Frequently Asked Questions
Ketamine Infusions
What is Ketamine?
Ketamine is a synthetic drug first discovered in Detroit, MI (the city in which Dr. Patel went to medical school!) in the 1950s. It has been an FDA approved medication since the 1970s and is regularly used for pediatric and adult sedation/anesthesia. More recently, breakthrough research has shown that low dose Ketamine Infusions are a potent treatment for many chronic pain and mood disorders! The multiple mechanisms of action of Ketamine make it a potent medication!
Why choose Mitra Pain for my Ketamine Infusions?
Mitra Pain Management is a physician-owned and physician-led infusion center run by Dr. Darshan B Patel, MD. He is an anesthesiologist by training and is very well trained to respond to any emergencies, although rare, should they occur. Dr. Patel has extensive training in using ketamine in both the inpatient and outpatient settings, for both anesthesia and as infusion therapy. And, as mentioned above, we strive to employ a team based approach to your health so that you have the best treatment outcomes!
How do I get started?
Starting in our Ketamine Infusion program is relatively simple:
- Submit your contact information on our website or by calling our office
- Sign our records release agreement so that we may collaborate with your PCP or Mental Health Specialist
- Undergo a pretreatment evaluation with Dr. Patel & then schedule your first infusion appointment!
What is the treatment schedule?
Dr. Patel believes in individualizing each patient’s care to ensure that the most benefit is received from infusion treatments. During the initiation phase, typically 3-6 treatments are needed, spaced out over a few weeks timeframe. Then, during the maintenance phase, patients are asked to come back for infusions once every 4-6 weeks. These maintenance infusions are typically of shorter duration.
What is the treatment schedule?
Dr. Patel believes in individualizing each patient’s care to ensure that the most benefit is received from infusion treatments. During the initiation phase, typically 3-6 treatments are needed, spaced out over a few weeks timeframe. Then, during the maintenance phase, patients are asked to come back for infusions once every 4-6 weeks. These maintenance infusions are typically of shorter duration.
About Us
How can Ketamine help me?
Ketamine infusions are on the cutting edge of the field of chronic pain and mental health. Interest in its use has increased over the past decade and today, IV ketamine infusions are commonly used both in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Ketamine infusions can provide weeks to months of long term pain relief or symptom improvement!
How do I know if Ketamine Infusions are right for me?
If you suffer from chronic pain or from chronic mood disorders, such as chronic depression or PTSD, you may benefit from our infusions! Studies show meaningful pain relief in those with neuropathic pain, chronic pain and CRPS type pains. Ketamine for headaches is still being studied.
Ketamine, although generally well tolerated, is not for everybody. We select patients to receive the therapy based on a review of a patient’s past medical and psychiatric history, current treatments as well as other factors. Therapy is individualized, so interested patients are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Dr. Patel’s number one priority is patient safety, so each patient has to meet our criteria before we can accept you for infusion therapy. If you have a primary care provider, psychiatrist or other specialist involved in your care, we will attempt to collaborate with them to ensure the best outcomes for you!
What is the process?
Patients are checked in at our front desk and then welcomed into our infusion center at the time of your appointment. Patients relax in our comfortable reclining chairs while enjoying soothing music and/or watching TV. An IV is started and the infusion is begun. Periodically, we check up on you and your vitals will be assessed. After the infusion is completed, you are discharged after waiting 10-15 minutes to ensure you are doing well.
Can I bring my own music of tablet?
Yes, you may bring your own music or tablet device to enjoy while receiving infusions. However, we require that you bring headphones as well so as to not disturb other patients. Please note that you will likely have only one arm that you can move freely while receiving treatment, so plan accordingly!
How should I prepare for my infusions?
We ask that you wear comfortable, loose fitting clothes and dress in layers. We ask that you avoid any heavy meals up to 6 hours prior to your infusion appointment. If you are feeling unwell, we ask that you let us know early on so that we can help you reschedule.
How much does this all cost? Will my insurance cover this?
As a cutting edge treatment, ketamine infusions are not always covered by commercial insurances. Given the nuances amongst the various insurance companies and the various plans they offer, we are not able to determine if your insurance company will cover the treatments or not. However, we can supply you with a superbill, which you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.
We charge patients $500 per infusion session. This can be paid by cash, Zelle, credit/debit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, cashier’s check or Health Savings Account funds. Please note, we do not accept personal checks.
Coming Soon: By patient request, we are evaluating different healthcare financing options for our patients.
Other questions not listed here? Call us at 919-346-1031!
Primary Care
What is Primary Care?
The term primary care refers to the kind of medical care you need first — before you get sick, before you need to see a specialist, before you need to go to a hospital. With an emphasis on family practice and internal medicine, as your primary care providers we will address your essential health needs by:
Focusing on prevention and screening
Working closely with you to plan for your health
Acting as a hub for medical information with a comprehensive, accurate and secure repository for your records
Coordinating your tests, treatments, specialist visits and hospitalizations
Providing plain-spoken guidance, insight and advice
Offering cost-effective solutions to better manage medical expenses
From preventive medicine to holistic integrative care to home remedies, we leverage the latest medical research, our collective experience and feedback from you to keep you healthy—whether you’re already in good health, suffering from a minor cold or experiencing a life-changing illness.
Above all, primary care providers offer continuity. In your quest to become and remain as healthy as possible, we are your partners for the long term.
What Should i expect from my primary care at your hospital?
We believe primary care should be the first stop in your healthcare journey; it’s where you turn for guidance and support before you get sick, before you see a specialist, and before you need to seek hospital care. Our providers combine excellent customer service with an efficient use of technology to deliver high-quality, affordable service that’s designed to fit your unique needs.
As your primary care providers (PCPs), we take your well-being seriously. With an emphasis on family practice and internal medicine, we address all your essential health needs by:
Making prevention and wellness a priority
Collaborating with you to customize the best plan that suits your individual needs and goals
Providing a comprehensive, accurate, and secure repository for all your medical information
Seamlessly coordinating your care, including tests, treatments, specialist visits, and hospitalizations
Providing easy-to-understand, accessible advice, guidance, and insight
Offering cost-effective options that empower you to prioritize your health
We leverage the latest medical research and cutting-edge technology to offer the most comprehensive primary care available. We draw upon our team’s extensive collective experience and your personal feedback to create a truly one-of-a-kind primary care experience. From preventive medicine to integrative care, we have the tools to keep you feeling your best — whether you’re already in good health, suffering from a minor cold, or facing a life-changing illness. Our primary care providers are your partners in cultivating and maintaining long-term health.
Do i need to select primary care provider?
Although we don’t require our members to pick a PCP, we strongly recommend finding a practitioner you feel comfortable with and who can collaborate with you on important decisions in order to coordinate and optimize your long-term care.
Besides being your partner in good health, your One Medical PCP is your first point of contact for all health care needs, acting as your advocate, ally, and advisor. We’ll help you make the most informed decisions possible, and we’ll ensure a well-coordinated and thoroughly researched referral should you ever require a specialty consultation or hospitalization.
Finally, if the PCP you select doesn’t feel like the right fit, you can always switch to another practitioner — no questions asked.
What is the difference between family medicine and internal medicine?
The majority of One Medical’s general practitioners, including our doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, have a focus in either family medicine or internal medicine.
Family medicine providers, otherwise known as family practitioners, are considered to have the widest set of primary care skills, treating patients at every stage of life. They are trained to treat patients from birth through adulthood, and into the elderly years. At One Medical, our family practitioners see patients in adolescence and above; generally age 14 and older.
Internal medicine doctors, otherwise known as internists, focus primarily on adult and elderly patients, and are most comfortable seeing patients age 18 and older. Their training emphasizes the management of chronic, complex, or severe illnesses, particularly for patients who require hospitalization. Although they are proficient in primary care, their specialty training typically does not include obstetrics, gynecology, or pediatrics.
Membership, Insurance & Billing
Is there an annual membership fee?
The Annual Membership Fee allows us to offer you the innovative digital health tools and value-added services that make us unique. The Annual Membership Fee is paid to 1Life Healthcare, Inc., the healthcare technology and management company affiliated with us, that develops the digital health tools and enhanced services we offer to members.
The Annual Membership Fee covers costs associated with access to the 1Life Healthcare proprietary technology platform, which includes such benefits as online appointment booking and online prescription renewal requests. Members who pay the Annual Membership Fee also have access to time-saving services through the Mobile App including online appointment booking, online prescription renewal requests, on-demand video visit technology, and digital access to virtual medical services on the go.
The Annual Membership Fee also covers costs associated with high-touch and value-added non-medical services including lifestyle and wellness offerings and value-added personal assistance services. The Annual Membership Fee is not a covered benefit under most health insurance plans.
Payment of the Annual Membership Fee is not a prerequisite for receiving medical care in our offices.
What can i do if i can not afford my membership fee?
While many of our members are happy to support our practice with the annual membership fee, supporting the practice is not a requirement of joining us. Most of our patients do pay the membership fee. However, we are dedicated to serving our community, regardless of financial means. If you don’t have the financial means to pay the Annual Membership Fee and would like to become a member, please call any of our offices to learn about your options
What if i am not satisfied with the care i receive?
The quality of your care is our highest priority, and we’re dedicated to giving you the best experience possible. If we ever fail to meet your expectations, we’ll do our best to fix it.
What insurance plans do you accept?
We accept health plans from most insurance carriers as well as Medicare. Some of the more popular plans that we accept are listed on our Insurance page, but since the list periodically changes, we encourage you to call us if you don’t see your plan.
We believe that quality health care should be accessible to everyone, so if you have a high-deductible health plan or are not insured, we also offer affordable options for working together.
Lab Tests
Laboratory Services
We offer our members on-site laboratory services on a walk-in basis, with no need for an appointment. Our staff will put you at ease, draw your blood and collect other specimens in an anxiety-free environment, and get you on your way quickly. After we receive and review your results, we will promptly email you with our interpretation and a copy of the report.
Your health care provider will order the specific tests you need based on your age, your medications, your overall health status and the amount of time since your last set of blood tests. Young, healthy individuals may only need blood tests every five years, while patients with active medical issues may need tests annually or even more frequently. If you are interested in having specific tests performed, you can discuss them with your provider in the office or via email before coming in to have your blood drawn.
How does my insurance work with lab tests?
Insurance plans vary, and your coverage depends on your specific policy. While most tests are covered by insurance, you may want to contact your insurance carrier to ensure coverage before having your test done.
Do i need to have an appointment for lab tests?
No appointment is necessary; however, tests must be ordered by your provider. You can simply walk in to the office during lab hours to have our trained on-site staff to draw blood and collect samples for diagnostic tests. If you have questions about what tests are covered by your insurance plan, we recommend you check with your insurance company.
Privacy & Security
What can i do if i have questions about privacy and security?
We take the security and confidentiality of your personal information seriously. We follow industry best practices in software development and testing, including periodic vetting by internal and external security researchers. Your data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and our infrastructure runs on an industry-leading highly secure, HIPAA-compliant data center.
If you are a security researcher and you believe you have identified a security issue, please contact ус. We are committed to working with the community to verify, reproduce and respond to all legitimate reports.