Larry A. Bernstein, V.M.D. PCHom.
751 N.E. 168 Street
North Miami Beach, FL 33162 - 2427
305 - 652 - 5372 - Voice
305 - 653 - 7244 – Fax
http://www.naturalholistic.com
office@naturalholistic.com – e-mail

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Revised March 2007
Please see the recent changes under “How We Charge”
As of March 31, 2007 we have introduced a $35 File Processing Fee to Cover Office Expenses of setting up your file. This is charged when we make your appointment and we will credit the full amount toward your first invoice.

Our Homeopathic Consultation Services

Thank you for inquiring about our consultation service. We are able to help in most situations even though we may not be able to see your animal in person. To be able to do this successfully, we usually will need to talk to you at some length (at first) so as to determine the pattern of illness from which your animal is suffering. Once we understand the situation, a homeopathic medicine is prescribed along with a recommended diet and appropriate nutritional supplements where indicated.

How We View Illness

In most situations that we deal with, the illness is a chronic one, e.g., long lasting and requiring treatment over several months. Regular appointments are necessary every 2 - 4 weeks (depending on the severity of the case). These follow - up consultations are usually 15 - 30 minutes in length. The treatment will be adjusted as necessary depending on your progress reports.
If the situation is an acute problem, such as an injury or acute manifestation of an illness, we may move into a remedy more quickly. These types of situations tend to need more immediate care and respond differently than chronic, long standing problems. One stabilized, we will usually look for deeper, more chronic remedies.

Use of Other Modalities and Medications

The treatment program that we use is not compatible with the simultaneous use of conventional drugs such as antibiotics, corticosteroids, thyroid hormones, etc. As the cases progresses, you may be guided in the gradual discontinuance of some or all these medications. This is necessary so that our methods can take full effect. In addition, if other symptoms appear during treatment (or older, previous conditions return) you will be expected to contact us for appropriate response rather than use drugs that you may have used before. The reappearance of older problems can be a very good sign that the body is beginning to heal and this is usually a very delicate and important time. The use of conventional medications and treatments might make this healing impossible!

How We Schedule

Since we want to do the best by our patients, our usual protocol is to only take on patients that are as committed to the healing of their animal companions as we are. This may sound arrogant but the saddest part of practice, is to pour your heart and soul into a case, start making real progress and have the client decide that it is too much trouble to follow the regimen. Once both sides have agreed to make this commitment, we schedule a consultation to discuss the case in detail, this includes a medical history, the current symptoms and any other relevant factors. We discuss what you can reasonably expect from therapy and whether this is the correct modality for your situation.
This initial, extended intake is what usually takes the most time as we are gathering all the history and pertinent information together for the first time. Depending on the complexity of the case, this takes about 45 - 60 minutes with you directly and perhaps another 15-30 minutes in analysis and conference deciding on the treatment approach we are going to use.

Our Charges

As of March 31, 2007 we have introduced a non-fundable (like a store credit) $35 file processing fee to cover office expenses and time for setting up your file. This is only charged when we make your actual appointment and we will credit the full amount toward your first invoice.

Our charges are based on the time we spend on the case, at the rate of $180 an hour and this applies to both time talking to you and also working on the case afterwards. If we see you in person, there is also a $35 office visit charge. This is for hands-on cases that we see in our office and not telephone consultations. Basically, we charge for time spent on the case - meaning phone consultation time, office visit time, and case analysis time. Follow - up appointments are based on the same fee with a minimum charge of $45 – a 15 minute minimum. We will also take reports by fax or e-mail and charges are based on the time to read, analyze and respond. It is often faster to consult by telephone in complex cases. Consultations require a credit card (MasterCard, Visa American Express or Discover) or a prepaid account for payment of services. We do not bill.

Getting the Remedies

If you do not have ready access to the homeopathic remedy(s) we prescribe or we will send them to you. Of course, there is a charge for the homeopathic medicine, herbal medication, and nutritional supplements sent. In most cases we ship medicines by UPS. This method seems to do the most to protect the medicines and ensures that treatment will be timely. Overnight shipment is available in emergencies or at the request of the client. We do recommend overnight shipment of homeopathic medicines during very hot weather to ensure their protection. Clients living far away from other sources of remedies or with multiple cases or complicated critical cases may be offered a homeopathic remedy kit we created with 50 of our most important remedies so as to avoid delay in treatment.

Becoming a Client

If you would like to explore becoming a client with us, please read this guide, the Homeopathic Primer and the Authorization. If you then decide this is the route you want to take, go back online and fill in the online form so we have your person details (name address etc). Also be sure to print out the Authorization (it will say REVISION 4-2007 on the top), read it sign it and fax it to 305-653-7244. Once we receive it and the online form we will call you to set up an appointment. At the time the appointment is scheduled, we will charge the non-refundable $35 processing fee – after your appointment, this amount will be credited back to your first bill. If you have other questons or lack online access, please feel free tocall us at (305) 652-5372. You may also e-mail to office@naturalholistic.com but the phone is usually quicker and most dependable. We do get a large number of calls and cannot take on every client. We usually leave our phone on voice mail but do monitor our calls throughout the day. If we are on voice mail, leave a message! We will make every attempt to contact you a timely fashion. The biggest obstacle to a return call is an unclear phone number left on the message, so speak slowly and clearly. Please realize that it may take a day or so to return calls for new non-emergency cases.

Our Pledge

If you decide to work with us, you have our pledge that we will do our very best to help you. Our goal is a complete cure of the problem, regardless of the diagnosis. Of course, some patients are very aged or have been ill too long for a complete cure, but we will do our best to increase the quality of life.
If we do elect to work together after the preliminary consultation and need to schedule a regular intake appointment, you should use the following questions as a guide to help organize your thoughts. If you want, you can send them to us prior to your extended consultation. We may also need medical records and laboratory tests from your veterinarian indicating a diagnosis or description of the problem. We will tell you this during the preliminary consultation.

Helpful Hints Beforehand For Our Veterinary Clients

If you can answer the following questions, it will be helpful in doing the extended interview with you. However, this is optional and not necessary if you find It difficult.
You can send this information to us by e-mail so we can include it in your case file. Please send to office@naturalholistic.com.
You can also send it via mail (allow sufficient time prior to your appointment for it to be received and reviewed), you can expedite using an overnight service (like UPS or Federal Express or Airborne), or fax it to us at 305 - 653 - 7244 (24 hours a day).
Try to include:

1. A description of the most recent illness which prompted you to contact us. Use your own words to describe what alerted you to the presence of illness, e.g., what symptoms you saw. If a veterinarian was used, describe what that person observed and said about It. Was a treatment used? If so, describe that as well. If laboratory tests were done. Ask for a copy of the results to send on to us.
2. An outline of the previous (before this last one) health problems your animal has experienced. Please describe these In your own words, what diagnosis was given (if a veterinarian was consulted), and what treatments were used (not necessarily brand names, but, for example, antibiotics, cortisone or steroids ).
3. What medication is your animal presently on? Include use of heartworm medication, program, frontline or flea - shots, dips, or other insecticides.
4. How long have you had this animal? What is the age, breed, sex (spayed or neutered?), weight, and name. Are there other animals in the home?
5. What kind of environment does your animal have? Does it get outdoors? How much exercise? Do you live In a house? Mobile home? Apartment?
6. What Is the temperament of this animal? Is there ever irritability or aggression? Jealousy? Is it calm or very excitable? Is there anything (strangers, loud noises such as thunderstorms, firecrackers, loud voices) which causes fear?
7. How often have vaccinations been given (approximate months are adequate)? What kind ? (example: DHL, Rabies, Parvovirus, Corona, Lyme vaccine Kennel Cough, Bordetella, Panleukopenia or Cat Distemper, 3 in 1 Cat vaccine, FVRCP, Feline Leukemia vaccine, Chlamydia vaccine).
8. What food Is your animal currently eating? Include any supplements, vitamins, or minerals added to the food.
9. We hope that his has given an accurate overview of our procedures. Please feel free to ask any questions.

Dr. Larry and Karen Bernstein

© Natural Holistic Health  Care - Larry A. Bernstein, VMD, PCHom.
751 N.E. 168 Street, N. Miami Beach,FL 33162-2427 USA
305-652-5372 - Voice
305-653-7244 - Fax
E-mail to Natural Holistic Health Care
www.naturalholistic.com
All rights reserved and this may not be reprinted for commercial use without permission