Frequently Asked Questions:
Our FAQ list is easily searchable and is in the order that we typically field questions.
What is Concierge medicine:
Concierge medicine is really a new term for what Dr, Kadish has been practicing for years. It’s based on the premise that each patient is unique and needs to be treated well…… uniquely.
With the advent of current “evidenced based” medicine and cost-effectiveness as the key principles, we are quickly moving in the opposite direction. Remember that the moniker “evidenced based” is only as good and objective as those individuals and groups making the claim, and using their data.
Concierge medicine has two flavors. There is the pay as you go or the subscription model. The pay as you go is a set fee, typically based on time, whereas the subscription model has you pay a monthly or yearly fee, for a set amount of access to a physician. Each model has its strengths and weaknesses. We are currently using the pay as you go model. This afford you the opportunity to make your own calculated use of medicine as it fits your need and desires.
Insurance:
One of the most asked questions involves insurance. Most patients are unfamiliar with the back office of a practice and without going into detail, medicine has become a very secretarial/coding labor intensive affair, far in excess of what should be needed or even makes sense. The insurance companies are the predominant player in determining the successes or failure of a practice. They essentially dictate how you interface and treat patients. Coupled with the government’s enforcement (read payment scheme) they are able to determine the extent of care as well as the type you will receive.
The insurance companies are the predominant player in determining the successes or failure of a practice. They essentially dictate how you interface and treat patients, which is not at all in line with our beliefs. Coupled with the government’s enforcement (read payment scheme) they are able to determine the extent of care as well as the type you will receive.
We firmly believe that your health care should remain in your control. As an informed patient, you have the right and responsibly to determine what and how you want your health care provided.
If you request, we will provide you with a receipt that can be submitted to your insurance company for reimbursement. Our experience with the new insurance system has shown some success with reimbursements, especially laboratory services and HSA policies.
Confidentiality:
We take your desire to have confidential conversations that allow us to fully appreciate your desires and health condition very seriously. Although we do use an electronic medical record to maintain your chart information we only release information when you give us permission or are court ordered. We maintain strict HIPPA (the government regulations) compliance and have your release forms and support information available to you at all times.
Fees:
We work on an hourly basis for consultations and charge a set fee for many of our procedures. Please contact our office staff for details. As a note, when you consider your many thousands of dollars deductible, typically it’s less expensive to pay out of pocket and receive timely excellent services.
Science Based treatments:
Both the testing and therapies used by Dr. Kadish have been scientifically validated, with years of excellent data and documentation. The natural treatments of many diseases have a millennium-long process of good clinical observations worldwide and now repeated with scientific methodologies. The Chinese have 5000 years of this approach with amazing responses, now often times clearly documented scientifically.
Often times consumer driven actions, such as the observation that the use of yogurt when stomach upset occurs, results in the renewed interest in proving and perfecting many natural products. These products then explode into the conventional realms as science has the new necessary tools, such as DNA/RNA sequencers, to explore the science behind the observation.
One of the more common now accepted examples is that of the probiotics. Interestingly the use of lactobacillus and other gut bacteria was seen as unconventional and lacking science only 10-15 years ago. Now with the prescription probiotics available, it’s become common knowledge and accepted conventionally.
You might be interested to know that your tax dollars were being spent by the (NIH) National Institute of Health with their project called, “The NIH Common Fund Human Microbiome Project (HMP). This project was established with the mission of generating research resources enabling comprehensive characterization of the human microbiota, gut flora, and analyzing their role in human health and disease. A bit late considering that Hippocrates was writing about his findings in this area….how long ago ?
As many of you are aware most natural remedies are not patentable. Hence manufacturers find little financial incentive in the costly scientific studies until consumer demand makes the case or research is published that makes an outstanding argument for funding scientific validation/s or the monetary return is substantial. A good example is the dairy industries conventions on integrating of probiotics into their products.
Functional Medicine:
This newish term has been the tenant of the practice from the onset. The nature of looking for the cause and not just addressing the symptoms coupled with the use of current technology, even when it sometimes is considered outside of the mainstream testing is how the practice has been successful for our many thousands of patients.
The moniker, functional medicine, has now become outdated and overused as a number of organizations have found it to be an excellent marketing tool for their own testing methods. Dr. Kadish has seen many of these approaches serve the labs and not necessarily in the patients best interest.
Let’s take some examples regarding where functional medicine needs some tweeks. Have you had your B12 level checked and been told it’s “fine” ? Too bad the test is less than accurate and doe’s not reflect what’s in your tissues, where it counts. Or the use of blood (serum) magnesium, which is only reflective of a single digit percent of your actual total bodies amount. These are but two of many laboratory examples that fail the patient, but are still used daily.
To be a really functional practitioner one needs to know lab testing methods and use the correct choice for the chemistry in question. Yes it’s a bit complicated, but getting inaccurate information does no one a service. Dr. Kadish has worked with advanced laboratory equipment and takes the time to research and only utilize the methods that accurately reflect your health and make sense.
How is Naturopathic Medicine Different:
The key difference is the philosophy and the basic tenants. These six principles guide the profession and indeed they are radically different than conventional (allopathic) medicine, in their scope and intent. I think you will agree these principles are based on common sense and should be the basis of all good medical care.
1. First Do No Harm: Naturopathic Doctors work to restore balance in a safe, gentle, and effective way with non-invasive treatments, minimizing the potential for side effects. Naturopathic physicians also aim to avoid symptom suppression of disease, which can do more harm than good, in the long-term.
2. Doctor as Teacher: A Naturopathic physician believes that patient education gives the patient the power to take responsibility for their own health.
3. The Healing Power of Nature: The human body possesses natural, inherent healing mechanisms to restore health. The Naturopathic physician’s role is to support and facilitate this process with the use of natural, safe, and effective remedies.
4. Identify and Treat the Cause: The Naturopathic physician’s number one goal is to identify and remove the cause of your symptoms. This is the only way to attain sustainable and long-term symptom resolution and achieve the restoration of optimal health.
5. Treat the Whole Person through Individualized Treatment: One size does not fit all when it comes to health and healing. We are all incredibly unique and complex and in order for true healing to take place, Naturopathic physicians thoroughly assess the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of their patients in order to choose the most appropriate therapies.
6. Prevention is the best cure: The most prevalent chronic degenerative diseases today such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer can absolutely be prevented or addressed with the correct lifestyle and medical choices. Naturopathic physicians are preventive medicine specialists and believe that the choices we make today can have a profound effect on our health and sense of well-being in the future.
Naturopathic Education:
There appears to be either intentional or perhaps a lack of understanding that Naturopathic education is no less intensive, in the medical arts and federally accredited, than that of our colleagues practicing conventional medicine.
There are seven accredited schools of naturopathic medicine in North America:
Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (Toronto) www.ccnm.edu
Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine (Vancouver) www.binm.org
Bastyr University (Seattle) www.bastyr.edu ( Dr. Kadish’s education)
National University of Naturopathic Medicine (Portland) https://nunm.edu/
National University of Health Sciences (Lombard, IL) www.nuhs.edu
Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (Scottsdale) www.scnm.edu
University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine (Connecticut) www.bridgeport.edu
What is the medical training for Naturopathic Physicians ?
ND/NMDs take a minimum of three or four years premedical studies with a cumulative GPA of 3 or better (4 point scale), followed by 4-years of a full-time program, at one of the seven accredited schools of Naturopathic Medicine. The accredited program includes 4,500 hours of classroom training and 1,500 hours of clinical experience supervised by licensed Naturopathic, Medical, Osteopathic physicians along with other specialists in the areas of physical and occupational therapy, nutrition and specialty therapeutics.
The education encompasses:
Basic Medical Sciences – including anatomy, physiology, histology, microbiology, biochemistry, immunology, pharmacology and pathology.
Clinical Medical diagnostics- including physical and clinical diagnosis, differential and lab diagnosis, radiology, naturopathic assessment and orthopaedics.
Naturopathic principles and therapeutics – including Clinical Nutrition, botanical Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Homeopathic Medicine, Hydrotherapy and Lifestyle Counseling, prescription medication and minor surgery.
1500 hours of supervised clinical experience – all clinicians must demonstrate proficiency in all aspects of Naturopathic Medicine prior to graduation.
To become licensed a Naturopathic Physician must:
Pass the NPLEX Board Exams – Basic & Clinical Sciences written after 2nd year of naturopathic college (full day of exams) and Clinical Diagnosis and Therapeutics after graduation (4 days of intensive exams). NPLEX is the examination body used by all licensing jurisdictions for Naturopathic physicians in North America.
Successfully complete practical and jurisprudence exams for the specific state where licensed.
Fulfill all Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits and other requirements set by the state medical board, on an on-going yearly basis.
Naturopathic physicians, in Oregon, have set continuing education requirements of AMA category 1 education, at a minimum of 50 hours per year, until 2018 which was reduced to 30 hrs per year in specific areas of medicine, including ethics, pain management, etc. The current CME requirements for our collegues, MD/DO’s is only 60 hour every 2 years.
Do Naturopathic physicians specialize:
In our profession we firmly believe that one needs to maintain an overall view of health and not focus exclusively in one area. However, we all have our preferences towards certain diseases and treatment modalities.
Dependent in what state your licensed, you may be able have your specialized training recognized. Dr. Kadish has chosen to expand his area of focus to embrace the difficult and complex diseases, including Autistic Spectrum Disorder, autoimmune and neurological disorders and become trained in many cutting edge technologies. He has participated in continuing education spanning more than 30 years focused on these areas of interest. Many of the trainings are recognized as a specialty including as an example, autism spectrum disorder, chelation therapy, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. He has also been additionally trained in advanced surgical procedures, with an emphasis on stem cell and regenerative injection techniques, by multiple conventional physicians, both in the states and overseas.
Safety of the Naturopathic Approach to Medicine:
The safety record for naturopathic medicine is excellent. Utilizing the approach towards finding of cause of the disease creates a much lessened need for invasive or aggressive treatments. This minimizes the need for the high risk use of many prescriptions or surgical procedures. Side effects are rare and Naturopathic physicians are knowledgeable regarding contraindications when using naturopathic therapies and conventional medicines.
Naturopathic physicians are trained to recognize conditions which are outside their scope of practice and to refer to other health practitioners when appropriate. We utilize a wide range of support practitioners to bring you the complete services you need.
What is the scope of practice for Naturopathic physicians:
The old adage of if you only have a hammer everything looks like a nail is not the case for Dr. Kadish.
One of the most cost and health effective aspects of the practice is the extensive training and opportunity to use a broad variety of therapies and diagnostic tools. This includes the full compliment of both allopathic (Rx’s and surgical procedures) and the natural approaches, including lifestyle, diet, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and many other tools.
Unlike our allopathic colleagues, (MD/DO’s) we were taught to use a full spectrum of every tool known to be helpful in medical conditions.
This means that our training and therapies includes the use of nutrition, supplements, physical therapy, homeopathy, botanical (herbal) medicine, exercise, Chinese medicine and counseling, along with the conventional approaches to medical care, including surgery and prescription medications.
The key is to find the best fit for both diagnostic tools and therapies specific for each of our patients, without judgement. This affords you the opportunity to have your desires met in the most cost and time sensitive manner, while being well informing of your options.
Dr. Kadish has a long history of being a consultant to medical equipment manufacturers and utilizes a broad array of tools to treat and diagnose, many years before common utilization by medical professionals. Often times we are afforded the opportunity to utilize an FDA approved device, ahead of commercial release.