Practice policies

New appointments

Thank you for your interest in becoming a patient at Whole Child Wellness. Please follow these instructions to ensure we have all the information necessary to schedule your appointment.

Before scheduling your first appointment, we ask that you take the time to review the Practice Policies outlined on this website, and fill out and return the appropriate forms to our office as detailed on the Forms page of this website. The information that you provide with these questionnaires will greatly enhance and maximize the time you spend with your doctor or nutrition consultant on your first visit, so please fill out the questionnaires as accurately and thoroughly as possible.

For consultations regarding specific health issues, we also ask that you send all previous medical records, including previous lab work and consultations with other healthcare specialists, to our office at least three days before your scheduled visit. This will ensure that your doctor can provide you with the best comprehensive care. Use our Authorization to Release Medical Information form to request medical records from your child’s other healthcare providers.

All of our forms are Adobe PDF documents. You may type directly into the documents and save them as you are working. You may also print the forms and write on them if you prefer. To access these forms you will need to have the free Adobe Reader installed on your computer. Most computers already have the Adobe Reader installed, but if you need to install it, please visit the Forms page of this website. You may return the forms by email to info@wholechildwellness.com, by fax to 650-595-5438, or by regular mail to our office address at:
Whole Child Wellness
1601 El Camino Real, Suite 101
Belmont, CA 94002

Once we receive your completed forms, our reception will call you to schedule your appointment.
A new patient appointment will only be scheduled after we receive your completed forms.

If you have difficulty downloading the forms, or would prefer that a new-patient packet be sent to you by mail or by e-mail, please contact our reception by phone at 650-595-5437 or by email at info@wholechildwellness.com.

Fees (Medical Visits)

New patient well visits (1 hour) $320
Established patient well visits (½ hour) $160
New patient consultations (1 - 1½ hours) $320 - $480, depending on time used
Established patient consultations (½ - 1 hour) $160 - $320, depending on time used
Sick visits for established patients:  
Regular (approximately 15 min) $110
Detailed (approximately 30 min) $160
Comprehensive (approximately 45 min) $240
Complex (approximately 60 min) $320
Shot only visits: $45
Telephone/web portal consultations: $80 per 15 minute increment for any time over 10 minutes
Acupuncture for established patients: $110

Complex Medical Condition Visit Fees

Some complex medical conditions require extensive preparation by our doctors for a new patient’s first two visits. These conditions include autism, PDD-NOS, asperger's syndrome, ADHD/ADD, sensory processing and integration disorders, developmental delay, neurologic disorders, and any patients with extensive past medical histories. Because of this extra preparation, the first two consultations for these conditions are billed as follows, after which the established patient consultation rates listed above apply:

Complex condition initial consultation and
first follow-up appointment (1 - 1½ hours)		 $420 - $580, depending on time used

Fees (Nutrition Consultations)

New patient consultations with dietary
assessment (1½ hours)		 $260
Established patient consultations (½ - 1 hour) $80 - $160, depending on time used

Initial well visits are scheduled for 1 hour, and initial consultations are scheduled for 1½, with additional time needed for check-in and check-out. We bill according to the time you spend with your practitioner in 15 minute increments.

A detailed intake questionnaire and medical records are required prior to the initial visit. Consultation fees include the time necessary to carefully and thoroughly review your child’s history, questionnaire(s), medical records, and lab data.

Follow-up visits typically vary between ½ - 1 hour, depending on your child’s progress and additional concerns that may arise. Well-visits are scheduled for ½ hour. Sick visit duration is guided by the complexity of your child’s concerns, and the time needed by you and your child.

Fees may change without notice. We strive to minimize the cost of medical care, and are committed to providing cost-effective, quality healthcare for your family.

Payment and insurance

Payment for services
Payment for services rendered is due in full at the conclusion of each visit. Payment for each visit is the responsibility of the adult who accompanies the patient if that patient is a child or adolescent. Payment methods accepted are cash, check, Visa, and MasterCard.

Insurance and our services
Whole Child Wellness is not contracted with any insurance companies. We believe that this is the best way to ensure that we can provide you with the time and care that you and your child need for each visit. However, most of our services should be covered as an out-of-network provider if you belong to a PPO-type insurance plan. In addition, services may apply towards qualified medical expenses if you have a Health Care Reimbursement Account (HCRA) through your employer or Health Savings Account (HSA). Please check with your insurance company regarding the specific percentages of coverage that apply to your particular insurance plan, and with your employer or accountant for details of your HCRA or HSA.

Insurance billing
As a courtesy, we will submit claims to your primary medical insurance carrier for each visit. We do not submit claims to secondary medical insurance carriers. You are financially responsible for all services rendered by our office at the time of visit, and will be reimbursed for covered services directly by your insurance carrier. You are advised to know your policy coverage and limitations. Whole Child Wellness does not provide follow-up with your insurance company. It is your responsibility to contact your insurance company for any required actions regarding outstanding claims.

Credit card guarantee
All appointments require a credit card guarantee against late cancellations and missed appointments.

Late arrivals/cancellations

Our time is reserved exclusively for your care during your scheduled visit.

If you are late for your visit, please keep in mind that your visit will end at the scheduled time to avoid delaying the next patient and you will still be charged for the whole visit.

We have a 2-business-day cancellation policy. If you cancel an appointment less than 2 business days prior to your appointment you will be charged a fee that represents 50% of the cost of your scheduled appointment. If you cancel less than 1 business day before your appointment, or fail to show for your appointment, you will be charged a fee that represents the full cost of your scheduled appointment.

Telephone and e-mail

Appointments for telephone consultations are available for existing patients during regular business hours. In general, there is no fee for brief telephone calls for uncomplicated urgent questions. For non-urgent matters that would best be attended to during an appointment, we request that you either (a) schedule and in-person or telephone consultation or (b) hold your question until your next appointment. This generally applies to questions that change the course of care or will take longer than 10 minutes to respond to either by phone or e-mail.

Non-urgent calls that occur after hours or on weekends, or more extended telephone consultations over 10 minutes that occur at any time, will be billed at the same consultation rate as in-person visits and charged to your credit card on file.

After-hours calls should be limited to urgent issues and emergencies.

We are currently available for brief questions by e-mail. E-mails which take over 10 minutes to read and reply will be billed at the in-person consultation rate and and charged to your credit card on file. Please do not write any urgent e-mail messages that require same-day attention. By sending an e-mail, you acknowledge and agree that a prompt reply is NOT required, expected, or contemplated.

Telephone/e-mail consultations require a credit card guarantee, which will be charged for time spent over 10 minutes, prorated in 15 minute increments.

Test results

The practitioners at Whole Child Wellness may order lab tests as deemed appropriate in the management of your/your child’s care. Your practitioner will review each of the lab tests ordered and notify you if any result requires immediate attention. Otherwise, all test results will be reviewed at your next scheduled appointment. It is your responsibility to schedule a follow-up appointment to discuss test results. Results for test kits that are sent to specialized labs generally have a 4-week turnaround time, so please be sure to schedule a lab review appointment for 4 weeks from the time that you submit all test kits. Copies of lab results will be provided to patients at the time of lab review with your practitioner.

Refund policy for classes

If for some reason you are unable to attend the class for which you are registered, please note that we have a one-week refund policy. Classes that are cancelled more than 1 week in advance will be refunded minus a $10 service charge. Registration fees for classes that are cancelled with less than 1 week notice will be credited toward a future class taken at Whole Child Wellness.