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FAQ

If you’re like most people, you’ve been going to physicians ever since you were born and, perhaps, were not aware if some or all of them were osteopathic physicians, also known as D.O.s. You may not even be aware that there are two types of physicians in the United States… D.O.s and M.D.s.

The fact is that both D.O.s and M.D.s are fully qualified physicians licensed to prescribe medication and perform surgery.

DOs and MDs are Alike in Many Ways

  • Students entering both D.O. and M.D. medical colleges typically have already completed a four-year bachelor’s degree, with an emphasis on scientific courses.

  • Both D.O.s and M.D.s complete four years of basic medical education.

  • After medical school, both D.O.s and M.D.s obtain graduate medical education through internships, residencies and fellowships. This training lasts three to eight years, and prepares D.O.s and M.D.s to practice a specialty.

  • Both D.O.s and M.D.s can choose to practice in any specialty of medicine, such as pediatrics, family medicine, psychiatry, surgery or ophthalmology.

  • D.O.s and M.D.s must pass comparable examinations to obtain state licenses.

  • D.O.s and M.D.s both practice in accredited and licensed health care facilities.

  • Together, D.O.s and M.D.s enhance the state of health care available in the U.S.

D.O.s, however, belong to a separate, yet equal, branch of American medical care. It is the ways that D.O.s and M.D.s are different that can bring an extra dimension to your health care.

The Osteopathic Approach

For more than a century, osteopathic physicians have built a tradition of bringing health care to where it is needed most:

  • Approximately 60% of practicing osteopathic physicians practice in the primary care specialties of family medicine, general internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology.

  • Many D.O.s fill a critical need for physicians by practicing in rural and other medically underserved communities.

In addition, these modern-day pioneers practice on the cutting edge of medicine. DOs combine today’s medical technology with their ears to listen caringly to their patient’s concerns, with their minds to view their patients as whole persons, and with their hands to diagnose and treat patients for injury and/or illness.

D.O.s practice a “whole person” approach to medicine. Instead of just treating you for specific symptoms or illnesses, they regard your body as an integrated whole.

Osteopathic physicians focus on preventive health care.

D.O.s receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system…your body’s interconnected system of nerves, muscles, and bones that makes up two-thirds of your body mass. This training provides osteopathic physicians with an excellent understanding of how an illness or injury in one part of your body can affect another.
Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is incorporated into the training and practice of osteopathic physicians. With OMT, osteopathic physicians use their hands to diagnose illness and injury, and to encourage your body’s natural tendency toward good health. By combining all other available medical options with OMT, D.O.s offer their patients the most comprehensive care available in medicine today.

Taken from http://www.osteopathic.org/osteopathic-health/about-dos/what-is-a-do/Pages/default.aspx

Applied Kinesiology (A.K.) is a system using muscle testing as a functional neurological evaluation. The methodology is concerned, primarily, with neuromuscular function as it relates to the structural, chemical and mental physiologic regulatory mechanisms. A.K., which originated within the chiropractic profession, is an approach to clinical practice, with multidisciplinary applications.

Applied Kinesiology can be divided into two distinct parts.
First, it is an aid to diagnosis. Muscle testing is used to help diagnose what is functioning abnormally. This can be a problem with the nervous system, the lymphatic drainage system, the vascular supply to a muscle or organ, a nutritional excess or deficiency, a problem with the cranial-sacral-TMJ mechanism, an imbalance in the acupuncture meridian system, or a host of other problems. Testing individual muscles is an accurate manner for determining what affects the relative strength of the muscle and, when combined with knowledge of the basic mechanical and physiological functioning of the body, this helps to more accurately diagnose the real problem.

Second, is the treatment phase. Dr. Goodheart, and others in the International College of Applied Kinesiology, have adapted different treatment methods for the problems that have been diagnosed. Nutrition, chiropractic manipulation, osteopathic cranial techniques, acupuncture-meridian therapies, myofascial techniques, nervous system coordination procedures, and some of the latest theories in medicine involving control of the vascular and neuronal systems may be employed to balance the malfunction found in the patient. Applied Kinesiology borrows from many different disciplines and, through the use of accurate, scientific muscle testing, in addition to the basic knowledge of the practitioner, helps direct the care to exactly what the patient’s needs are.

We are a full scope family practice, taking care of patients from birth through advanced age.

Our providers use an innovative systems approach to assessing and treating your health care concerns. Perhaps you have experienced being examined by your doctor, having blood tests done, x-rays or other diagnostic tests taken, only for your doctor to report back that “all your tests are normal”. Yet, both you and your doctor know that you are sick. Unfortunately, this experience is all too common.
Most physicians were trained to look only in specific places for the answers, using the same familiar labs or diagnostic tests. Yet, many causes of illness cannot be found in these places. The usual tests do not look for food allergies, hidden infections, environmental toxins, mold exposures, nutritional deficiencies and metabolic imbalances. New gene testing can uncover underlying genetic predispositions that can be modified through diet, lifestyle, supplements or medications.
Dr. Ehle has pioneered the use of such testing to help his patients prevent illness and recover from many
chronic and difficult-to-treat conditions. Our providers are highly skilled in evaluating, assessing and treating chronic problems such as fibromyalgia, fatigue syndromes, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders, mood and behavior disorders, memory problems, Parkinson’s disease and other chronic, complex conditions. We also focus on the prevention and treatment of heart disease, diabetes, dementia, hormonal imbalances and digestive disorders.

Initial Consultation (Approx 45 minutes to 1 hour):

Holistic Evaluation
Integrative Physical Exam (may include Tongue evaluation, Pulse Diagnostics, and/or Nail assessment)
Customized Assessment
Individualized Herbal, Nutritional, Lifestyle and Supplement Recommendations
Manual adjustments as appropriate
Health Screening as appropriate
Printed Plan for course of treatment
Prescriptions as needed
Laboratory requisitions as needed (through your insurance whenever possible)
Educational materials

Follow-Up Consultations (Approx 30 min)
Includes same as initial consultation, plus reviewing recent labs, evaluating current treatment plan, etc

Our office is open Monday and Tuesday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Wednesday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Thursday 8:00 AM-4:00 and Friday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. We are closed from 12 pm to 1 pm for lunch.

We accept Medicare, as well as many PPO plans. Please, call us concerning your specific insurance benefits. Patients and clients with other types of insurance plans, and those who are uninsured, are welcome to come to us and pay privately.
Several of the insurances that we accept are Blue Cross/Blue Shield, United Healthcare, IMS, First Care, Cigna, Aetna, Multiplan.
* Other insurance contracts are pending. Please inquire with the office. If you have a different primary and/or secondary insurance, we will still be happy to see you and will bill your insurance company as a courtesy to you.

If you are using insurance then it depends on your plan, usually it will be either a copay ranging from 10-50 dollars or a percentage of your deductable. Most insurance companies will cover a physical/preventative visit 1-2 times a year at 100% for adults. For those patients paying cash the price ranges from $105-210 for a new patient, depending on how much time is spent. For established patients it ranges from $70-140.

Acupuncture is $42, only about 20% of insurance plans cover acupuncture, so you will need to check with your insurance if they do, if this is something you are interested in. If you would like to call and ask your insurance more about benefits the CPT codes that would be used are 97810-97814.
Osteopathic manipulation is usually covered by insurance, it is usually either your copay or a percentage of your deductable. If you would like to call and ask your insurance more about benefits the CPT codes that would be used are 98925-98929.

At your first appointment, please, come in 15-20 minutes early. Bring your insurance card(s), and any pertinent test results or reports from imaging studies. Please, have your history forms already completed and, please, bring in your medications and any supplements you may be taking.

The first appointment is scheduled for 1 hour, and all following appointments will be scheduled for a time appropriate to the plan of care. Usually expect at least half an hour.

Our team has researched the highest quality products available that meet independently verified standards of effectiveness, quality and purity. Supplements are available for purchase in the office, or online on several different sites. We can help you set up an account with Emerson’s Ecologics that carry many of the supplements we recommend.

It may take up to 72 hours to process a prescription refills. Please, plan ahead to avoid any interruption in your medications. Prescription refills can be faxed to our office by your pharmacy. Our fax # is 806-340-7975.

Dr. Ehle has hospital privileges at BSA. He works with Texas Tech Family Medicine who may also assist with your care while in the hospital.

After-hours calls should be limited to urgent issues and emergencies.
If you have a medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

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 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.

Most importantly, never delay emergency treatment.

Our time is reserved exclusively for your care during your scheduled visit. We have limited visit appointments during the day due to the fact that we believe in quality care and spend an extended amount of time per patient. Keeping this in mind, it is important to ensure the best use of both your time and ours. We have a 2-business-day cancellation policy. If you cancel an appointment less than 2 business days prior to your appointment, you may 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 may be charged a fee that represents the full cost of your scheduled appointment.

E-mail is a convenient and efficient way to communicate non-urgent requests, questions, and messages that you may have for Dr. Ehle. However, while the security and confidentiality of email is comparable to other forms of communication, there are some special conditions that apply to e-mail.
– If your email address is through your employer, your employer may own all emails sent to that address.
– If your family shares your email address, other family members may see your messages.
– If you use an Internet service provider, there is a small risk that messages may be intercepted by others (“hackers”).

The following subjects are rarely appropriate for standard e-mail:
– Any urgent medical problem or emergency
– Mental health issues
– Alcohol and substance abuse problems
– HIV and other sexually transmitted infections
Dr. Ehle does not control the security of incoming email messages from patients. Patients who choose to email personal health information do so at their own risk. Please keep in mind that although email is a very effective tool, it is not a substitute for personal visits for examination and counseling with your doctor.

Dr. Ehle may order lab tests as deemed appropriate in the management of your care. Dr. Ehle 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 Dr. Ehle.

Upon request, a paper or electronic copy of all or a portion of your medical records can be provided to you. For paper copies, there will be a $10.00 charge plus a fee of $0.25 per page. For a CD copy there will be a $10.00 flat charge.

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