Know your healthcare
Dr. Winiecki's model of care may seem like a big shift in the way you know your healthcare. It is! Direct Primary Care is a nationally growing trend in family healthcare. Here are some frequently asked questions:
Family Medicine FAQs
Do you take my insurance?
No, and while that may sound like a show-stopper for many people, let me tell you why. Family practice can’t financially survive on the low reimbursements from insurance. The system simply does not value prevention. The overhead expenses of taking insurance (administrators, clerks, IT, billing and collections) result in the need to see as many patients as possible, which reduces appointment times and inhibits the patient/doctor relationship, satisfaction and ultimately, health outcomes. Without those insurance burdens, Direct Primary Care physicians can apply those resources to providing you with high quality primary care at much lower costs.
Why should I pay for a service I get for “free” at the bigger clinics?
Value. Compare the care we provide with the care you get there. We cap the size of our practice so we have the time to offer you responsive communication, same/next day appointments, urgent, acute and chronic care follow up, unhurried visits where we get to know you and your family, spend time with the education so we can arrive at good decisions about your health. It’s like having a doctor in the family! Transparency is refreshing and our costs are low when compared to the costs of the other system. Often, DPC will save you money over your insurance copays and deductibles. If we can save you one trip to the ED, we’ve saved you the value of the annual fee! We work hard to give you everything we can to keep you healthy at no extra charge. We’re investing in the health of our community, together.
Do I still need insurance?
Yes, you need insurance for the bigger things that might crop up – images, hospitalizations, specialist consultations, prescription drugs, etc. Think of it this way: you have auto insurance in case of an auto accident. The rest of your car maintenance costs are yours – oil changes, brake pads, tires, etc. Your medical insurance is for the big stuff. Your Monad Doc bill will be your health maintenance cost.
Can you still order/prescribe meds, labs, images and specialist consultations?
Yes! That system does not change for you. I write an order and send it to them. They perform the service and bill your insurance, same as before. And because I will have fewer patients, I will be able to monitor your progress through the system much more closely and be able to assist.
Is DPC the same as concierge medicine?
No, but there are similarities. Concierge medicine has a reputation for catering to the affluent, costing a lot while still billing insurance. I bristle at the notion. I am mission driven to serve our community with family medicine. Adopting the DPC method allows me to do that for those that value it at an affordable rate.
Should I join your DPC if I’m healthy?
Yes! For the cost of a cell phone plan, gym membership or cable TV subscription, you can have the assurance of the doctor on your side, who knows you, responds and cares for you and your family, available after hours, ready when you might need some attention, monitoring your health and helping you with your health goals.
Prolotherapy FAQs
Prolotherapy: An Explanation
Prolotherapy, a form of regenerative orthopedics, is a nonsurgical pain treatment that stimulates the body’s natural healing response to repair injured or weakened joints, ligaments and tendons. The weakened areas are injected with a solution, a “proliferant”, that initiates growth of healthy tissue to restore function, mobility and eliminate pain. Prolotherapy has been practiced in the US since the 1930’s and endorsed by US former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. It is a very effective treatment for musculoskeletal injuries including arthritis, tendinitis, bursitis, joint instability and more.
Can Prolotherapy help my pain?
Many types of chronic pain are caused by damaged ligaments, tendons, muscles and joints. Prolotherapy often results in healing of these structures with permanent pain relief.
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What is the solution that is injected?
The most commonly used proliferant is a mixture of dextrose (sugar derived from corn) and lidocaine with normal saline. It is safe and effective for most patients.
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How does prolotherapy work?
Injecting a proliferant into the injured area signals the body’s natural repair mechanisms to start the healing cascade. This initiates repair and growth of new healthy ligament and tendon fibers. Subsequent treatments repeat this proliferative process, allowing a gradual building of structures to restore strength and function and eliminate pain.
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Is the prolotherapy treatment painful?
Most patients tolerate the procedure well with a pretreatment of local anesthesia (lidocaine). Some people forgo it. The treatment is experienced differently among patients. Some may experience discomfort. We recommend pretreating with Tylenol.
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How often do I need these treatments?
This, too, is different for each individual. Some people may feel their pain resolved after just one treatment. Many require multiple treatments with an average of 3-6 treatments separated by 2-6 weeks depending on your condition and the response to the treatment.
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How will I feel after prolotherapy treatment?
You can expect to have increased discomfort for three to five days because your body is responding to the proliferant. It may cause you to feel stiff and sore, like you had the sprain or arthritis flare-up all over again. This is a good sign that you are getting a proper response. You can expect some bruising, local swelling and tenderness at the injection site.
When can I go back to work and play sports?
Some patients prefer to rest after treatment while others carry-on with their work and other activities. Certainly avoid strenuous work and sports for two or three weeks after injection to give the repaired tissue a chance to mature. Your body heals best when not struggling with continued microtrauma and reinjury. The growth cycle is complete in six weeks.
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Is prolotherapy safe?
It is safe when administered by a properly trained prolotherapist. The risks are similar to other joint injections. Rare side effects include infection and nerve damage. Dr. Winiecki is a trained member of the International Association for Regenerative Therapy, IART.
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How effective is prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy is very effective. There is extensive research to support the use of prolotherapy for multiple musculoskeletal conditions. The rate of success depends on multiple factors including the patient’s other medical conditions, age, nutrition, and their ability to rest.
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How is prolotherapy different from steroid injections?
Steroids produce pain relief by inhibiting the body’s natural healing inflammatory mechanism. Swelling is reduced, the pain goes away but healing is suppressed! In the long run, steroids cause tissue breakdown, joint instability, pain and multiple adverse effects. Prolotherapy safely does just the opposite by promoting healing.
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When would you use prolotherapy versus platelet rich plasma (PRP) or stem cells?
The goal of regenerative injections such as prolotherapy, PRP or stem cell treatment, is to stimulate the healing cascade. In general, if a patient gets the desired 2-3 days of inflammation (stiffness, soreness, local pain) after prolotherapy, they do not need a stronger proliferant like PRP or stem cells. Prolotherapy is much more cost effective and less invasive (does not require processing blood or cellular tissue).
Why should you consider Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy stimulates your body to heal on its own with the injection of a simple sugar, dextrose. It repairs the damaged structures that cause the pain rather than just masking it. Prolotherapy is less invasive than surgery with a shorter recovery time. In some cases, prolotherapy is more effective than surgery.
Will my insurance cover for prolotherapy?
No.
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Is prolotherapy evidence based medicine?
Absolutely yes! Over the past decade there have been increasing numbers of Level I randomized controlled trials showing support for the use of prolotherapy for multiple conditions including osteoarthritis of the knee, rotator cuff injury, lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow), osteoarthritis of the hands/fingers, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy, Osgood Schlatter disease and many more. Recent meta-analyses show efficacy and safety.
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