3201 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 211
Santa Monica, Ca 90403
Phone: 310-315-9101 Fax: 310-829-9860

To all of our patients:

Thank you for your confidence in seeking to improve your health under my guidance. To help you, please read the following pages regarding the current policies of the office. If you have any questions please ask myself or staff. We wish to provide a valuable service to you, to help you to attain greater well-being and to empower you to take charge of your own health.

FEES . Fees are due and payable at the time of the visit. I do not subscribe to any insurance plans, however you will receive a superbill which you can mail to your insurance company. Medicare co-payment fees and deductibles will be collected at the time of the visit. The office will bill Medicare so that you can receive your reimbursement. In case of hospitalization or expenses in office procedures, we will generally bill your insurance. If you are having problems with billing or insurance, my office manager, Gayle Sadowski can assist you.

LAB FEES Because of a recent California law, doctors are not able to charge for tests that are not done on their premises. We charge only for venipuncture, collection and handling, and the tests performed in the office. Since your medical condition may be complex, I may be sending specimens to several different labs around the country. This is because I have researched how to get the best quality of information to diagnose your condition. What this means is that each lab will be billing you separately. If you have insurance and wish the lab to bill them, please be sure to give the nurse your insurance information when the test is taken. Some of the labs require prepayment or will be less expensive for you if you mail a check with the specimen. My nurse will discuss this with you.

LAB RESULTS Simple results such as cultures, pap smears, and some lab results will be given to you over the phone by my nurse. Since the nature of my practice is prevention and wellness, I ask that you make follow up appointments to discuss test results. It is possible to go over the results over the phone if you are unable to come to the office. If you would like a phone consultation, please make an appointment with the front desk. I do charge for calls based on time. The charge is $75 for 15 minutes.

TELEPHONE CALLS We receive many calls during the day and unfortunately given the time constraints of my busy practice, it is often impossible for me to personally return all of the phone calls I receive. However, my staff and I are dedicated to provide you the support that you may need in your medical care. Consequently we have set up the following structure to assist you.

My receptionist, my nurse and my office manager are available to help you with your questions. Please speak with them and be specific with your questions. If you have a serious problem and need an appointment on the same day, please let them know. We will find a time for you to come in, or refer you to the appropriate specialist if necessary.

If it is not a serious problem and can wait, they will relay the message to me and someone will get back to you as soon as they are able. Let them know when you will be available to receive a call back and perhaps give them an evening telephone number.

When we have busy days we will often be returning calls between lunch from 1:00 to 2:00  or in the late afternoon  between 5 and 6 PM. The best time to reach me is between 5 and 7 PM on most days. The answering service will be taking the calls but can put you through to the office after hours.

Please understand that we often have a very heavy patient load and many emergencies. Remember that if you have a serious problem, you must make that known to my staff so that we can facilitate getting you an answer or appointment as soon as possible. If your call is not emergency, we will answer it as quickly as we can. We ask that you have consideration when there has been a delay in our ability to return your call. It is usually because we have had a number of emergencies. I am sure you would want the same consideration if you were in a crisis and in need of attention.

PRESCRIPTIONS FOR THE FASTEST SERVICE, HAVE YOUR PHARMACY CALL US. Often the pharmacy is busy and leaves us on hold. My staff then has to make the call again, causing delays in getting the prescription to them.

Please allow at least 24 hours notice for prescription refills. Depending upon the type of medication, you may be asked to make an appointment if you haven't been seen in the office for some time.

SUPPLEMENTS, Purchasing of supplements is available by clicking this link to the online store. Please email us of there is something you need that we don't have listed.

My staff end I welcome you on your path to healing and wellness. We would like you to understand the importance of creating intentions and goals in your life. Your commitment to good health is the beginning of this process. Let us help you to further fulfill your goals and improve the quality of your life.

Sincerely, Cynthia M. Watson, M.D. and Staff