A Note To Our New Patients
From Ft. Collins Naturopaths
Dr. Jason Barker, Dr. Holly German, Dr. Sarah Kashdan, & Dr. Danny Dowling
What to expect when you see us!
Comprehensive New Patient Visits
Your initial visit will begin with a very thorough and detailed review of your current and past medical issues that comprise your unique state of health. Part of what makes a visit with our doctors unique is that our goal is to understand each and every factor that contributes to your health.
We will spend 1 hour with you discussing your symptoms, diet, nutrition, exercise and lifestyle patterns, stress, genetic predispositions and environmental factors that contribute to your health.
Physical Examinations
After the interview process, you will have any physical examination that is warranted. We refer out for women's exams as needed.
Lab Work
Next, we'll order laboratory studies (tests) based on your interview. We explain which tests were selected and why, so you have a thorough understanding of the process.
Sometimes we send out for tests, collect them in office, or send you home with a special test kit. Our doctors will personally review all of this information with you in person during your initial visit.
Treatment Plans
At the conclusion of your visit, our doctors will outline the first stages of your treatment plan, so you can take the first steps toward health and healing. Oftentimes we need to wait for all lab tests to return before designing a complete treatment plan.
Follow Up Visits
Once we have collected all the information needed to fully assess your health, you will return for a 30-45 minute follow up visit where you will be presented with your Report of Findings.
This is a detailed summary of your obstacles to health, lab results and an outline of your personalized treatment plan. This will serve as your guide as we move you toward better health.
We may also refer you to other health care providers in addition to his treatment recommendations if necessary. Oftentimes people need a number of health care providers on their team. Most often, our doctors refer to dietitians, acupuncturists, massage therapists, chiropractors or physical therapists.
Before Your First Visit
Plan on bringing copies of any prior laboratory testing you've had in the last year, as well as any and all nutritional supplements and prescription drugs you may be taking to your Ft Collins naturopath appointment.
No need to write them all down, just throw them in a bag and bring them with you. Follow ups occur as needed, depending on the case.
You can download our New Patient Paperwork here or arrive at least 20 minutes before your appointment time to complete the packet.
You can also schedule here and find directions to the clinic here.
New Patient Deposit Required
We require a $100.00 deposit for holding new patient appointment time slots. This fee is NON-refundable if you do not keep your new patient appointment (for any reason). You are asking us to reserve one hour and 15 minutes out of our very busy schedule. If you cancel or miss your new patient appointment, this fee is NON-refundable.
When you do keep your appointment time, this fee is applied to you first-day visit charges. Note - all credit card info is kept very safe and confidential.
A member of our staff will contact you to collect your deposit within 48 hours of scheduling; you may also call us with your card information as well.
Thank you for understanding!
Our Philosophy:
We don’t prescribe drugs for health problems; rather we work with the body using a variety of natural medicines and lifestyle changes that assist the body in healing. This means that I use various combinations of these treatments to get you healthy. We use a lot of functional medical testing, which gets at the root of health problems. These are tests that not every doctor orders, much less understands.
Our approach is to treat the underlying cause of illness, rather than just masking the symptoms with drugs - treating symptoms rarely leads to to true health, by the way.
We have a lot of effective and safe tools at my disposal to help you get healthier, for real. We use our extensive training and education, as well as laboratory testing to correctly discern the needs of our patients. We do not use any gimmicks to diagnose a person’s state of health.
What We Treat:
Most of the time we see people with chronic, or ongoing conditions (in other words, non-emergencies!). If you are experiencing any emergency-type symptoms you should go to the Emergency Department. Otherwise, come on in to our Ft Collins naturopathic medicine clinic or give us a call to see if I can help; chances are we can.
We often co-manage patients with their MD, DO, or Family Nurse Practitioner, and refer out to chiropractors, acupuncturists, licensed massage therapists or other health care providers as the needs of the patient arise. We find that people often have the most success with a number of people on their team, all working toward a common goal- your health!
Office Visits & Payments
In general, the majority of first-time office visits at my Ft Collins naturopath clinic will last an hour; return visits are typically 45-30 minutes. This allows our doctors time to gain a full understanding of your condition, and gives you plenty of time as well to gain an awareness of your condition and treatment. The length of time between office visits varies as well; acute cases may need more attention while more chronic conditions may only return every 4-6 weeks or longer as we like to allow ample time for change to occur.
We do not process any type of health insurance; however we will help you with the proper forms needed to submit to your insurance provider if necessary. We accept cash, checks, and credit cards.
Natural Medicines
The greatest monetary investment a patient will have during their treatment at our clinic are the natural medicine supplements I utilize to improve health.
Our education allows us to discern the quality and potency of natural medicines available to the consumer and thereby employ those that are most effective. It can be difficult for consumers to know the difference between a high quality, useful supplement and one that is worthless.
We utilize doctor-only lines of natural medicines that contain exactly what they say they do; they are quite potent and therefore only available to doctors, rather than the layperson randomly selecting them at a health food store.
The manufacturers we patronize make their products available to doctors like myself that know how to use them rather than for the lay market that does not necessarily understand their safe and effective use.
Because of this, we can use high-quality, potent materials to produce effective changes in people working to improve their health. This is a vital aspect of my approach to helping our patients succeed.
Additionally, we do not utilize or participate in multi-level marketed supplements, and have no interest to do so.
It is our goal to provide you with the best healthcare possible; this will become apparent as you see your health change for the better as we work together.
Yours in health,
Ft Collins Naturopaths, Dr. Jason Barker, Dr. Holly German & Dr. Sarah Kashdan
