1.TEAM
We are a team with the same goal: for you to be the healthiest version of yourself. To accomplish this, we must work together as partners/teammates. Your job is to report your symptoms, medical history and everything you know about your health as accurately as possible. At SNMC, doctors are “medical detectives,” and can be better detectives the more information that you provide. Filling out all the pages of the online intake forms, completely, with as much detail as possible, will help the doctors to help you. The more observant you are about your symptoms, when they occur, the intensity, etc., the more valuable your information will be in finding out what is going on and how best to treat you. The responsibility of the doctors is to prescribe the best course of action, which often includes nutritional supplements. Your job is to follow the treatment plan, as prescribed, etc.
2. FINANCIAL
We are extremely aware that your medical expenses at SNMC are “out of pocket.” The most financially prudent thing you can do to save money, and maximize your health, is to completely fill out your intake forms (making sure to save each page on electronic intake forms), ASAP, before your first appointment, as Dr. Godby and Dr. Le prepare for your appointments, days before your actual appt. If your intake forms are completely filled out, and the office has copies of your previous blood tests and/or you have completed the “Dr. Godby Essential Panel” through our office, the doctors can be prepared with an amazing, individualized treatment plan, at your first appointment, and potentially reduce the number of future appointments. At the end of each medical appointment your doctor will present you with their list of specific recommendations such as: laboratory tests, professional supplements, vitamin injections, hyperbaric oxygen, IVs, etc, and their associated costs. It’s your decision whether to purchase. If you believe there is a possibility of your insurance reimbursing some, or all of the expenses that you incurred at SNMC, please ask one of the staff to do a “Superbill” for you that you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.
3. ATTITUDE
We will do our absolute best as your doctor to have the most positive, nourishing, respectful, and hopeful attitude. Our expectation is that you also treat the entire staff of SNMC staff with respect and dignity.
4. COMPLETE DISCLOSURE/NO JUDGMENT ZONE/MEDICAL DETECTIVE
Our goal is to help you to achieve your absolute best health – not merely to be free of clinically-diagnosed diseases. Please tell your doctor every potentially relevant fact.
5. LIFESTYLE MEDICINE/CHANGE THE THINGS WE CAN CHANGE
It’s important to focus our efforts on changing the things that we can change that will enable you to achieve your best: emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual health. What we can change is: attitude, nutrition, exercise, managing stress, balancing hormones, meditation/prayer, health knowledge, etc. We cannot change (genes, age, etc.). Naturopathic medicine is lifestyle medicine.
6. LABORATORY TESTS
The doctors interpret lab test results based on optimal ranges and your health history, not on standard reference ranges. If your goal is optimal health, it is critically important that you NOT try to interpret your lab test results on your own. If you do so, it is at your own risk because, even with the best of intentions, it could result in misinterpretations and inadequate or incorrect remedies. Therefore, for your maximum health benefit, we strongly advise that all lab test results be followed up by a medical appointment to discuss the findings as well as any potential treatments.
7. FINDING AND TREATING THE CAUSE OF DIS-EASE
The doctors seek to find the cause(s) of your health concerns, not just treat symptoms. Causes of your health issues are discovered through medical appointments, laboratory tests, intake forms, symptom questionnaires, etc. To properly assess the causes of your health issues, it is critically important that you take the time necessary to complete the Sacramento Naturopathic intake forms with care and deliberation.
8. PRESENTING YOUR TREATMENT PLAN
Your doctor will present you with a detailed plan toward the end of each appointment (including recommended laboratory tests, lifestyle changes, nutritional supplements, etc.) with the goal of helping you to heal in the shortest period, with the least inconvenience, and at the lowest possible price.
9. HEALING TAKES TIME
There is no shortcut to healing. In general, the longer a person has been chronically ill, the longer it will take to get healthy. Patience with the process of healing is essential.
10. E-MAILING YOUR DOCTOR
There is currently no charge to email your doctor so that your doctor can quickly answer any follow-up questions. Emails, however, are not the forum to replace follow-up appointments or discuss new symptoms. When emailing, please put PATIENT in the email subject line. Your doctor’s goal is to answer your emails ASAP, but certainly within 24-48 hours, M-F. If you do not receive a timely answer, please re-send your email. The doctors will be able to respond the quickest to your email if the question is as straight-forward as possible. This option of emailing your doctor is available only to patients who receive the monthly newsletter and, not unsubscribed, and therefore can be kept posted on important office procedures and medical updates.
11. Screening Blood Tests
Your doctor diagnoses medical conditions and causes of those illnesses and symptoms primarily by lab tests. The expectation is that by your second appointment, the Dr. Godby Essential Panel, or the same tests done through your conventional doctor, will have been completed. You can purchase the 55-item blood test through our office for $299, or the current price, or you can ask your MD if they can run the tests for you. The most important thing is that all the foundational tests be completed ASAP so that your doctor can help you achieve the best care possible.
12. Follow-Through and Follow-Up Appointments
If there are specific issues you would like to be addressed during your appt., it’s very important that you let your doctor know at the start of the appt. Follow-up appointments are critical to helping you to get and stay healthy.
13. Nutritional Supplements
SNMC gladly provides a 10% discount below the manufacturer’s established retail price on ALL products, and SNMC has an online supplement shop. Shop.Sac-ND.com. SNMC will ship supplements anywhere in the USA. The doctors recommend that patients continue taking all prescribed supplements until follow-up lab testing has been examined. Supplements purchased online from 3rd party vendors can result in poor quality, tampered and counterfeit products.
14. Conflict Resolution
Conflicts happen in human relationships. SNMC staff are committed to resolving any conflict. If you run into a potential problem/conflict with your doctor, it is expected that you will contact them first, DrGodby@SacND.com, Dr.Le@SacND.com, or you can contact the Clinic Administrator, Wilma@SacND.com, or manager, IsaiahGodby@hotmail.com.
15. Missed Appointments
As it is with all professional offices (dentists, MDs, attorneys, etc.) SNMC requires a 48-hour advanced notice to re-schedule an appointment. Missed appointments without the sufficient notice could be assessed a charge of 50% of the cost of the scheduled appointment.
16. The Sacramento Naturopathic Email Newsletter
The primary way for SNMC to communicate with all our patients at one time, is through our newsletter. Most SNMC updates, health articles, educational event announcements, supplement discounts, are announced only through this format. It is strongly advised to let us know when your email changes, also, to make sure DrGodby@SacND.com and DrGodby@TheRun.org, is put into INBOX, and not SPAM.
17. Refunds
There are no refunds on medical appointments already completed or supplements already opened. You can return unopened supplements within 60 days of purchase.
I understand the 17 things to know, and I will do my best to follow these guidelines.
