There is one thing that stands out from my medical training in Ireland …. We were taught that
1] The most important person is the patient, not the doctor, not the nurse, not the office manager.
2] If you listen to the patient long enough, he or she will tell you the diagnosis. That is why there is no time limit to the office visit.
3] The patient has the power. The doctor is powerless without the patient’s cooperation. The patient can refuse the doctor’s advice regarding, diagnosis, testing and so on. Therefore, I do not push my advice on the patient. Instead, the patient must be open to receive it and act on it if he or she is to regain health, but the patient does have the power to refuse the advice. The doctor cannot make the patient better. Only the patient has the power to do that.
Thus it follows that your neurological care is a partnership between us.
Privacy and Responsibility
You, the patient, are responsible for your own health, not me, not the government, not insurance companies, not pharmaceutical companies. The government and insurance companies usually try to tell you what to do, they want to take responsibility for your health. Remember, they can only tell you what they will pay.
So if the government or insurance companies request clinical notes from me, they will not get them. I will refer them to you. You will have all the notes and test results after each visit. So you decide what privacy you want to give up. Same with other physicians – you will provide the notes to them. I am consulting on my own with no assistant. This keeps my expenses low and allows me to charge so very little.
Cost of Care.
Dr. Kennedy charges $130 for a first consultation visit and $65 for followup visits. PayPal is the only accepted medium of exchange. However, if you have recently lost your job or are otherwise financially distressed, please feel free to negotiate a lower cost with Dr. Kennedy using e-mail.
You will receive a receipt after your initial visit. You can take this to your medical insurance company to be reimbursed. If you need help with the reimbursement, we can provide names and phone numbers of billers. If you do not show for the appointment you will lose the $65 scheduling fee you prepaid. There is a late visit time allowance of 10 minutes for the initial visit and 5 minutes for the follow up visit. If you need to reschedule your appointment, e-mail Dr. Kennedy the day before your appointment. If you do not show for your appointment you will not be refunded. No excuses will be accepted!
Description of Neurology practice
Neurology is called the ‘queen of medicine’.
Why?
I have no idea!
Neurologist are in the trenches trying to diagnose and treat neurological disorders, using their clinical skills. Test are there merely to augment the differential diagnosis.
Dr. Kennedy treats general neurological disorders. These include strokes, seizures, memory loss including Alzheimer’s disease, post-concussion syndrome, closed head injuries, headaches, migraines, multiple sclerosis, tremors, Parkinson’s disease, dystonia and disorders of the spinal cord and muscle including, ALS, myasthenia gravis, myopathies, neuropathies, CIDP and so on.
The tests used to sort out the clinical diagnosis are MRI scans, CT scans, Nerve conduction studies, sleep studies, EMGs, EEGs, Spinal fluid analysis, lab tests, and a variety of other tests.
Witness
Every visit requires a witness and because Dr. Kennedy interviews patients alone, the witness is a camera that records the session.
Arrival
When you arrive at Door A, enter without knocking, take a right and go down the corridor to the waiting room. When he is ready, Dr. Kennedy will call you. There is a camera viewing the corridor, so Dr. Kennedy will see you arriving.
Initial Visit
The patient does not need to fill out any forms for the initial visit. The initial visit will consist of a detailed gathering of information, a list of medications, past history, family history, social history, sleep history and so on. At the first visit, a detailed history of the present complaint will be obtained. Then a detailed neurological exam will be performed that will include the cranial nerves, strength, reflexes, sensation, peripheral nerves, station and gait and so on. At this point in time, Dr. Kennedy will have formed a differential diagnosis and will openly discuss it with you. A plan of action will then be drawn up, forms for tests marked and signed, and medications may be prescribed. The patient will receive a printed copy of the visit which should be taken to the PCP or other physicians. Dr. Kennedy is depending on the patient to provide the physicians with the visit data. The patient should collect all their results and bring them to Dr. Kennedy to be discussed during a follow-up visit. At the end of each visit, initial or follow up, Dr. Kennedy will email you his clinical note and any other information. You will bring these data to your PCP or any other physician.
Return Visits
As soon as the tests are complete, the patient should schedule a follow-up visit. At this visit, Dr. Kennedy will inquire about symptoms, discuss the results and order medications or other therapies by prescription. He may order other tests. He may advise another date for a follow up visit that the patient will schedule on the website. If the first visit was telemedicine, the next visit may be by telemedicine or in-person depending on the diagnosis. For example, Parkinson’s patients may need to be examined frequently.
Prior Authorizations and Mediation Appeals
There is a $50 charge for any of these services.
