Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT KIND OF DOCTOR is DR. ROY
Dr. Roy has a doctoral degree in natural medicine (ND) and is known as a “natural medicine doctor” or a “naturopath”.
Following her doctoral degree and residency, Dr. Roy was accepted to a prestigious hospital fellowship in “naturopathic oncology”. She is a Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology (FABNO) and as such is a nationally recognized specialist in integrative care for cancer patients. For more on board certification, go to oncanp.org
Dr. Roy holds a naturopathic medical license in the state of Vermont, where she may prescribe drugs as well as natural therapy. Dr. Roy is in good standing with naturopathic medical licensure requirements in that state, including maintaining medical ethical requirements, passing pharmacology exams, and taking continuing medical education per national board standards. For more on licensure, please see naturopathic.org
In Michigan, Dr. Roy acts as a consultant in supportive care in partnership with oncologic services.
Dr. Mensah has a doctoral degree in natural medicine (ND) and is known as a “natural medicine doctor” or a “naturopath”.
Following medical school, Dr. Mensah narrowed his specialty to nutrition for patients with complex health issues.
He is currently in his first year of a three-year fellowship to become a Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology (FABNO) and a nationally recognized specialist in integrative care for cancer patients. He is sub specializing in oncology nutrition and survivorship. For more on board certification, go to oncanp.org
Dr. Mensah holds a naturopathic medical license in the state of Vermont, where he may prescribe drugs as well as natural therapy. Dr. Mensah is in good standing with naturopathic medical licensure requirements in that state, including maintaining medical ethical requirements, passing pharmacology exams, and taking continuing medical education per national board standards. For more on licensure, please see naturopathic.org
In Michigan, Dr. Mensah acts as a consultant in supportive care in partnership with oncologic services.
WHAT KIND OF DOCTOR IS DR. MENSAH
IS NATURAL MEDICINE LICENSED IN MICHIGAN
No. “Naturopathic Medicine” is an unlicensed term in Michigan. This means that anyone, regardless of training, can call themselves a natural medicine doctor, naturopath, holistic doctor, integrative medicine doctor…in Michigan.
To find out if your natural medicine doctor has a doctoral degree from an accredited medical school, go to naturopathic.org.
To find out if your natural medicine doctor is a board specialist in complementary treatment for cancer, go to oncanp.org or integrativeonc.org and look for the letters FABNO after their name.
GLOSSARY of TERMS:
Naturopath: In Michigan, this simply means someone who has had some training or certification or is otherwise educated in natural medicine. Anyone can claim this training and background, and anyone can offer natural therapies for healing in Michigan.
In our practice, and in the states that license natural medicine, a naturopath is someone who has completed a doctoral degree at an accredited naturopathic medical college or university.
Naturopathic medical students receive training in the same biomedical and diagnostic sciences as medical doctors (MDs) and osteopathic doctors (DOs). Concurrent with clinical years, NDs receive four years in clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, physical medicine. The result is a comprehensive, rigorous, and well-rounded scientific medical education that to many, is comparable and complementary to that of MDs and DOs in primary care. There is robust political debate about this, and many states have resolved this debate by licensing NDs as primary care doctors. Michigan is not one of them.
Naturopathic Doctor (ND): In Michigan, this simply means someone who has had some training or certification or is otherwise educated in natural medicine. Anyone can claim this training and background, and anyone can offer natural therapies for healing in Michigan. “Doctor” is not a licensed term. You can be a doctor of water, doctor of love and so on…
In our practice, and in the states that license natural medicine, an ND is someone who has completed a doctoral degree at an accredited naturopathic medical college or university. NDs are licensed in 22 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States territories of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. These all have licensing or registration laws for naturopathic doctors (NDs/NMDs) including postdoctoral board examinations (NPLEX), state ethics and pharmacology exams in order to receive a license or registration.
Naturopathic Oncologist: An ND who has completed a fellowship in Naturopathic Oncology is trained in integrative cancer care and plays a supportive role for patients and their families diagnosed with cancer through survivorship. They provide evidence-informed guidance on safe and effective use of natural and supportive therapies, which when combined with conventional treatment will not reduce efficacy of life saving drugs but help prevent and mitigate side effects. In survivorship, naturopathic oncologists are skilled in NCCN guidelines in lowering risk of recurrence and reducing the risk of late terms effects like cardio and nephro-toxicity, fatigue, depression, sleep issues and so on.
Fellowship training in a hospital-based, comprehensive cancer center, is a 2-year program; fellowship training in a clinic setting, like ours, is a three- to five-year program. Fellowship is competitive and subsequent to over 2500 hours of patient care in family practice.
HOW DO I MAKE AN APPOINTMENT
Please call Associates of Integrative Medicine at (248) 798-2942 to schedule your initial consultation.
The initial consult is divided into TWO, 90 minute-long appointments.
Each hour is billed separately.
At the first appointment, Dr. Roy or Dr. Mensah takes a review of your full health history, reviews your records, discusses your case, draws out root-cause issues, answers questions, orders any labs, and writes any referrals.
You will need to get labs or other tests drawn, which we will order under medical supervision. We will need to speak to your other doctors for us to get the information we need to treat you. For this reason, the visits are spaced two weeks apart.
At your second visit, your doctor will review the lab work and any tests or imaging ordered and will design a comprehensive plan of recommendations individualized to you.
Please bring all medications and supplements, scans, reports, blood work, and all contact information from your other doctors.
DO YOU TAKE GENERAL PRACTICE PATIENTS
With few exceptions, Dr. Roy focuses her attention on cancer patients. If patients are currently in survivorship, they may, depending on complexity, see Dr. Mensah, instead.
Dr. Mensah’s practice is currently open to general wellness patients with a special interest in disease prevention, autoimmune and gastrointestinal concerns.
Prevention is very important in natural medicine. To that end, in general practice, naturopaths treat the whole person. Rather than focusing on symptoms, naturopaths attempt to address the root cause(s).
HOW MUCH IS AN OFFICE VISIT
Dr. Roy’s Practice:
Dr. Roy does not bill insurance for her consult time.
Your initial visit(s) are $449* per hour, prorated.
The first visit is typically 1.5hr long.
You will typically see Dr. Roy 2 to 4 times a year as an oncology patient, and 1 to 2 times a year as a survivorship patient.
The cost of office visits can be covered under a health savings account or a flex spending plan.
Depending on your insurance coverage, you may be able to negotiate directly with your carrier for partial reimbursement.
At your first visit, Dr. Roy will sit with you and discuss cost of care. We will map out your care and help you to budget appropriately so that you feel comfortable making your health the priority.
As part of our mission, we do not allow cost to be an obstacle to your health goals which does not mean this is not a significant investment. It is and we take that investment seriously by being devoted to your wellness.
Dr. Mensah’s Practice:
Dr. Mensah does not bill insurance for his consult time.
These fees are typically $229.00* per hour as a flat fee for oncologic management and $179* for general wellness concerns.
You will typically see Dr. Mensah 2-4 times a year as an oncology patient, and 3-4 times a year as for survivorship or wellness patient.
The cost of office visits can be covered under a health savings account or a flex spending plan.
Depending on your insurance coverage, you may be able to negotiate directly with your carrier for full or partial reimbursement. Nutrition services are often covered for certain conditions.
At your first visit, Dr. Mensah will sit with you and discuss cost of care. He will map out your care and help you to budget appropriately so that you feel comfortable making your health the priority.
As part of our mission, we do not allow cost to be an obstacle to your health goals. which does not mean this is not a significant investment. It is and we take that investment seriously by being devoted to your wellness.
Counseling:
Mental health IS usually a covered benefit under your insurance.
Our biller will handle your claim submission and communicate with your carrier, directly.
The patient is only responsible for the co-pay that the insurance carrier charges and fees if the carrier denies the claim.
If you do not have coverage, we do offer a sliding scale.
Your initial visit(s) are $25-$159* for the hour.
The first visit is typically 1-1.5 hours long.
You will typically see our counselors 6-48 times a year.
Our biller will handle your claim submission and communicate with your carrier, directly.
The patient is only responsible for the co-pay that the insurance carrier charges and fees if the carrier denies the claim.
*Active February 1st, 2021
ARE LABS, PROCEDURES, AND REFERRALS COVERED BY MY INSURANCE?
Yes. Your labs, procedures, and referrals ARE fully covered under your insurance. We order these under medical supervision in the state of Michigan.
ARE NATURAL THERAPIES COVERED BY MY INSURANCE?
Only on occasion. Vitamins, minerals, supplements, and nutrition are an out-of-pocket cost to you with a few exceptions. They can be covered under an FSA or HSA and in some cases can be negotiated as a covered expense with your carrier. We rely on you to work with your insurance.
Please contact us using the form below to discuss your questions and concerns prior to scheduling.