Grain Integrative Health

This is becoming more and more a reality in the US.

Genesis Dixon, 17 months old, has a rare genetic disorder called Joubert syndrome. It affects brain development and is typically monitored by a neurologist.

Her Medicaid plan includes 19 neurologists in nearby Tyler, Texas. But 12 didn’t see any patients enrolled in her plan in 2023, according to WSJ’s analysis.

Dixon’s pediatrician said referring Medicaid patients to specialists has gotten more difficult as insurers cut what they pay doctors.

The closest pediatric neurologist Splinter’s team could find who would see Genesis was in Dallas, about 1½ hours away. They got her an appointment in September, about a year after they first started treating Genesis.

Paige Simmons, Genesis’s 17-year-old mother, doesn’t have a car and relies on a ride-share program paid for by Medicaid to get her daughter to doctors.

The day of her September appointment, Paige waited for more than an hour outside her home with the baby’s car seat and oxygen machine. The car arrived too late to get to Dallas on time. She said she hasn’t yet been able to schedule another one.

Many Americans who try to book medical appointments, no matter their insurer, are frustrated by long waits and confusing provider networks. Patients and doctors say those problems are worse for people in Medicaid plans.

A WSJ analysis of state and federal data showed that the networks of doctors that insurers listed for their Medicaid members are less robust than they appear. This creates what some researchers call “ghost networks.”

Read more: https://on.wsj.com/4oUYAq0

Our clinic has committed to fundraising for Camp Kesem this year. We kindly request that you consider making a donation to this deserving cause on Giving Tuesday. Camp Kesem provides support to children who have experienced the loss or suffering of a parent with cancer. The organization offers a complimentary camp experience for kids and a vital program for ailing parents who prioritize their children's mental well-being amidst their cancer treatment. Notably, the program is primarily administered by students from the University of Oregon pursuing degrees in medicine and mental health sciences.

Lindsay Baum's fundraising page for Camp Kesem An important camp program that supports kids/their families who are impacted by cancer. Grain Integrative has seen the profound healing that occurs when kids attend Kesem and their adults rest;they give kids their life back when a parent or siblings dies.

Dear Patients and Oregon Citizens:

Providence has announced their decision to use American Specialty Health (ASH) as a go-between for integrative naturopathic doctors and patients beginning 9/1/25. Unfortunately we will not be able to continue providing in-network care to Providence patients if this moves forward.

ASH is notorious for limiting patient access to visits by requiring Prior Authorizations to be filed PRIOR TO EVERY VISIT with reduced doctor payments as low as $45/visit when with inflation since the pandemic, the staffing time to acquire a PA can reasonably cost $30+/PA in staffing costs. This does not include the cost to staff scheduling, checking benefits prior to visits, real estate and medical supplies, billing costs, physican salary costs. We won't bore you, but you understand how unsustainable this immediately becomes.

This is a reimbursement rate that requires our providers to work for free, not even covering the overhead for a single visit.

Why should you care?
It limits your access to providers with experience, generally. If you have Providence insurance you will no longer have access to any integrative health providers (chiropractic, naturopathic, acupuncture, and massage) on a reasonable timeline. Many of your providers will likely drop Providence panels. GIH doctors will be forced to eliminate our participation in Providence panels.

It's unethical middle management at a time where patients will be forced to find a new P*P when waitlists are well over 12 months long in Oregon.

What You Can Do?
If you have Providence insurance, your voice matters MORE than ours. Insurance companies listen to members. Consider calling Providence directly to express that these changes create unreasonable barriers to your ability to access timely primary care.

This is an email that Providence has provided: [email protected]

You may also submit a complaint to the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (ODFR). This is the body that regulates insurance in Oregon and your access to care is being restricted.
https://sbs.naic.org/solar-web/pages/public/onlineComplaintForm/onlineComplaintForm.jsf?state=or

Sign the petition below!

Donate to the Oregon Association of Naturopathic Doctprs who politically advocates for appropriate patient and provider access legislation:

https://www.oanp.org/donations/donate.asp?id=4505

There is a dangerous trend we must stop. You deserve access to good primary healthcare in Oregon.

Sign the Petition Providence Health Plan: Don’t Let ASH Block Our Access to Care

Our phone lines are down right now, we apologize for the inconvenience. We are open.

Update: our phones are working again. We are closed for lunch from 1-2pm. Thank you for your patience.