frequently asked questions

Curated Medicine is a direct-pay, membership-based primary care practice. Routine, preventive, and comprehensive clinical services are delivered primarily through a secure, virtual health platform, allowing for unhurried, personalized attention directly from your provider. Our virtual appointments are available to patients who are physically located in Missouri at the time of their visit.

Telehealth visits at Curated Medicine are conducted via Cerbo, a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform. Prior to your appointment, you will receive a link to join your visit. You will need a smartphone, tablet, or computer with a working camera and microphone, a stable internet connection, and a private location where you can speak freely.

Telehealth is well-suited for a wide range of primary care needs including chronic disease management, preventive care, medication management, and many acute concerns. Some conditions require in-person evaluation. If yours is one of them, you will be told directly and assisted with an appropriate referral or next step.

Telehealth is not appropriate for medical emergencies. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room immediately.

Traditional primary care clinics often require doctors to manage thousands of patients, leading to rushed visits and long wait times. By charging a flat membership fee, we intentionally limit our patient panel size so you receive deeply personalized, unhurried consultations, direct communication with your doctor, and a proactive focus on your long-term wellness.

Curated Medicine operates on a direct membership model using straightforward care agreements. This practice does not participate in, bill, or accept payment from private health insurance plans, managed care networks, Medicare, or Medicaid.

This membership is not health insurance, and it does not provide health insurance coverage. All members are encouraged to maintain independent health insurance to cover specialist care, prescriptions, imaging, hospitalizations, and emergency services outside the scope of this practice.

Many health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts do accept periodic membership fees, but regulations vary, and we cannot guarantee how your specific plan will handle them. We recommend consulting with your certified tax advisor to confirm eligibility, and we can provide an itemized receipt to submit independently.

Memberships are automatically billed on a monthly recurring basis to your payment method on file on your specific anniversary start date. For months that do not contain 29, 30, or 31 days, your automatic billing statement is adjusted to process on the 1st of the following calendar month.

Membership fees are billed monthly. Either party may cancel at any time with written notice. Upon member-initiated cancellation, membership remains active through the end of the current billing cycle with no proration. Upon Practice-initiated cancellation, 30 days notice is provided and the final month's fee is prorated. The enrollment fee is non-refundable. The full Membership Agreement is provided prior to enrollment.

Prescriptions and laboratory testing are entirely separate from your membership fees. Prescriptions are routed electronically to the pharmacy of your choice, and you pay that pharmacy directly for your medications.

For laboratory testing, we can coordinate with various diagnostic facilities to help you find the most convenient or cost-effective options, and those fees are handled separately from your clinic membership.

Communications involving sensitive medical information, refill requests, or health updates should be transmitted through the secure, encrypted patient portal. Standard email and text messaging channels are not fully encrypted, so using the portal ensures your private health information remains secure and protected.

Curated Medicine is not an emergency medicine or urgent care practice and cannot guarantee immediate clinical availability outside of scheduled hours. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room immediately, as virtual care is not appropriate for acute, life-threatening situations.

When the practice is temporarily closed for vacations, holidays, continuing education, or unexpected illness, we will make every reasonable effort to notify active members in advance via the secure Cerbo portal. For any urgent medical needs during these brief absences, members should utilize local urgent care clinics or emergency services.