Friends & Family Agreement

Who We Will (and Will Not) Treat

We review on a case-by-case basis which friends/family members we are willing to work with, and in what capacity.

The main question we ask is if we can be objective enough in providing you with excellent care. When we initiate care the answer to that question must be a “yes.” If over time the answer becomes “no,” then the professional relationship will need to be dissolved.

We will only work with somebody if all of the following are true:

1. The person is highly motivated to get better
2. We believe we can help them
3. We believe that we can be objective in their care
4. There is not another provider in their area that I think could help them better than I could
5. We do not feel that us working together would harm or compromise our social connection
6. We trust the person to respect our policies – the same policies all clients are held to. These include cancellation and no-show fees, using the client portal to ask questions (eg: not texting questions about health or asking in social situations about health), being respectful of our staff, etc. In other words, they do not expect “special treatment.”
7. We have the emotional bandwidth to manage the extra energetic work that comes with managing a dual relationship and serving people close to me

I reserve the right (as do you!) at any time, for any reason, to terminate the consultant/client relationship. Many factors go into this decision, but none of the factors has anything to do with whether or not we like or love you! (In fact, it is our priority to protect our my personal connection.)

If you are friends or family members with one of our providers, we strongly suggest that you work with a different provider in the company.

 

Discounts

Friends/family are not automatically given discounts on care.

It’s actually more work to care for friends and family than those energetically less connected to us, due to the effort of managing a dual relationship.

That being said, we do sometimes give discounts to friends/family if:

1. They meet all of the above-listed criteria for becoming a client; and
2. Their financial situation makes it truly difficult for them to afford my services; and
3. We have the space in my schedule and budget to take on a reduced rate client.

 

Why We Charge Friends & Family for Services

Our providers have all made the bold – and frankly brave – decision to make their living doing honest, meaningful work that  the planet needs desperately.

Our providers are self-employed. Nobody pays for their health insurance. They do not get paid vacations, paid sick days, or get 401K contributions. We alone am responsible for the costs of our professional insurance (should we choose to carry it), and for our own health insurance premiums (if we can afford them). We also pay self-employment tax, on top of income tax and business taxes. Many of us carry student loan debt. Simply put: We need to be paid for the work we provide.

If we fill our schedules with non-paying or under-paying appointments, this undermines our ability to earn a living.

If we see friends and family on the weekends, at night, or on vacation, this undermines our ability to balance work/life and get the breaks I need to ensure my physical and mental health. (It’s essentially like your boss asking you to come in on Saturday, without compensating you for that time. “I know you love your job, so it shouldn’t be a problem!” your boss might argue.) It also muddies the water in our personal relationships.

It’s also important that you, as the client, have some “skin in the game,” so to speak. When people pay for their care, that they take the whole matter more seriously. They tend to be more compliant with the plan, and thus get better results. In short: they heal faster and more fully. And that’s ultimately our goal: for you to thrive.

 

What About Trade?

Your consultant may be open to doing a trade. Let’s talk about it. Note that we typically do trades on a dollar-by-dollar (not hour-by-hour) basis.

 

Can I Just Ask a Quick Question? I’m Not Sure if I Need to Become a Full-On Client

It is entirely possible that we can answer all of your questions and address your concern(s) in a single appointment. Note this is highly unlikely if your illness is chronic.

The trouble with wanting some “quick advice” is that usually the advice ends up being somewhat of a guess. Sometimes the information is useful, but often it isn’t. For example, in the past friends have emailed things like, “What’s a natural remedy for anxiety?” and we’ve suggested something random and generally safe, like lavender capsules. They then try the capsules, which do nothing but make their burps smell like flowers. They then assume that natural medicine doesn’t work and that we are quacks. But as it turns out the whole time this person had a severe, undiagnosed B12 deficiency secondary to celiac disease. Or they were drinking alcohol and having rebound anxiety, as often happens. Or they were overdosed on their thyroid medication. Or a number of other things that cause anxiety and that will not be remedied with lavender capsules alone. Had this person just made an appointment and given their health the time and focus it deserves, chances are we would have caught these ailments within a couple of visits and thus have been actually able to help the person; not just throw “green band-aids” at them.

 

Written Communication

ALL communication pertaining to your healthcare must be sent through the secure client portal. Outside of appointments, the client portal is the ONLY place where it is acceptable to ask questions about your health or healthcare.

Administrative issues can be addressed to our business line, at 971.708.0208. Note this number is checked by our office manager – none of us will see it directly.

Please do not send text messages, call personal cell phone numbers, contact us through social media, or send us e-mails regarding anything related to your healthcare. 

If you have lab results or other documents to share with me, do NOT text or e-mail them to your consultant. Attach them to a portal message or upload them in the portal under “Documents.”

This is perhaps the hardest request for friends and family to honor, but please, do save us all the awkward interaction of us having to remind you of these policies!

 

Spoken Communication

Please do not discuss your health matters with us in public, at social gatherings, or when we’re spending time as friends/family. Likewise, please abstain from asking medical questions or work-related favors through my family members or mutual friends.

If you have a quick question, send a portal message. If you want to talk, then please make an appointment. We offer appointment times as short as 15 minutes in duration.

This policy allows us to have pleasant social interactions in which we do not have to be “on” or think about work. It also ensures that you have full attention when we do discuss your health during appointments. So thank you!

 

Social Media Engagement

Please choose connection over social media arguments. If you cannot do that – or if the content that we, our associates, or the company we represent is too upsetting for you – please do not follow our professional (or personal) accounts. This applies for any and all platforms. We will not keep tabs on who follows us, and our feelings will not be hurt if you choose to “unfollow” at any time.

Please do not argue with us, our colleagues, or our company on social media. If you do not like what we post, please just unfollow us and leave the issue alone. Posting negative comments, rage bait, or other antagonistic material will result in us blocking you from social media channels. This is not open for discussion.

Likewise, we am not interested in arguing about social media content offline, either. Please leave our work personas for working hours only.

 

Care for Others

If we’ve agreed to work with you, this does not mean that we are necessarily able to care for your other family members. Please keep our appointments focused on your health.

 

How to Make an Appointment

Appointments can be made through the website, RightToHeal.com. The website is also where you can find the link to sign in to the portal, shop for supplements online, and read articles.

If you cannot find an appointment time on the scheduler, you may send a message through the portal to Front Desk (my admin) or call/text the office number to see about getting in sooner.

It is not acceptable to text us on our personal numbers about scheduling.

 

All Other Terms & Conditions Apply

All friends/family must review, agree to, and sign off on the same office policies – including no-show/late cancel fees/policies – and consent forms as other patients/clients.

 

Thank You!

As cumbersome as these policies may seem, they allow us to provide you with the best care possible. We aim to give your health matters the proper time they deserve, as well as our full, uninterrupted attention when it’s needed.