Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do you take my insurance?
2. Why does the initial consult take 60 minutes or more? Is there any other service included in the fee?
3. How frequent will I need to come in?
4. Is Dr. Ferreira a “real” doctor?
- Yes. Dr. Ferreira is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor and also referred as a Naturopathic Doctor and Naturopathic Physician. The title “Physician” is not taken lightly in any state and this signifies that the State of Utah has recognized that Naturopathic Medical Doctors have completed graduate training to provide health care from an accredited medical school. A physician may be referred to as a doctor, however, not all doctors are physicians (ie. PhDs).
5. Did Dr. Ferreira go to medical school?
6. Did Dr. Ferreira complete a medical residency?
7. Does Dr. Ferreira order labs?
- Dr. Ferreira may require for further investigation of your case, most patients do utilize their insurance to pay for them as Dr. Ferreira will provide you with a lab order at the end of your initial visit and you then may be able to take that to any draw station that your insurance prefers. Please inquire with your insurance to see what the coverage is for labs for your health care plan before running any laboratory work to understand what the cost may be.
- If you do not have insurance Dr. Ferreira does have a relationship with a laboratory that provides her patients with cost-effective labs. This may be the best choice also take if you have a large deductible.
- If you are seeing Dr. Ferreira strictly for Acupuncture and not for general medicine then she will not run labs for your case. If she sees a need then she may suggest that you schedule an appointment with her for general medicine so she may address your case appropriately.
8. Can Dr. Ferreira prescribe medications?
- Dr. Ferreira is able to prescribe medications and will do so when necessary.
- Although Dr. Ferreira is a Naturopathic Physician, it does not mean she is against pharmaceuticals but rather it means she does not use them as the first and only therapy. Instead she uses them when warranted alongside with lifestyle, diet and supplement recommendations. This allows her to treat the whole person instead of just one system and symptoms.
- Each state that licenses Naturopathic Physicians has their own scope of practice. In the State of Utah, Naturopathic Physicians are unable to prescribe Scheduled Drugs, with the exception of Bio-Identical Testosterone. Therefore Dr. Ferreira will not be able to fill any prescriptions that are considered Scheduled Drugs (ie. Narcotics, Ambien, etc.) from your previous physician. If you are currently using any Scheduled Drugs it is best to continue to see the practitioner who prescribed them to you alongside your care with Dr. Ferreira as she addresses the root cause for the need of these pharmaceuticals.