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No. While the Program in Integrative Medicine is associated with the KU Medical Center OB/GYN department, our clinic is run separately however their billing department processes our patient's procedure payments. Please scroll down for more answers regarding cost and insurance.
Yes and no. Dr. Drisko is a full time researcher. Due to her research commitments she has limited clinic hours. Her patients in particular are taken on a limited case-by-case basis. If you are interested in becoming a patient of Dr. Drisko's, contact patient service coordinator Becky Sheppard at 913-588-6208. Becky can help in determining if Dr. Drisko could partner successfully in your health management, based on your diagnosis and her availability. Dr. Drisko does not see anyone under the age of 18 years of age.
The majority of our new infusion clinic patients have their initial consult with Dr. Khosh. Dr. Khosh is available to consult patients who want to take the quess work out of supplementation and diet. Her fees are the same as Dr. Drisko's. Dr. Khosh does not see anyone under the age of 18 years of age.
Dr. Khosh is a Naturopathic doctor (ND), she does not use synthetic drugs to treat patients. She uncovers factors preventing good health or recovery from an illness so proper healing and recovery can occur. Her goal is to help the patient create a lifestyle and environment which promotes good health.
Because our program is not conventional, it is extremely important that patients speak directly to our patient service coordinator. This is important if they are to fully understand what to expect.
Dr. Drisko is researching intravenous vitamin C therapy for cancer. Many of our patients are oncology patients who are receiving the vitamin C infusions in conjunction with chemotherapy or radiation. These patients must be monitored by an oncologist who supports the intravenous vitamin C protocol. Over the next two years we will be adding such services as acupuncture, nutritional counseling and massage therapy.
Yes, but you would still need to see a gynecologist for your annual Woman Wellness exam. There are gynecologists in the Kansas City area who prescribe natural hormones. If you’re interested in participating in Dr. Drisko’s natural hormone study, please read carefully the study requirements under "Research" to see if you qualify.
No. Due to her research and clinic commitments, her practice is not set up to handle acute ailments. It is highly suggested that a patient who sees either Dr. Jeanne Drisko or Dr. Deena Khosh also have a Primary Care Physician for sudden acute healthcare.
Both of these ailments require care from a medical practice with a larger support staff than what we have currently. This applies to other chronic ailments as well. Patient services coordinator Becky Sheppard at 913-588-6208 can help determine the best place for your medical care.
It is extremely difficult to coordinate care for patients outside our area. The names of integrative medicine physicians in your area can be found on the ACAM website (www.acam.org).
Unfortunately, no. Except for certain chiropractic services (which we do not offer) , the federal Medicare program does not currently offer coverage of alternative medicine and Dr. Drisko and Dr. Khosh are under contract with KU Medical Center as alternative medicine physicians. As alternative medicine physicians, they use alphabet codes for their services, not the numerical codes used by conventional physicians. These alphabet codes currently are not recognized by insurance companies. If you have Medicare, you may not submit your charges to Medicare. This means you may not submit your claim to your supplemental insurance, as well. If you have Medicare, all of your charges will be out of pocket. This means that patients must assume the entire cost of the treatment. Payment for services is due at the time of service. There are some expections for Lab work regarding blood draw, since Labs have their own billing system. We do not have payment plans. We do not accept Medicaid.
For more information go to: NCCAM'S Paying for CAM Treatment Web Page
Her contract with KU Medical Center states that she is a practitioner of alternative medicine and, therefore, must use alternative medicine procedure codes.
Our program is located in the OB/GYN department. When billing, the OB/GYN department uses its unique tax number to report revenue from our clinic to the IRS. This all-inclusive tax number is used to secure contracts with various insurance companies. The contracted insurance company then takes all the doctors listed under that tax number and indicates that the listed doctors are considered in network. So it appears Dr. Jeanne Drisko is in network. But because of the alphabet procedure coding she is required to use, the claims will be rejected. Please know that changing the alternative medicine coding into conventional coding when submitting any claim to an insurance company is considered fraud.
Out-of-pocket procedure costs include clinic consultations and infusion clinic services. At the time of your payment you will get a copy of your charge sheet and a receipt that you can submit to your insurance company to try and get reimbursed. Unfortunately, the standard forms (conventional billing) that insurance companies usually demand as a submission, cannot be generated by OB/GYN billing, who currently is our umbrella department at this time and is who currently processes our procedure payments.
Yes and no. Any blood work you have done at an outpatient lab is run through insurance by that particular lab. It is the patient's responsibility to know what their insurance plan stipulates in regard to what is covered. If you have a large deductible, please be aware that Dr. Drisko’s new patient blood tests usually cost $1,500.00 - 3,000.00. Some of the at-home test kits require payment to be included with your specimen, but solicit insurance information as well.
The Outpatient Lab at KU Medical Center is located on the 1st floor of the main hospital. It is a walk in service, no appointment needed. They are open from 7am - 6pm Monday - Friday. We recommend that your lab test be completed at this lab because they are familiar with the blood tests requested by Dr. Drisko and are knowledgeable in the correct processing procedures. However, since routine blood work is normally billed to your insurance directly by the Lab and some insurance companies require that in order for them to cover the costs you must only go to a lab of their choice, we recommend you do so. Lab One / Quest is acceptable, but we have experienced fewer processing errors when the patient has blood work done at KU Medical Center.
It depends on health issues, the extent of insurance coverage for blood testing, what take at-home tests are recommended, and what supplements need to be purchased. The first consult with either doctor is $250.00, follow up visits are $100.00. Some supplements may need to be taken on a long term basis. Blood work and take home tests need to be redone every three months, six months, or yearly depending on diagnosis. If there is concern about your out of pocket costs Dr. Drisko and Dr. Khosh's services may unfortuately not be a good fit for you.
Dr. Drisko only asks patients to do testing that will give her a full picture of their health. She can not fully treat a patient that has decided to do one recommended test, but not another. Every test is a key piece to the patient's health puzzle. If a test has not been done, it is quite possible a follow-up visit will be canceled and not rescheduled until the test is completed. If there is concern about your out of pocket costs Dr. Drisko and Dr. Khosh's services may unfortuately not be a good fit for you. Please know that some tests are repeated on a regular basis to monitor supplementation results.
The first consult is one hour in length. During this time Dr. Drisko goes over the health questionnaires and medical records. She determines what testing needs to be done and what the new patient’s health expectations are. Without having that initial hour to talk to the patient, she can only speculate what tests need to be completed. She very rarely will allow a new patient to have testing done ahead of time.
Since this is a very important hour, she does not discourage a new patient from bringing someone to the consultation. However, she strongly discourages bringing someone who will hinder the patient’s ability to talk freely and honestly.
Following the consultation and after the payment has been received, she asks the new patient to proceed to the KU Medical Center outpatient clinic to have blood drawn. Or, she might draw blood in the clinic for some testing not done at the outpatient lab. She will provide the new patient with lab tests to be completed at home and a copy of the recommendation sheet she completed during the consult. A new patient should allow at the very least 2 ½ hours out of their day for the consultation and blood work.
In the summer of 2008 we are moving into a newly renovated space on the 2nd floor of Sudler at KU Medical Center. Until that time, Dr. Drisko and Dr. Khosh see their patients in the OB/GYN department on the 5th floor of Delp.
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