Frequently Asked Questions

New Patient Information

If you are coming to Nourish for the first time there are a few things we would like you to know:

The doctors at Nourish Natural Medical Center strive to stay on time, as your time is just as valuable as theirs.  Your part in the process is simple, just come in 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment time if you have the necessary intake forms filled out.  If you need to fill out the intake forms at the office please arrive 45 minutes before the scheduled appointment time.

  • Within 24 hours of making your appointment, our new patient Coordinator will email you a welcome email. The email will include your appointment date and time, our contact details and your intake forms which need to be completed and returned no later than 2 business days before your appointment so that your provider may be prepared for your visit.

  • In the first visit, or the initial intake, you will tell your story and what had led up to you or your child’s current symptoms. Your records will be reviewed, additional lab testing will be ordered, if necessary, a physical exam is done, and an individualized treatment plan is given. This may include diet changes, lifestyle counseling, stress management techniques and supplements. Please bring any recent records that you have along with any supplements that you are currently on, if possible.

    Adult patients will have an extended follow up about 2-4 weeks later. At this appointment, labs will be reviewed, and a homeopathic remedy will be found that matches with your symptoms the best to help heal your body from the inside out. It is after this intake that you will have your full treatment plan.

    For your follow up care, your first one will be approximately one month after your initial intake. At this follow up, we will review all symptoms to make sure you are responding to the treatment plan. Even after their best efforts, it is sometimes possible that the doctor may need to re-evaluate your case at this point if you are not improving like expected. After this appointment, your doctor will decide how often you will need to be seen until your symptoms are completely resolved. Some patients continue monthly follow-ups after this, while others start to spread their visits out further based on how they are responding and how much care is required in their case. Consistent follow up care is the key to continued success in your case and will decrease your overall time of treatment.

  • We will provide you with all the necessary forms to self-submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement. We do take HSA and FSA cards.

FAQs

  • No, insurance is not directly accepted as a form of payment. Nourish's office staff can provide you with an itemized receipt after your visit, which you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement if your policy covers out-of-network benefits. Please talk with the front desk staff at check out about obtaining a superbill.

  • Yes, we do. We just ask that you also provide us with a secondary card to keep on file as a back-up.

  • Yes! Dr. Covey treats children beginning at 1 month of age.

  • Absolutely. We would just need to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation first to explain how this would work.

  • Yes, we can offer phone appointments or video appointments using DOXY – a HIPAA compliant service that is extremely patient-friendly.

  • Yes, you will always receive the same level of care and doctor’s time regardless of your appointment type.

  • We will make every effort to schedule you with your provider the same day if you are not feeling well. It is always best to call us (rather than email) as soon as possible so that we can do our best to accommodate you.

  • No, the use of homeopathy varies among Naturopathic Doctors. Some do not use it at all, while others use it sparingly, while others, like the providers at Nourish, use it as a main therapy. Using homeopathy in this way requires years of practice and training. The doctors have dedicated their practice to the study of homeopathy and have completed additional training outside of medical school to become proficient in it. Because of this they can proficiently select the most individualized remedy for your case while also managing the ebbs and flows of treatment using homeopathic medicine.

    Continue scrolling for Homeopathic treatment FAQs.

  • Absolutely! You can decide if you would like to use your insurance or if you would like a discounted cash pay rate, depending on the types of labs needed.

  • In most cases, yes! Please let us know the specifics and then we can go from there.

  • Please call your pharmacy and let them know. They will fax us a refill authorization. If you will be using a new pharmacy, call the front desk and let them know the pharmacy name, cross streets, and zip code. Please allow 72 business hours.

  • If you need to contact your doctor between visits, you can do one of the following: message the doctor through Patient Fusion or call and speak to the front desk staff. Messaging your doctor through patient fusion is the quickest and most effective way to get information to your doctor.

    However, if you need to make an appointment that day, please call the front desk staff. If you message your doctor, please allow at least 48 hours for a response, although most messages that are sent prior to 3 PM will be returned same day. If the email or question is lengthy, requires you to be seen or a change in your treatment plan, then a visit may be required.

Homeopathic Treatment FAQs

  • Nourish Natural Medical Center carries most homeopathic remedies that are prescribed to you. You can also purchase most remedies in 6c and 30c (some will also carry a 200c) at Sprouts, Whole Foods, and various local, independent health food stores. You can also pick up 6c and 30c remedies at SCNM on 101 and Broadway in Tempe. I will need to call in a prescription for any remedy higher than a 200c.

  • They can run from $7-20 a remedy depending on where you get them and the potency you need.

  • Your doctor should know if the treatment plan in working in the first 2-3 weeks after the remedy is given. For some people it takes a little as a few days to 1 week and for others as much as 4 weeks to feel a difference. In acute cases, you should begin to feel better very quickly, ranging from a few minutes to a few hours.

  • There is a VAST amount of incorrect information online regarding homeopathic medicines. Please understand that looking up a substance online that was given to you in a homeopathic form, you will often find information on that remedy that is NOT homeopathically prepared.

    All remedies are made from original substances that can cause symptoms in people. However, when they are prepared homeopathically, the toxic or dangerous effects of that substance are no longer present. The homeopathic form of the remedy you were given is safe and non-toxic. The remedies are regulated by the FDA and sold over the counter at most health food stores.

  • Homeopathic medicine does not have a drug effect on the system. It is a completely natural, subtle change that shifts your body over time, like eating better and exercising.

    Even though some people do feel a dramatic difference right away, most often, it is looking back over the past several weeks over starting treatment, people will realize that their symptoms have not been bothering them, they feel more energized, have an improved mood, and a greater sense of well-being, peace, and calm.

  • Please make sure you have gone over what to expect from taking a remedy with your doctor. Rarely, when a remedy is given to a person, they can feel a worsening of symptoms before they improve. It is often the remedy interacting with your symptoms as you begin to respond to treatment. This should only last 24-48 hours, if at all. If it lasts longer, please call for direction, as your dosage of the remedy might have to be adjusted. Although you do not need to experience this worsening of symptoms to improve, it is often a sign that we found the correct match and you will soon feel much better.

  • The remedy is for the totality of your symptoms and for your overall health. By finding the right homeopathic remedy that matches your complete case, we can remind the body to work in balance again. When this happens, the symptoms that you have will start to fade away, since they are just manifestations of an unbalanced system.

  • You can come in for an acute treatment plan, no need to go to urgent care. All doctors at Nourish can treat infections and colds. If you do get sick and do not come in for treatment, pay special attention to how you feel after getting sick, as you may need an increase of strength of your remedy after getting sick.

  • Because homeopathic remedies are so natural, the body can get used to them easily. When the body gets used to a remedy, you will notice that you either stop improving or some symptoms that were gone, may start to return mildly. However, you should never go back to where you started. Time (mostly between 1-3 months), illness, dental work and stress are all reasons as to why a potency will need to be changed. There are many potencies available so do not worry about running out of potencies before you are better.

  • You can just hold onto them and find a space that you designate for your remedies. In time, we may be able to re-use them, or you may need to use them for your family. Think of them the same way you would keep other medicines in your medicine cabinet.

  • No, unfortunately most of the time, it does not work that way. Remedies are not made in milligram dosages and cannot be added together. The potency given is prepared in a specific way and when your body gets used to it, it normally does not respond any further. However, it is possible with some people to prolong their reaction by a several weeks by taking their remedy more frequently. Every new potency is prepared in a different way, which is what your body needs to continue to react to it.

  • It depends on the complexity of your case and how quickly you are responding to treatment. Your doctor will be able to continue to address this as needed throughout treatment.

  • No. Once you are better, we will take you off the remedy and you will only take it as needed if you are feeling any symptoms return. Homeopathic medicine, however, is used for many acute and chronic illnesses and can be treated like any other medicine. For instance, you may need another remedy for a different reason in the future, as you would any medicine.