FAQS

How Long Has Dr. VanDyke Been in Practice? 

Dr. VanDyke graduated medical college in 2013, completed Internal Medicine residency in 2016 and completed her fellowship in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism in 2018. She founded the Advanced Institute for Diabetes & Endocrinology in January 2021. You can read more about Dr. VanDyke here. 

 

How is the Advanced Institute Different From Other Practices?

We are a Hybrid Specialty Care Practice, which means we treat all patients who need our services, but we only bill insurance for Traditional Medicare. This means that we answer to our patients, not their insurance carrier. This is a growing type of practice in the United States as insurances impose more and more restrictions on patient care. 

 

A Direct Care Practice is not trying to squeeze dozens of patients into each day’s schedule. That means each visit can be very detailed. Usually, a new patient consultation can take 60 minutes. A follow up visit can last 30-45 minutes. This kind of time is really necessary for patients to be most successful managing complex conditions like Diabetes or Obesity. 

 

We also are clinical research affiliate, which offers patients access to cutting-edge therapies at no cost, and compensates them for their time and travel. 

 

Is Direct Care More Expensive? 

Not necessarily. Because many people have high deductibles, they can get better care for less annual expense by choosing Direct Care. There are flexible options including pay-as-you-go, or subscriptions for those who need frequent appointments.  

 

Consumer Reports has an interesting article about Direct Care here. 

 

KevinMD posted about the advent of Direct Care here. 

 

What’s My Insurance Good For? 

Everyone should have insurance in case of an emergency. Even in a Direct Practice setting, insurance will cover labs, medications, durable medical equipment, scans and referrals to other physicians. 

 

How Much Will This Cost? 

All prices for consultations and procedures are available here. When you speak with a staff member, they will be able to tell you what your total cost is going to be. If you are not using insurance for labs, they can also give you a cash price for those. 

 

What’s an ABN? 

ABN stands for “Advanced Beneficiary Notice” and may be given to a patient when they are having labs or procedures done. It is a notice that if the insurance company does not fully cover a service, that the patient assumes responsibility for the cost of that service. 

 

What’s With the Corgi?

 

Occasionally, The Duchess Fiona von Woofington attends clinic as a low-carb support animal. 

 

What Does Dr. VanDyke do in her Spare Time? 

When she’s not occupied with stamping out metabolic disease, Dr. VanDyke enjoys traveling, especially to New Mexico. She also is learning to fly, enjoys cooking, dabbles in the cello and likes to attend SoCal Corgi Beach Day with The Duchess Fiona von Woofington.