Q.  What kind of insurance coverage can I expect for appointments?
A.  We have seen a change in coverage by insurance companies over the years we have been in this field of medicine.  At one point, if the insurance company found out an appointment was for preventative care of any of the types of care we provide, they would deny the claim or try to collect back the money they paid on the claim.  Hormone management is slowly being recognized as legitimate medicine by the insurance companies.  The first we noticed to change their stance on this was Blue Cross, followed by most of the other insurance companies.  However, because of our experiences, we will not bill your insurance company for you.  We will provide patients with invoices containing the information required for a patient to submit an insurance reimbursement, which is often more successful and faster than billing the insurance company to begin with.

Q.  What kind of insurance coverage can I expect for my medications?
A.  Estrogen and progesterone replacement seems to be covered by the vast majority of insurance companies.  Some insurance companies reject testosterone replacement outright, some have stringent requirements for it, and some will actually cover it.  Thyroid medications are almost universally covered.  Vitamin injections, such as B-12, are often covered.  Growth Hormone replacement coverage is rarely covered.  Coverage depends on the insurance company.  A short list of coverage requirements by insurance carrier can be found on this page.  This list is not perfect, coverage depends also on a patients specific plan.

Q.  What kind of insurance coverage can I expect for aesthetic treatments - Liposuction, Botox, ect?
A.  None.  Even for medically necessary treatments, these procedures are denied by insurance companies.

Q.  What are the risks with the treatments, medications, or therapies?
A.  Doctors are bound to "Do no harm".  Our medical staff is very cautious.  We will let you know what risks are involved with anything we provide.  If there is a rational possibility something will harm a patient, we will not do it.  This is why we are very strict on refills for medications.  Though it may be tempting to abuse some medications and treatments we provide, it will be harmful, and we will not enable you.  Stick to the plan setup for you by the doctor and you will see the results and stay safe and healthy.

Q.  What will this cost?
A.  Of course the costs will vary widely depending any number of factors.  Contact our office for more information to help you in your decision making.

Q.  Where are you located?
A.  Dr Carlson and the Institute is located in Sarasota, FL.  On the north side of the Sarasota Memorial Hospital complex.  Here is a map.

Q.  What is a bio-identical hormone?
A.  Bioidentical hormones are hormones that are exact copies of endogenous (produced from within) human hormones as opposed to synthetic versions with different chemical structures or animal-based, such as Premarin.   Conjugated Equine (horse) Estrogens (i.e. Premarin) are extracted from horse urine.  However, the horse "side-chains" are not removed and therefore the medication has unintentional side-effects from the additional horse hormones.  The horse has numerous compounds in the preparation, that are definitely foreign and potentially harmful to the human body (equipollence).  Bioidentical hormones start out as hormones from a yam.  The difference is the bioidentical hormones have the side-chains removed to create only hormones identical to ours.