“AHCC Patient Services Guide”
Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center offers preventative and acute care services, making us a comprehensive primary care provider in Yakima, Washington.
Although a better question might be, ‘what don’t you cover’, we’ll do our best to list what services our members receive for their monthly membership.
Preventative Care – Health and Wellness
Preventative care is included in our monthly membership, including an annual physical and the lab work associated with that physical. Also included in our membership is health and wellness consultation and coaching as a result of those physicals, lab work, and your personal health goals.
Ultimately we act as your healthcare professional to help walk you through your journey of healthcare based upon your goals and desires.
A unique part of our health and wellness program includes preventative mental health care with a mental health counselor. Members with stressful careers, those who are grieving, those with family related stress, and many others would benefit from meeting with our mental health counselor.
Urgent Primary Care
Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center is able to provide same or next day urgent primary care issues such as sprains, fractures, lacerations requiring stitches, infections, and more. We have x-ray services available on site (via a third party at a discounted rate). If you are unsure if we are able to care for your current medical issue, please call and we will help assess your situation – we would love to save you an expensive visit to the emergency room!
Our clinic location is open 8am – 5pm, Monday through Friday. With the exception of holidays and a rare clinic closure, we are available for members during those times for in-person visits. We offer 24/7 phone availability to members, reserving after-hours phone calls to urgent care needs.
Should an urgent injury or illness occur after-hours and care is necessary prior to the next clinic opening, our recommendation is to utilize the 24/7 phone access to our on-call physician and then use a visit to an after-hours urgent care clinic or the emergency room at a last resort.
Again, we cannot guarantee after-hours and weekend availability in-person at this time.
Chronic Condition Management
A membership with Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center is perfect for those who are managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and many others. We will take the necessary time it takes to understand your condition and help you manage it in the best way possible.
Prescription Medication
Prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy of choice, or we may have or be able to stock that medication / prescription and it can be filled right in our clinic. As a benefit to our members, we pass our wholesale cost of prescriptions onto our members, often saving up to 90% on medications. We are unable to stock or dispense narcotics or pain medications.
Laboratory Testing
Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center offers basic on-site laboratory testing (pregnancy tests, basic urine tests, strep throat testing, and others) free of charge to members. A membership also includes necessary labs for annual physicals. Much like prescriptions, we pass on our wholesale cost of each lab to our members (often saving up to 75 – 90%), should you decide to take advantage of that benefit. Labs may also be charged to your insurance carrier.
Office Procedures & Supplies
A membership with Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center includes a number of in-office procedures like wound care, stitches, casting / splinting, injections (medication / injectables will be charged an additional fee), EKG’s, PFT’s, and more. We will have a selection of supplies available at wholesale cost (such as splints, braces, crutches, etc.), should you choose to purchase those from our clinic.
Vaccines
Vaccines will be provided at our cost – some vaccinations are provided by the state for children, which could depend on what kind of insurance or insurance alternative you may carry at the time of the visit. When cost effective, we will stock adult vaccinations. In some cases, we may refer to a local provider for adult vaccinations when it is cost-effective for our member.
DOT Physical Exams
Current active members in need of Dept. of Transportation Physical Exams can receive a DOT exam free of charge. Scheduling at least 2 weeks in advance is recommended, as not all of our providers are approved via the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) National Registry.
Mental Health Counseling
Membership with Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center includes up to six mental health counseling visits per the lifetime of membership (with the exception of our $125 initial intake visit). Additional sessions beyond the six visits will require a mental health counseling office visit fee of $50 per visit (subject to change).
Classes and seminars are also offered to members free of charge.
Specialty Care Coordination
When a procedure, illness, or issue reaches beyond our scope of expertise, we will act as your referring primary care provider – coordinating the referral, communicating with the specialist, and helping to follow through with your care plan.
Hospital and Emergency Room Visit Coordination
If you have a serious emergency requiring immediate medical attention, call 911, then call Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center (or have hospital personnel contact us) in order to let us know so we may participate or help coordinate your care.
Should a member require hospitalization or an emergency room visit, Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center will communicate with the hospital, send any necessary information or records (at the permission of that member) that might be required, and coordinate your care during and following your discharge. Our physicians will likely have hospital privileges if you are in the area and will be able to help coordinate your care during your hospital stay.
Membership does not include…
Membership with Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center does not include the following: prenatal and delivery services, specialist care, advanced imaging, emergency services, or complementary and alternative care such as acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, or naturopathy.
While we are not currently trained in naturopathy or natural medicine (including supplements and their effects), we will walk alongside a member who desires to use those as part of their healthcare and help manage health along the way.
For those services we cannot provide, we are pleased to help members find the best source for these types of care as needed, and will be working to help negotiate lower cash prices for care with certain specialists and/or advanced imaging services.