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FAQ

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

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.

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!

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!

-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!
-I may recommend vitamins or supplements 
-I may recommend additional lab testing
-I do not write for prescription medications
*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

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!

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.

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

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

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. 

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.

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.

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