What is Health and Wellness Coaching?

Health and well-being are impacted by multiple interconnected dimensions - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. A Health and Wellness Coach will help support you in discovering ways to successfully implement healthy, sustainable lifestyle behaviors across these various dimensions. The coaching relationship is a partnership that focuses on the whole person, helping you develop and realize your optimal health vision through inquiry, personal discovery and accountability.

Scope of Practice

Coaching appointments differ from primary care appointments at AFP in that health coaches do not diagnose conditions, prescribe treatments, or provide psychological therapeutic interventions. The coach is there as a support and guide, but the agenda, goals, methods, and pace are up to you. Coaches may provide expert guidance in areas in which they hold active credentials. For example, Judy is credentialed as a HeartMath instructor, and Liz is certified as a Functional Medicine coach.

Mental/Behavioral Health

If applicable, we expect you to maintain regular follow-up with mental/behavioral health providers as recommended by your primary care provider (PCP) or psychiatric provider. If the coach determines that further behavioral health interventions are needed, they will discuss these with you. If you are unwilling to seek the recommended services, the coach reserves the right to terminate the coaching relationship.

Medical Concerns

Health coaching visits at AFP are “shared” with a supervising provider. However, these visits are not a replacement for medical care. Therefore, we expect you to maintain recommended follow-up with your PCP and other medical specialists involved in your care, including an annual physical with your PCP. If you have a new medical concern, please make an appointment to discuss with a medical provider BEFORE discussing with your health coach. If you bring up a new medical concern with your Health Coach we may need to cancel your coaching appointment and try to reschedule with your medical provider. The coach reserves the right to terminate the coaching relationship at any time.

No-Show/Late Cancellations

If you no-show your appointment with your Health Care Coach or cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice, you will be charged a $50 fee. Extenuating circumstances will be taken into account. If you know you are going to be late, please call to let us know so we can check if you are still able to be seen.

Multiple Appointments in the Same Day

Your insurance company will not pay for 2 primary care visits in the same day. Since Dragonfly visits (massage, physical therapy, nutrition, Functional Medicine, or HeartMath/Stress Management, coaching) are billed as primary care visits, you cannot have 2 of these on the same day unless you pay out of pocket for one of them. However, in some cases, you may be able to have an appointment with Judy and with another provider. Please discuss with Judy if you are scheduled for an appointment with Judy and someone else in the practice on the same day.

Group Medical Visits

We offer a variety of group medical visits which cover a range of topics. These visits are billed to your insurance in the same way as any other office visit at AFP. You are responsible to pay any copay that your insurance requires at the time you sign up for your group visit. Please check in at the desk upstairs or downstairs for group visits. If you have pre-paid your co-pay you can skip check-in and use the sign-in sheet.  If you cancel within 24 hours or no-show, you will be charged a fee.

Communication | Phone: 413-549-8400

Phone calls are generally the fastest form of communication in the office (see AFP website for hours). The Patient Portal, also known as the Healow App, is a secure way to send non-urgent messages to your coach. You will have to select a provider (such as your PCP) when writing a message, but if you address the message “To Judy” or “To Liz”, it will get to them.

I have read, understand, and agree to the Health Coaching Policies of Atkinson Family Practice.

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