Dear Patient,
We hope you are enjoying your summer! As we prepare for the start of our new practice year (September 1), we’d like to bring you up to date on our latest news, practice offerings and what’s to come in the months ahead.
New Role for Dr. Larkin
We are very excited to announce that Dr. Larkin was recently named medical director of UC Health’s Women’s Center and Associate Clinical Professor and the division director of Midlife Women’s Health within the Department of OB/GYN at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She will continue her internal medicine practice with Lisa Larkin, MD, & Associates, and the practice itself will remain an independent internal medicine and gynecology practice. This collaboration with UC Health brings Dr. Larkin’s vision of creating a women’s health facility in Greater Cincinnati one step closer to reality.
Over the next year, as medical director of the center, Dr. Larkin will work with UC Health to create the vision and strategy for the Center’s development. As director for the division of Midlife Women’s Health in the Department of OB/GYN, Dr. Larkin will be involved in medical student and resident education in the area of menopause and midlife women’s health issues.
Sunbal Javaid, MD, Joins Practice
We also are thrilled to announce that board-certified OB/GYN, Sunbal Javaid, MD, will join the practice as of September 1. Dr. Javaid earned her doctor of medicine from the University of Cincinnati, and completed her Obstetrics and Gynecology residency there as well. She also is the co-founder of MamaDoc, a company that provides “practical pregnancy products” to expectant mothers. We are excited to add her to our practice. She is currently scheduling new patients now for September appointments.
Lifestyle Consultation Package – Special Offer for Patients
We are pleased to offer a package of consultations with three complementary health experts to help patients get on track to the healthiest lifestyle they can live. Lifestyle Consults 101 features three introductory sessions (one each) with three providers: Josefa Rangel, MD, internal medicine physician and integrative medicine specialist; Kelly Cunningham, MS, LPC, IHC, health coach and licensed counselor; and fitness experts from Brian Calkin’s HealthStyle Fitness, Inc. Patients of the practice can purchase this package for only $375, a $100 savings. Or, patients may opt for a more comprehensive and longer-term program with the Intensive Lifestyle Program. Featuring all of the components of the Lifestyle 101 program PLUS and an additional three months’ of services including two visits with Dr. Rangel, five coaching sessions with Kelly Cunningham, and personal training sessions with HealthStyle Fitness (2 private or 6 small-group) for a discounted price of $800. Visit the Lifestyle Consults link under the “Classes & Services” tab for more information.
Information and Other Services
Keeping up with the ever-changing healthcare landscape can be a challenge for both physicians and patients. Fortunately, information technology makes it easy to share up-to-date information quickly and easily. We’ll continue to share information via our practice website, patient e-newsletter and through the Better Health Blog. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter where we’ll provide you with practice information updates, medical information and useful health tips. Please continue to take advantage of all those tools to better manage your overall health and wellness.
We also continue to offer diabetes education classes; nutrition counseling and weight-loss classes; private menopause consultations; and adolescent gynecology services. Visit our website for detailed information about any of these valuable services.
Diabetes Care
How do you know if you’re receiving excellent quality diabetes care? The Health Improvement Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati wants to make it easy for patients to understand how area physicians measure up when it comes to meeting five key measures for healthy diabetes patients, including:
- Keeping blood pressure under 140/90 mmHg
- Keeping bad cholesterol (LDL) under 100 mg/dl
- Keeping blood sugar (A1C) under 8 percent
- Being tobacco-free
- Taking aspirin daily as recommended
The Collaborative embarked on one of the regions most comprehensive initiatives for reporting output data. Physician participation is optional, but physicians who do participate agree to submit data on these measures so that patients may have access to their performance scores. Lisa Larkin, MD, & Associates gladly participated in this program. Patients can log on to www.YourHealthMatters.org to review physician practices’ scores to see which providers are providing optimal care for their diabetes patients.
Time to Select Your Annual Practice Plan
With the new practice year on the horizon, it is time to pay your annual fee based on your plan selection for the upcoming year (Sept. 1, 2011–Aug. 31, 2012). At the beginning of each practice year, we ask all patients to choose from either our Core Plan or one of our enhanced provider accessibility plans.
Annual fee. As a reminder, all patients are asked to pay an annual administrative fee. Our practice is dedicated to providing excellent service—beyond the level traditionally covered by insurance. In order to do so, we established an annual fee for all patients to help offset the cost of patient services we routinely provide that are not covered by health insurance plans or Medicare*, such as billing assistance, completion of medical forms, and much more. All patients receive the same high level of care, attention and customer service. Patients who enroll in the Core Plan simply pay this annual administrative fee. The Core Plan Annual Fee is $55 for patients of Drs. Stegman, Joliat and Miller and Anna Fox, CNP. Because of the demands on her time and the increase in requests from patients, the Core Plan Annual Fee for existing patients of Dr. Larkin has been increased to $200. Dr. Larkin will no longer accept any new patients in her Core Plan practice.
Please refer to the chart below for descriptions of plans and fees for each of our providers and to learn more about the MD Connect and MD Connect Plus enhanced provider-accessibility plans.
NOTE: Patients who only receive gynecology services from Lisa Larkin, M.D., & Associates are not subject to any annual or administrative fees.
Enclosed, please find your invoice for your annual fee and your plan selection form for the upcoming practice year. Please complete and return the form, along with your payment, no later than Sept. 1, 2011. For your convenience, you may also complete your plan selection online with either a major credit card or Paypal account. Simply visit our Online Payment Portal. If you have any questions about your plan options, please contact Keri or Rob Rickenbaugh at 513.271.5111 or krickenbaugh@lisalarkinmd.com or rrickenbaugh@lisalarkinmd.com.
From in-house specialty physicians to on-site health counseling and screenings to free community lectures on contemporary health topics, we want you to know that, with Lisa Larkin, MD, & Associates, you have a single source for meeting your health and wellness needs.
Thank you again for choosing us to be your healthcare team. We look forward to serving you soon!
Sincerely,
Lisa Larkin, MD, NCMP
Maria Wright, MD, NCMP
Susan Stegman, MD
Anna Fox, CNP
Sondra Lyness, P-AC
