Frequently asked questions
I'm young & healthy and rarely go to the doctor. Why should I join Sana Vita Health?
This is a bit like saying "I'm young and not in financial distress, so why should I worry about retirement planning?"
Just because you feel fine doesn't mean you are on track to stay that way, or even that you really are right now. As youth inevitably fades, health problems are more likely to crop up. How you live your life now plays a large role in determining your risk of future problems. Because we at Sana Vita are so focused on prevention and lifestyle modification, we can help not ony when you are sick or if you have a chronic condition such as hypertension, but we can also help you optimize every aspect of your life to set you up for long term true health and vitality as you age.
Could I save money with Sana Vita Health?
While saving money is not a part of our marketing, it's quite possible that you could if:
1. Your deductible is higher than it would cost you to join Sana Vita Health for one year, as is often the case even with so-called low deductible plans. Traditional visits often cost nearly $300, somtimes more, plus enormous fees for any labs, procedures, or other services provided, so in many cases two visits per year would be more expensive than a year of Sana Vita Health membership. If you go to the doctor three times in one year, you're almost certain to have saved money at Sana Vita Health, though it depends on your insurance situation.
2. You are self employed and have been buying insurance for you and your family on the open market. Join a DPC clinic like Sana Vita Health and then join Zion Health, Sedera, or a health sharing ministry to cover the rest. You'll likely save hundreds every month.
Do you take my insurance / Medicare / Medicaid?
No, we don't take any "third party payors." This relationship is between you and your doctor. Third party payors only get in the way of that and add expensive middle men and administrative costs.
If you have Medicare or Medicaid, we are legally not allowed to provide you care under any circumstances without billing Medicare or Medicaid, which is presently not worth the hassle due to poor reimbursement and over-regulation, particularly in regards to Medicaid.
We may open a Medicare track in the future. Stay tuned!
Who is this for?
Sana Vita may be for you if:
You want personal attention and care directly from your private physician who you have a real relationship with
You want a doctor who doesn't just medicate your illnesses but helps you thrive and live a long, disease free life
You want more of a blend of conventional and integrative, evidence-based care
You would prefer that pharmaceutical drugs not be the first-line or only answer to every single problem, though you realize that they can be an appropriate component of a well rounded treatment plan
You like the idea of a private waiting area with no one else that you typically don't actually have to wait in, instead of waiting in lobbies with sick people for a long time
You don't like waiting for weeks to get an appointment with your doctor or compromising and seeing someone who isn't your doctor just because they were available in a more acceptable time frame
You'd like it if your doctor talked with you about what you can do
now to reduce your risk of specific common diseases -- such as dementia, heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, etc -- in order to extend your potential health span to its maximum
You value privacy and think your doctor is the only person who needs to know what you're coming in for -- not the nurse, the receptionist, and certainly not the random people in the lobby who can overhear you.
You're sick of health insurance companies influencing your diagnostic and therapeutic options
What is Lifestyle Medicine?
Lifestyle Medicine is an evidence-based approach to preventing, treating, and sometimes even reversing many common lifestyle-related diseases (diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, colon cancer, breast cancer, Alzheimer's, etc) by optimizing habits and behaviors in six key research-proven pillars of health: diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and promotion of social connectedness.
Lifestyle medicine is not a so-called "alternative medicine", though sometimes there is overlap. For example, evidence has shown strawberries to be effective as an adjuctictive treatment for esophageal cancer, so that might fall under the umbrellas of both lifestyle medicine, herbal medicine, and functional medicine, which takes a food first, lifestyle-focused approach.
Where do I get vaccines?
Vaccines are expensive, come in bulk, expire, and require refrigeration, so we are not able to offer them. We will help keep you and your children up to date on vaccinations through the Polk County Health Department, local pharmacies, or Vaxi Taxi.
What do you think about COVID vaccines and masks?
I am a staunch supporter of COVID vaccines. Vaccination is not in contradiction with my integetrative and functional medicine philosophy, and in fact is fully in line with with these so called "alternative" models. I'm fully vaccinated with Moderna, and Coach Melissa got Pfizer. I recommend either Moderna or Pfizer. J&J's single-dose shot is not as effective.
Unfortunately the vaccines are not 100% protective. I like to think of it as more like an intervention that will greatly improve your odds of having an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19. There are almost no contra-indications to getting vaccinated.
Masks, while slightly protective for the wearer, are really about protecting other people. There is a great deal of viral "shedding" in the 3 days leading up to symptoms, so everyone who gets COVID is walking around for several days spreading it and having no idea they are even sick. This is why masks are so important to wear in public no matter how you are feeling -- they capture a great deal of the virus coming out of the respiratory tract. You are strongly advised to wear a mask in all public places until we reach heard immunity or case numbers are very low and you are in a setting with only vaccinated people.
