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Consultations in
Maharishi Integrative Medicine
with Nancy Lonsdorf, M.D.
1702 Rukmapura Park,
Maharishi Vedic City, IA 52556
641-469-3174 (phone), 315-546-2146 (fax)
drlonsdorf@gmail.com
This consultation practice offers natural, holistic therapies for the prevention and treatment of chronic disorders. Evaluation and treatment are provided by Nancy Lonsdorf, M.D., a physician trained in Maharishi Ayurveda, nutrition and other natural approaches, with over 20 years experience.
For background on the approach and recommendations given from Maharishi Ayurveda please click here.
Q and A: About Our Practice
Who may participate in a First Time Medical Consultation with Dr. Lonsdorf?
Dr. Lonsdorf only provides first time medical consultations for
1. women residing in the following states: NY,NC, IA or
2. Those that see her in-person in NY, NC, or IA.
Who may participate in a follow up Medical Consultation with Dr. Lonsdorf?
If you have previously had a medical consultation with Dr. Lonsdorf you may continue to follow up with her in-person or by phone regardless of your residence.
What consultations are available if I do not live in a state that allows me to have a medical consultation with Dr. Lonsdorf
Dr. Lonsdorf offers a series of Personalized Health Education Plans via phone that are educational in nature for the purpose of prevention and wellness. These consultations do not diagnose or treat disease but provide lifestyle, dietary, cleansing and other non-medical approaches to the prevention of disease and creation of overall good health. To see a description of the Wellness programs available please click here.
What kind of conditions does your practice address?
We address the prevention and non-pharmacological treatment of any chronic condition, meaning any non-urgent, persistent health problem. Common examples are weight loss, high cholesterol, menopausal problems, menstrual difficulties, headaches, skin problems, anxiety, sleep disturbance, digestive problems, chronic pain, arthritis, fatigue, anemia, nutritional deficiencies, premature aging, etc.
If you require a more complete modern medical approach or prescription drug usage you will be recommended to see your modern medical doctor. If you do not have a medical doctor Dr. Lonsdorf can provide recommendations for specific practitioners in some instances.
If you are not sure whether we treat your condition, please feel free to contact us.
Please Note: Dr. Lonsdorf only sees women in her Iowa practice
What kind of conditions do you NOT address?
We do not evaluate or treat acute conditions such as injuries, colds, flu, acute kidney stones, gallbladder attacks, urinary tract infections or other acute infections.
For immediate evaluation and help with these conditions, it is recommended that you consult with your primary care physician, or seek immediate treatment at your local urgent care center or hospital emergency room.
What types of therapies will be recommended for my health condition(s)?
Maharishi Integrative Medicine utilizes natural approaches that support the body’s own inner intelligence, the basis of all healing. Treatments include dietary, lifestyle, herbal, purification, stress reduction techniques, nutrition and approaches that directly rebalance and enliven the body’s deepest level—the level of the unified field at its source. These technologies utilize subtle sounds or vibrations to restore balance and health.
What kind of help can you provide to support my health?
Your health condition will be evaluated according to the principles of Maharishi Ayurveda and will include an assessment of your current state of balance (according to dosha theory,) the presence of any impurities (ama), your digestive power (agni,) your overall strength and healing ability (ojas), and the contribution of mental, emotional, behavioral, dietary and environmental factors to your health condition.
You will be guided in natural approaches in each of these areas to help you become truly healthy and to minimize the need for modern medicine and its side-effects.
You may also wish to discuss a recent medical diagnosis, test results or treatment recommendations you have received from another doctor. Various alternative or adjunct natural treatments, and their appropriateness in your situation, will be discussed and explored.
Will Dr. Lonsdorf be my primary care physician?
Due to Dr. Lonsdorf’s educational activities, she is limiting her practice to the natural approaches of Maharishi Integrative Medicine for chronic conditions only and will NOT be providing primary care services such as acute care (colds, flu, urinary tract infections, etc.), after-hours call, medication prescriptions, doctor’s letters, physical exams, insurance or disability forms or letters, etc.
Can I get a prescription for blood-work or nutritional testing from Dr. Lonsdorf?
Blood-work, nutritional testing and other diagnostics may be ordered for you, or recommended through your local physician, depending on your individual needs. Additional service charges may apply (see below.)
What hours are available for appointments?
Weekday afternoons are currently available. (Alternate times may be available upon request depending on availability.)
How do I make an appointment?
Submit a Health History Questionnaire and Dr. Lonsdorf's office will contact you to confirm the appointment and answer any questions.
What should I bring to my consultation? (For telephone consultations, please send these materials so they arrive at least one day ahead of time—by email or post.)
For thorough consideration of your concerns, please bring:
- The completed version of any forms our office may have sent you.
- A list of all prescription medications you are taking, with dosage. (Or you may bring the actual bottles with original labels intact.)
- A list of all supplements, herbs, hormones, vitamins, etc you are taking, with dosage. (Or the bottles with label intact.)
- Copies of any laboratory reports of bloodwork, MRI, CT, ultrasound, etc. that relate to any condition(s) you wish to discuss. (It is not necessary to bring actual films.)
What are the fees for consultations?
- Consultation fees are determined by their duration and are described below.
- Additional Lab Service Charges:
- If lab studies are ordered (CBC, chemistry panel, thyroid, B12, etc.) to be done through your local hospital or clinic , an additional charge of $25 may be added to your consultation fee to cover the costs of reviewing and reporting the results and making recommendations to you based on the results.
- A service charge of $49 may be requested for providing prescriptions for lab tests outside of consultations. If the test result is not completely normal, and an office visit is deemed appropreiate, the $49 will be applied towards the cost of the visit.
NEW PATIENTS
Our introductory wellness program for those new to Maharishi Ayurveda is designed to give you the optimum start and greatest benefits from your new Ayurvedic health program. We have found that a two-visit program gives the best results. The costs of our two-visit, introductory program, payable at the time of each consultation, are as follows:
- $295 - Includes an initial consultation with Dr. Nancy Lonsdorf (usually 90 minutes, and email question/answer follow-up availability for issues covered in your consultation for the next 2 months).
- $135 – For a 30 minute follow-up consultation (office visit or telephone) anytime within the next two months.
*For insurance information, please see explanation that appears later in this document.
Consultation Fees (including telephone consultations) for those who have had Previous Maharishi Ayurveda Consultations:
Please Note: Initial consultations for particular health issues usually take 45 to 75 minutes depending on the complexity of your health concerns, how much medical information is already available regarding your condition, the treatment recommended, and how many questions you have.
Additional fees for ordering labs may apply (see above for details.)
Established Patients* (who have seen Dr. Nancy in consultation before)
- $275 for 75 minutes
- $235 for 60 minutes
- $198 for 45 minutes
- $149 for 30 minutes
Follow-up Visits- if within 2 months of initial visit (otherwise rates above apply)
- $135 – For 30 minutes
- $169- For 45 minutes
- Follow-ups usually take 30-45 minutes.
*NOTE: Appointment fees for shorter or longer duration appointments are prorated at 5 minute intervals. Fees subject to change without notice.
Research/Consulting/Coordination of Care, etc.
- While consultation fees include routine follow-up by email or phone for issues relating to the treatment program (see Follow-up Communication section below), more extensive post-consultation services such as research, consulting specialists and coordinating care are billable, subject to your prior approval, at $150 per hour on a prorated basis.
Payment Options
Payment in full is due at the time of your consultation. Personal checks, Visa and Mastercard are accepted for office visits.
Please Note: For telephone consultations, payment is by credit card only. Visa and Mastercard are accepted. Your credit card information is requested prior to the telephone call in order to avoid attending to payment issues during your consultation. You may leave your card number, name on the card, expiration date, and billing address (if different from the one on your forms,) on the office’s confidential voice mail at 641-469-3174. Billing will occur after your consultation.
Will I receive an insurance form to send in to my health insurance company?
At your request, we will provide a receipt for your doctor’s visit that you can send in to your insurance company, or use for tax or Medical/Health Savings Account purposes. If your insurance covers doctors’ visits to the physician of your choice, and you have met your deductible, it often will cover about one-third to two-thirds of your visit cost.
Please keep in mind that your insurance company alone determines whether and how much they will reimburse for your visit. We encourage you to consult your insurance company before your visit if you are concerned about coverage for your visit.
If you wish to check with your insurance company, it is usually sufficient to ask them if they cover office visits to a doctor who is “out-of-plan,” or “not a preferred provider”. Your receipt will reflect the standard medical components of your visit such as the history, examination and assessment plan.
- Re Medicare We are sorry, but this practice has opted out of Medicare. It is therefore not legal to submit Medicare claims for our services. You may also not use insurance that requires you to first submit to Medicare and be rejected before they will cover any costs.
- Re: Telephone Consultations: Please Note: Insurance companies do not generally offer coverage for telephone consultations.
- Re: Nutritional Testing: Nutritional testing is often not covered by insurance. However, some nutritional and hormone tests might be covered by your insurance, or enable you to receive a reduced rate on the tests. This will be discussed at your visit, if nutritional testing is recommended.
How can I keep my appointment time down to a minimum? I am on a tight budget.
The following tips will help to make your appointment most efficient:
- Let Dr. Lonsdorf know of your intention before the consultation begins.
- Fill out and email, fax or mail your forms ahead of your appointment time so that Dr. Lonsdorf can begin to review and consider your issues in advance.
- Along with the completed forms, provide a brief written summary (1 or 2 paragraphs) of the most important issue you wish to discuss, what you hope to gain from the consultation and any questions you have.
- Limit your consultation to the most important health problem you have and save other issues for a future visit.
Are telephone consultations available?
Consultations are available by phone for all established patients at the established patient fees and payment policies listed above. Please note that telephone consultations are not usually eligible for insurance reimbursement.
Depending on the nature of the health situation, Dr. Lonsdorf may be willing to do an initial consultation over the telephone for a new patient residing in Iowa and North Carolina only.
If you reside in one of these states and wish to find out if your condition would qualify, please send Dr. Lonsdorf a brief email describing the condition you want help with, any medical evaluation you have had for this condition (prior medical evaluation and accurate diagnosis is required) and a brief statement describing what you hope to gain from your consultation.
Follow-up Communication
Close follow-up in the days and weeks following your consultation is very important to ensure that your progress is smooth and that you get the best results from your Maharishi Integrative Medicine treatment program. Your consultation fee includes email correspondence with Dr. Lonsdorf and her staff for non-urgent issues relating to the issues addressed in your consultation, and phone follow-up for more pressing issues that may be related to your treatment program. If necessary, a formal follow-up consultation in-person or by telephone may be advised to properly address the issue, however, that would be at usual consultation follow-up rates.
Important: Please keep in mind that truly urgent needs (such as chest pain, sudden weakness or other urgent symptoms) should be addressed by an urgent care or emergency room physician, (i.e. call 911 or go to the emergency room) and should not be delayed until you can contact Dr. Lonsdorf.
Appointment Confirmation
Please be sure the appointment time you requested by email or voice message has been confirmed by Dr. Lonsdorf or her staff before coming for your appointment.
Cancellation Policy
At this time, there is no charge for cancelled appointments. However, we kindly request at least 24 hour notice should you need to cancel or reschedule.
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