Frequently Asked Questions E-mail

Does Good Natured Medicine accept health insurance?  

Dr. Chavez is currently an in-network provider for:
  • Premera Blue Cross/Blue Shield: AK Global, AK HeritagePlus, AK HeritageSelect, Foundation & Foundation Plus 1, Global, Heritage & Heritage Plus 1
  • Lifewise
  • Cigna
  • Aetna
Regence Blueshield

We kindly ask for your patience and cooperation in helping Good Natured Medicine ensure your health insurance benefits are working for you- please check your plan for your lab and provider coverage beforehand. Thank you!

We will continue to provide high quality holistic care to all patients regardless of their insurance coverage,or lack thereof. 

If you are not covered by one of the above plans we will provide you a detailed receipt with medical codes for diagnosis and treatment that you may submit to your health insurance company for reimbursement according to your individual health plan benefits for out-of-network provider coverage, or for your tax-deductible coverage under a Health Savings Account (HSA).

 Many insurance providers do cover naturopathic providers, please contact them directly for an explanation of your benefits and the rate of your reimbursement.

 Additionally, some of the alternative modalities that I offer, like NAET are not covered by insurance companies at this time. Hypnosis may not be a covered benefit, depending on your insurance coverage. Patients who have insurance may benefit from a 20% discount for non-covered services as part of an affinity network. Consult with your health insurance provider to confirm. 

If you have a Health Savings Account, which is a high deductible plan with a qualifying tax free account, all of your office visits, copays, as well as eligible prescribed supplements and medicines will count towards your deductible. If you have a Flex Plan or Cafeteria Plan through your employer, you can get reimbursement for supplements that are prescribed in office, (this doesn't include medical foods/meal replacement powders or bars) and any co-insurance balances or office fees that are not covered by your out-of-network provider coverage. Please confirm your out-of-network benefits with your health insurance carrier. You can get additional details on tax-free HSA rules at the irs.gov website.


What lab tests do you offer?

In Washington State, I am licensed to order a wide array of lab tests and imaging studies. For bioidentical hormone therapy, sleep disorders, chronic gastrointestinal conditions, and other specialty lab tests I stock test kits for Diagnostechs, Genova Labs, Meridian Valley Labs and Neuroscience labs, and contract with LabCorps/Dynacare for prepaid lab prices for those with Health Savings Accounts or who pay out of pocket. Many of these are covered by insurance benefits. Blood draws are done through one of the many locations of LabCorps/Dynacare lab centers. Stool and salivary tests are completed at home and then posted to the lab.

Do you offer allergy testing?

Generally, I do not order blood tests for allergy testing, mainly because, in my experience, the out of pocket cost for the currently available blood tests and their lack of consistency are not as reliable for initial diagnostic purposes. However, I do encourage many of my patients who come for NAET of their anaphylactic allergies to get RAST testing before beginning treatment so that we may monitor the efficacy of allergy elimination technique through the course of NAET treatments. A few health insurance companies are currently offering coverage for these labs, check with your health insurance provider for details. We offer blood sugar levels, and urinary dipstick testing in office. There are no blood draws or skin prick allergy tests done in office.

How quickly will I get a response to my email or call?

If you are a new patient wanting to schedule, the most direct way to schedule a free consult or a first consult is via the website calendar and email. However, in order to give the best care and maintain balance email responses are sent out thrice per week: Mon mornings, Wednesday evenings, and Friday afternoons.

If you are an established patient and you must reach me at a different time, you are welcome to call my office phone and leave a detailed voicemail including the issue and how quickly you require a response. For established patients with urgent but NON-EMERGENT issues please contact me by cell phone.

What if I have an urgent need to reach you?

If you are an established patient and you must reach me at a different time, you are welcome to call my office phone and leave a detailed voicemail including the issue and how quickly you require a response. For established patients with urgent but NON-EMERGENT issues please contact me by cell phone: however, because I specialize in chronic neuroendocrine and immune system conditions I take urgent calls between 8AM-8PM. Detailed emails with URGENT in the subject line is an appropriate alternative for such situations.

I aim to leave at least two time slots daily for same day appointments. However, in order to give you the best care and maintain balance I only check and respond to non-urgent email 3X per week: Mon mornings, Wednesday evenings, and Fridays.

Do you offer discounts or package prices?

Discounts of 10% are available to all patients for all supplement purchases that are prescribed, and are tax-free. Supplements purchased via drop-ship incur an additional $8.50 shipping charge. All supplements purchased at GNM or via our office are tax-free and eligible for Flex Savings Account/Health Savings Accounts.

Below are rates for packages. The discount only applies for package visits that are scheduled and paid for in advance:

$350 for the first 5 NAET treatments for patients who are just beginning the NAET basic series. NAET visits are 20-30 mins long, and require a return visit within 7 days to test if the treatment is holding.

$95 per NAET visit, that is not prepaid.

$400 for 5 NAET treatments when paid in advance for established patients. Visits that include other medical care and evaluation other than NAET and extend the visit longer than 30 minutes are prorated at the hourly rate. The portion of a visit spent on medical evaluation and management of a different condition may be submitted for insurance reimbursement according to your out-of-network provider benefits. A 10% discount is applied for more than 5 treatments paid in advance. Visits for testing the prior treatment only, are no charge.

$400 for a series of 3 Craniosacral Therapy sessions- each session, a maximum total of 3 hours over 3 sessions. Craniosacral sessions incorporate Somato-Emotional Release, a verbal dialogue and facilitation technique. These are 40-60 minute sessions. For even higher value a package of 4 Craniosacral treatment sessions is $450, a maximum of 4 hrs over 4 sessions.

$450 for a series of 3 Hypnotherapy/NLP (neurolinguistic programming) sessions, or 4 Craniosacral Therapy sessions (see above). These visits combine counseling with simple tools for relaxing and resetting habitual mind/body patterns to establish flow a the mind, body and life level.

$480 Constitutional Homeopathy Evaluation: includes the 2 hour initial visit and two follow ups.Homeopathy follow-ups are typically 30 mins and are scheduled 3-6 weeks after a remedy is prescribed. The remedy is not included in the fee and may be shipped from a Homeopathic pharmacy in London or California.

$700 for a complete hormone protocol includes a salivary hormone panel (up to $370 lab cost),  3 office visits, up to a maximum of 2 hours, and a hormone panel follow up test.

$850 for a complete hormonal and digestive health panel (includes a complete salivary and stool test $450) and 3 office visits up to max of 2.5 hours over 3 visits.

What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a 200-year-old system of medicine that is based on the principle that dates back as far as 400 BC, of “like cures like.” Millions of people all over the world use homeopathy as a safe, natural, and effective way to treat acute and chronic disease. More and more people in the United States are experiencing increased health, vitality, and energy from the use of homeopathy. It is a holistic medicine that works on the body and mind together to elegantly increase physical, mental, and emotional balance.

The human body possesses the ability to heal itself. Homeopathy is an elegant way to trigger your body’s self-healing potential by the introduction of ultra-dilute substances. Remedies may be needed once a lifetime, a year, or more frequently- it all depends on your unique state of health. Many patients report they feel more joy, freedom, relaxation, and peacefulness after homeopathic treatment. Homeopathy is suited to treat anything from bedwetting, menstrual disorders, skin conditions and even augmenting cancer treatment. It is a gentle and effective modality appropriate for patients of all ages.

What is Transpersonal Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is the use of relaxation techniques to guide you into a calm focused state where you can narrow your conscious focus allowing you to open to deeper understanding and clarity for your current situation. Transpersonal hypnotherapy relies on a fundamental view of you as a being that is beyond your personal ego, a being that has the intelligence, wisdom and power to examine and resolve limiting beliefs, addictions and stuck patterns, and move towards fulfilling your life potential. With the addition of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques, it is an excellent way to bring movement into your life and let go of stagnating behaviors and thought patterns.

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

Craniosacral is a gentle hands on technique used to guide your body into anatomical alignment by following the fascial lines of tension and the subtle movements of your craniosacral rhythm. This technique is rooted in the Osteopathic tradition of medicine, and relies on gently following the lead of the subtle rhythms of your nervous system as felt through the practitioner’s hands. Craniosacral is a therapy well suited modality for releasing chronic conditions like headaches, whiplash, carpal tunnel syndrome, old injuries, quelling inflammatory conditions like arthritis, and emotional trauma like Post Traumatic Stress symptoms.

What is NAET?

NAET is a non-invasive method for modulating your immune system’s response to harmless substances that trigger an allergic response through acupressure. This method combines homeopathic dilutions of allergens, muscle testing and stimulation of acupressure points. Similar to immunotherapy (needle injections of dilute allergens), most items are done one at a time and require an in office wait period of up to 20 minutes after eachtreatment to ensure an abreaction does not occur. NAET requires no injection of substances, and there is a short avoidance period where you will have to stay out of contact with the allergen you’ve been treated for that day. NAET treatment is only offered by qualified physicians, nurse practitioners and acupuncturists.

Patients who are too weak, too young (<5 yrs old), or too allergic will require a surrogate to attend sessions with them so that they can be accurately tested and safely treated. Patients are required to obtain and read the book by the creator of this technique, Dr. Nambudripad, “Say Goodbye to Illness,” before beginning treatments at Good Natured Medicine so that they can be fully aware of what is required to ensure the best results. Additionally, the NAET Patient Workbook is a needed resource for tracking treatments and knowing what to avoid for the 25 hr period. Please see www.naet.com for further information.

What do I expect at my first visit?

Typically, the first appointment lasts 1 hour, or more. An initial Homeopathy or Hypnotherapy visit is 2 hours; this ensures I have enough time to fully understand you as a whole person—how you function in the world, how you respond to stress, and who you are as an individual. Many patients report this initial interview is helpful for their own understanding of their situation and a good start on the path to healing, which is an essential for identifying the underlying imbalances causing your symptoms.

After confirming your scheduled first appointment, you will be sent an extensive intake packet to fill out and send back within 3 days of your first appointment. Most importantly, it allows me to review your information in whole and prepare handouts for you specifically ahead of time; and it makes the most of our time in office together.

What are the fees ?

All appointments, other than package sessions and the initial Homeopathic intake, are billed at an hourly rate according to the sliding scale of $120-$180. Retiree, student rates and package discounts are also available at the rate of $90 for 50 minutes.

Visits that are less than 30 minutes are prorated at $180/hr, with a $45 minimum. I will do my best to make the most efficient and effective use of our visit time, and I invite you to do the same by coming in with a list of items or questions and goals you’d like to address and to please feel free to make me aware of your time and/or financial constraints. By letting me know what your parameters and priorities are, together we can create the best approach for addressing your needs.

Do you charge for phone calls or emails?

You are welcome to email any time for clarification on the treatment plan; phone calls to clarify treatment plans under 10 minutes are free of charge, and limited to 1 call per treatment plan. Phone conversations that are for consultation on a new condition, or are  >10 minutes are billed at the same rate as office visits. I encourage you to email your non-urgent questions or concerns, and I will reply according to the email schedule. Email is a wonderful tool, because its easier to refer back to for clarification. You are always welcome to leave a voicemail on the office phone for non-urgent messages. Your treatment plan includes my cell phone, please use this only in cases of urgent needs or confusing situations where time is of the essence (i.e. prescription issues while you’re at the pharmacy), between 7:30 AM and 8 PM.

I strongly encourage you to bring a notebook with you so we can cover alot of ground in each session and you can get the most benefit by understanding the basics of your diagnosis and treatment plan. It's also important for monitoring progress, and noting questions you may want to ask at future appointments.

What if I miss my appointment?

There will be a $50 fee for missed appointments and appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours notice. Because of the effort involved in scheduling and sending out intake packets, this fee also applies to confirmed first appointments. Appointments must be rescheduled directly on the online calendar or by email within 24 hours to avoid the cancellation fee.

How do we get started?

Please fill out the enclosed forms and mail, fax or email them to me at least 5 days before your scheduled appointment. Please attach any additional items you feel are pertinent to your situation, including copies of medical records or lab results. You can contact your current/previous primary care office(s) to authorize the release of your medical records to my office via fax (206-686-5012).