can also try acupuncture initially but not continue with it if they do not wish to do so. Dr. Stevens is still happy to work with you even if acupuncture is not part of your treatment plans. This is a collaborative relationship between you and Dr. Stevens and treatment plans can change over time!

Initial new patient visit: 1.5hours, $350
Follow-up visit, Acupuncture only: Approximately 60 minutes, $150
Follow-up visit, Functional Medicine only: Approximately 40 minutes, $150
Follow-up visit, Acupuncture + Functional Medicine: Approximately 80 minutes, $200

Since we prioritize what you need above what insurance companies are willing to pay for, we are a cash-based practice. We do not participate directly with any insurance plans. 

With private or commercial insurance plans, patients may receive out-of-network reimbursement for our services if they submit their superbill/invoice to their insurer. I am happy to provide you with a superbill and invoice that you can submit to your insurance plan for reimbursement. Ultimately, since each plan is unique to the patient, we cannot guarantee reimbursement from any insurance plan.

Sometimes insurance can be billed for certain labs and other tests

Yes! As a physician, Dr. Stevens’s services should qualify you to be reimbursed with your FSA or HSA funds. Supplements and testing can sometimes qualify as well. If your program requires a letter of medical necessity, we will be happy to supply that for you. 

We accept cash, check (with ID), credit card, or Venmo

There are some employers/insurance plans that have coverage for Acupuncture. We encourage you to reach out to your individual insurance to find out if your plan covers Acupuncture and what that means to you in terms of your out of network benefits and coverage. Read through the following prior to calling your insurance: 

1. Call the customer service number on your insurance card. Select any option that allows you to speak with a customer service provider to avoid the automated system

2. Ask the customer service provider to quote your out of network Acupuncture benefits 

3. If you do not have out of network benefits you can also ask about Gap Specialty Coverage or Network Deficiency Coverage for Acupuncture services. 

Other questions to ask your insurance company:

—Do I have a deductible? 

— If I have a deductible, how much is it?

—How much of this deductible is already met for the year?

—What percentage of reimbursement do I have? 

—Does the rate of reimbursement change because I am seeing a non-preferred or out of network provider?

—Does my policy require a written prescription from my primary care physician? 

—Does my policy require pre-authorization or a referral for Acupuncture services?

—Is there a monetary amount or visit limit per year?

—Do you require a special form to be filled out to submit a claim?

—What is the mailing address you should submit claims/ reimbursement forms to?

—Dr. Stevens will provide you with an insurance friendly superbill after each visit which includes Office Name, Tax ID, NPI number, and Diagnosis code

 

While Dr. Stevens is happy to work closely with your primary care doctor or other members of your care team, including specialists, she is not currently offering primary care. Dr. Stevens advises all patients to maintain a relationship with a PCP to keep up to date on annual physicals, preventive care screenings, immunizations, urgent care, and to help coordinate care with other specialties as your PCP is your medical home.

Medical Questions:

Functional Medicine tries to determine the root cause of chronic health issues such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, anxiety, depression, pain related illnesses, sleep disorders, autoimmune disorders, fertility issues, and more. Functional medicine makes every effort to treat the whole person, not just individual symptoms or organ systems. This is done by attempting to evaluate the complex interactions between genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that cause wellness and wellbeing or disease. Western medicine often focuses on isolated symptoms to determine a specific organ system that needs to be addressed and treats each organ system individually. Functional medicine takes a more in depth approach, attempting to understand how one organ system may be impacting another and overall leading to issues with a patient’s health. We attempt to isolate the underlying causes of illness rather than just the isolated symptoms.

 

The functional medicine approach integrates conventional Western medicine with what has been referred to as holistic, alternative, or complementary medicine in the past, but is now referred to as integrative medicine. Dr. Stevens has a very unique scope of practice with training in conventional medicine as well as integrative medicine. Having trained in primary care, Dr. Stevens begins by taking a detailed history on your initial visit, taking into consideration prior testing that has been completed with other members of your health care team seen prior to coming to her office. She then works together with you to help modify areas of lifestyle that once improved, can help to modify your health. Dr. Stevens works with patients to develop a plan that might involve any number of options including lifestyle changes, acupuncture, nutrition optimization, exercise planning, yoga, meditation, mental health resources, vitamins/supplements, other modalities such as chiropractic care and massage, or further labs which may include blood work, stool analysis, salivary testing, etc.

Much of Western medical training focuses on fixing health issues after they occur. Many acute health issues happen after years of suboptimal lifestyle. While Western medicine is quite adept at stabilizing patients after they have an acute health issue, there is not much emphasis on preventing that issue before it becomes out of control or attempting to reverse that issue once it occurs. Medications can be helpful to prevent progression of disease, however if we can address the underlying causes of diseases, you may be able to decrease or eliminate the need for prescription medications and feel better than you did while taking them. This is a goal for every patient, however please be aware that you may have a condition that will always require prescription medication based on current standards of care. Dr. Stevens will work closely with you and other members of your health care team to safely decrease or eliminate medications if able as your health improves.
 
This level of detailed care takes much longer to obtain and deliver. Unfortunately, due to the pressures of administration and insurance companies in our current healthcare environment, many doctors are not able to spend the amount of time with each patient that would be required to make such in depth investigations that functional medicine requires.

Testing can play a crucial role in functional medicine. Dr. Stevens will review any recent testing that you may have had with other members of your health care team. Please keep in mind that many labs and other tests may need to be repeated if they are more than a year old, or if there have been changes to medications, vitamins, or supplements since the time these tests were performed. This may also be the case if there have been treatments since the time the tests were performed. This data will still be important for Dr. Stevens to review as it can provide useful information to help determine if prior interventions were helpful, especially when compared to new testing. Please bring testing done within the last three years to your initial appointment for her to review.

Testing that may be ordered based on symptoms and concerns that you have, as well as a detailed discussion with Dr. Stevens:

–Blood tests, for example chemistry profile, blood counts, thyroid hormones, inflammatory markers, vitamin and mineral levels, hormones levels, food allergies, etc

–Microbiome and gastrointestinal tests

–Urine and salivary hormone test

–Food sensitivity testing

–Toxicity testing

Dr. Stevens will spend a large portion of your first visit, as well as time throughout follow-up visits, to determine which types of testing are right for each patient. Each test ordered is to look for something specific to you as a patient. While some of the testing mentioned above is covered by insurance, some of the testing is not. Even if you have insurance coverage for testing, it may not be in full and copays can be expensive as well. Dr. Stevens makes every effort to minimize testing in order to be mindful of appropriate utilization of health care resources, as well as your own financial commitment. Every effort is made to have a collaborative relationship with patients. We may decide that you do not need a test initially, but add testing at a later date if you continue to have ongoing health concerns. There is no set testing protocol to complete before your first visit. There is also no set testing protocol to complete after your first visit. All testing and recommendations are made specifically for each patient for the most personalized approach to each individual. 

If you have a condition that is not listed, feel free to contact me using this form and we can work together to determine if acupuncture is right for you. You do not need to have a defined “diagnosis” to benefit from acupuncture.  Similar to massage, many people experience generalized feelings of relaxation and well being after an acupuncture treatment.

I am very happy to work with patients who do not have any clear medical diagnosis despite the fact that they do not feel well. Many patients come to me because they have been seen by many different specialists and have had many different “normal” test results, but are still looking for answers. I am happy to work with you to improve your health!

Yes! Acupuncture can be a great way to address many of the common side effects of pregnancy in a way that eliminates or minimizes the need for prescription medications while still providing relief from issues that will likely resolve once you deliver your baby.

Common pregnancy related issues:
Nausea, vomiting, morning sickness
Sciatica
Carpal tunnel
Sleep disruptions
Anxiety
Depression
Reflux (GERD)
Low back pain
Thoracic pain
Neck pain
PUPPP (pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy) or other itching

Yes! Pregnancy can be very difficult for some women to achieve, even if labs and imaging cannot give a particular reason why conception is not occurring. While not entirely understood, acupuncture can help to balance a woman’s yin and yang to make for a more favorable outcome. In fact, studies show that the success rate for women undergoing IVF increases from roughly 24% to 49% if undergoing consistent acupuncture care before IVF and during implantation.

In addition, Dr. Stevens works with patients to optimize many facets of lifestyle that can make your body less optimal for conceiving a baby. This may include various vitamins and supplements.

Acupuncture Questions:

You can fit 17 acupuncture needles into the opening of a standard vaccine needle. Needles are inserted very superficially, roughly 1/4 inch. All needles are sterile, stainless steel, and single use. No needles are reused.

Even though acupuncture needles are quite small compared with a sewing needle or the type of needles used for a vaccine there are some people who are still not comfortable with needles in general. It is possible to undergo Acupuncture treatment with a laser if you have concerns about the needles. This laser is a cold laser, meaning it will not burn you or even feel hot. This can also be very helpful when treating children!

If you have a condition that is not listed, feel free to contact me using this form and we can work together to determine if acupuncture is right for you. You do not need to have a defined “diagnosis” to benefit from acupuncture.  Similar to massage, many people experience generalized feelings of relaxation and well being after an acupuncture treatment.

I am very happy to work with patients who do not have any clear medical diagnosis despite the fact that they do not feel well. Many patients come to me because they have been seen by many different specialists and have had many different “normal” test results, but are still looking for answers. I am happy to work with you to improve your health!

Functional Medicine tries to determine the root cause of chronic health issues such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, anxiety, depression, pain related illnesses, sleep disorders, autoimmune disorders, fertility issues, and more. Functional medicine makes every effort to treat the whole person, not just individual symptoms or organ systems. This is done by attempting to evaluate the complex interactions between genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that cause wellness and wellbeing or disease. Western medicine often focuses on isolated symptoms to determine a specific organ system that needs to be addressed and treats each organ system individually. Functional medicine takes a more in depth approach, attempting to understand how one organ system may be impacting another and overall leading to issues with a patient’s health. We attempt to isolate the underlying causes of illness rather than just the isolated symptoms.

Yes! Dr. Stevens has seen many patients who are taking blood thinners or aspirin and they do not have any worrisome bleeding issues after acupuncture treatments. An exception to this would be if you are on these medications and are having increased bleeding or bruising (if this is happening, you should see your doctor as you may need doses adjusted,) or if you are taking coumadin (warfarin) treatment that can result in an elevated INR level at times. If you currently take this coumadin (warfarin), you can still be seen for acupuncture as long as your INR is at your usual level and no recent dosing increases or increased bruising or bleeding. Please reach out if you have questions regarding these medications.

Yes! Acupuncture can be a great way to address many of the common side effects of pregnancy in a way that eliminates or minimizes the need for prescription medications while still providing relief from issues that will likely resolve once you deliver your baby.

Common pregnancy related issues:
Nausea, vomiting, morning sickness
Sciatica
Carpal tunnel
Sleep disruptions
Anxiety
Depression
Reflux (GERD)
Low back pain
Thoracic pain
Neck pain
PUPPP (pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy) or other itching

Yes! Pregnancy can be very difficult for some women to achieve, even if labs and imaging cannot give a particular reason why conception is not occurring. While not entirely understood, acupuncture can help to balance a woman’s yin and yang to make for a more favorable outcome. In fact, studies show that the success rate for women undergoing IVF increases from roughly 24% to 49% if undergoing consistent acupuncture care before IVF and during implantation.

In addition, Dr. Stevens works with patients to optimize many facets of lifestyle that can make your body less optimal for conceiving a baby. This may include various vitamins and supplements.

Dr. Stevens is planning to attend SAAT treatment in the near future, once training dates are announced. If you are interested in being placed on a waiting list for this alternative approach to allergies and alpha gal, please submit a form under the “Contact” tab and she will reach out to you once she has completed training