F.A.Q.’S

No, we cannot work on the insurance company’s very short time schedule! The average insurance based doctor in Pinellas County sees 4 to 6 patients per hour which is a 10 to 15 minute office visit. As you can imagine, that is barely enough time to say hello let alone diagnose and treat complex medical problems.

Dr DeCosmo is very much about getting to the cause of the medical and health issues. He does not follow a “pill for every ill” philosophy! These types of problems take time and are detail oriented! It is impossible to achieve on a short insurance company office visit.

Charges for visits are based on time spent in the visit just like seeing another professional such as an accountant or an attorney. The time spent really depends on the complexity of the visit. First visits last from 30 to 60 minutes and recheck from 20 to 30 minutes. These are approximate times and not written in stone.

At the office, we understand that finances are a concern and will always do our best to accommodate you! Please remember though, that good health is priceless and it is much cheaper to fix things before they break as opposed to after they are broken! We are in the business of preventative medicine!

Please call the office for actual fees per time spent.

We accept Medicare but, due to government regulations, there are some special considerations.

Please call the office for full details.

At the end of an office visit, we will give you all the information necessary to bill your insurance for reimbursement. If you have a Health Savings Account or Health Spending Plan from work, they usually reimburse pretty well.

Regular insurances will reimburse as well depending on benefits and out of network benefits.

Yes, they are most of the time. We have not had any trouble with insurance paying for most of the labs and medical studies that Dr. DeCosmo orders. On rare occasions, they are not covered depending on the coverage and insurance plan benefits.

If you run into an issue, bring it to our attention and we will do our best to remedy the problem! The transparency in the medical and health insurance field is deplorable!

No, sorry but this is not possible. The process starts with the initial office visit and consultation. There is no way to reasonably predict what direction this may take. Many people come in for a specific problem, for example a thyroid issue, and as it turns out the real problem is elsewhere, say in the gut!

All the effort and expense of working up the thyroid would be in vain and no medical info on the actual problem, the gut!

For Dr. DeCosmo to prescribe something, yes even labs, before seeing a patient is actually against the laws of the state of Florida. Now Dr. DeCosmo may look good in bright colors, but orange (scrubs) is not one of them!

Patients ask if they can get their lab results mailed or read over the phone. It would save time, money and effort to do so and seems to make good sense. Dr. DeCosmo believes that this is a serious mistake and a very bad shortcut! Half the solution to your medical situation is the first visit and the next half is the second visit, which is usually the review of labs.

Dr. DeCosmo feels that it is very important that he goes through the labs with each individual personally. This is of utmost importance to achieve good results. In the state of Florida, a patient may directly request any and all of their medical records from their doctor. So, yes you are welcome to your medical records, including labs, at any time.

Unfortunately, with this type of intensive medicine, it is not ever a simple phone answer such as “take two fish oil capsules and call me in the morning! Dr. DeCosmo takes his medical practice very seriously and it can be time consuming.

It is important that you are aware of your medical issues and that you understand the causes of and the treatments for these medical issues, this also takes time. In essence, some simple advice over the phone is not possible and potentially frustrating and dangerous! Your time spent with Dr. DeCosmo reviewing your labs and other medical testing will be very well spent and always fruitful! Thank you for your understanding!