myMDadvocate

Advocate for Patients, Ally to Colleagues

Patients

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

  1. How do I contact you?
    • New patients need to connect via email, phone or eFax.*
    • Return patients can request appointments via the Home page Patient Portal.
  2. Do I still need a primary care physician?
    • Yes. These services are not meant to substitute for primary or urgent care. myMDadvocate will serve as an ally to your other healthcare professionals, if desired.
  3. Do you take insurance?
    • No. Under certain circumstances you may request a copy of a “Superbill” that you can directly submit to insurance, but myMDadvocate will not bill insurance directly and cannot guarantee insurance will cover a Superbill.
    • Medicare and Medicaid will not be billed, nor will secondary supplemental insurance plans or Medicare Advantage plans (and Superbills will not be generated).
    • Your visit charges may qualify for you to submit a Superbill to a Health Savings Account (HSA), when applicable.
  4. Can I get new medications prescribed or Rx refills?
    • No, you will need to get medications from your primary care or specialty physician(s).
  5. How will you communicate with my primary care and specialty physicians?
    • This will be determined on an individual basis.
  6. Is there an annual fee?
    • No. There is a one-time, nonrefundable $175 Intake fee to establish with myMDadvocate.
  7. How does this service differ from “concierge” care or “DPC” (Direct Primary Care)?
    • myMDadvocate does not provide any primary or urgent care, and is not available for urgent/emergent medical advice.
    • There is no monthly/annual fee to access myMDadvocate services.
  8. Do you partner with other physicians?
    • myMDadvocate collaborates with many local and regional specialists and healthcare professionals, but has no formal or legal partnerships.
    • There are no financial relationships or contracts with other physicians or practices, and no obligations for patients to see a particular physician or specialist.
  9. Do you have an office or are all visits virtual?
    • All appointments are virtual, either via video or phone (based on patient preference).
  10. Is there an answering service or receptionist?
    • No.*
  11. Can you access my Epic electronic health records (EHR)?
    • Yes, Dr. Baumgaertel is on Active Staff at Providence-Swedish, and has access to Epic if/when needed. Epic connects with many other local, regional and national EHRs.
    • EHR (Epic) access will only be with patient permission and only under specific circumstances, to be determined on an individual basis.
  12. Do I use Epic for reading visit notes and communicating via MyChart?
    • No. myMDadvocate uses a HIPAA-compliant electronic portal called SimplePractice for all video visits, notes and health-related communication. This is completely separate from Epic. All visit notes will be viewable from the SimplePractice portal and also available for printing and downloading.
  13. What do you charge for a virtual visit?
    • New patients are required to schedule a free, 10-15 minute telephone conversation with Dr. Baumgaertel to confirm mutual goals and review the Intake process.
    • All patients pay a one-time nonrefundable Intake fee of $175, due upon completion of the Intake process. This covers setting up Protected Health Information in SimplePractice’s electronic record and billing systems.
    • Appointments are in 25 minute increments scheduled on the half hour: $175 per 25 minute session, $350 per 50 minute session, etc.
  14. Is there a cancellation fee?
  15. Can I schedule a video visit if I will not physically be in Washington state at the time of the visit?
    • No. At this time US federal and state regulations prohibit any medical consultation via Telehealth across state lines (except under certain circumstances). These laws may change at some point in the future.
    • Dr. Baumgaertel is actively exploring medical licensure in a select few other states, but will not guarantee a timeframe yet as cost is prohibitive.
  16. How do I pay for my visits?
    • Payments are handled through SimplePractice which uses Stripe for credit card payments. Autopay is easily set up to help make payments simpler. Invoices are generated at the conclusion of each visit, and charges are sent to credit cards on file after midnight of the appointment day.

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* See Contact section for details.