FAQ

Answers to Commonly Asked Questions

• Membership

  How to become a member of Bone & Body Women’s Health?

  Dr. DeSapri offers two options for care – one that is comprehensive (called the Bone & Body Membership Plan) and one that is focused exclusively on bone health (Bone Health Consult). Click on the links below to learn more about how our practice can serve and support you.

  What does the a Bone & Body membership include?

  Perimenopause/Menopause and Bone Health comprehensive evaluation, treatment, and monitoring of midlife women’s health.

  • Same or next-day access to Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri for an office visit, phone, or text.
  • 90-min Initial Visit & Unlimited Follow Up Visits per Year
  • Initial Visit Includes DXA (Bone Density) Scan & Detailed Interpretation of Bone Mineral Density, Bone Quality, and Muscle/Lean Mass
  • Fracture Risk Assessment
  • Appropriate Lab & Diagnostic Testing
  • Full Spectrum Osteoporosis Treatments Including In-Office Injections, Infusions as Needed & Ongoing Bone Health Management
  • Midlife (Perimenopause/Menopause) Comprehensive Medical & Gynecology History Review & Physical Examination
  • Full Spectrum of Menopause Treatments Including Lifestyle, Hormonal,  Non-Hormonal & Botanicals
  • Ongoing Midlife Women’s Health Management
  • Quarterly Bone & Body Women’s Health Membership Lectures & Special Events Including Guest Speakers on Timely Women’s Health Topics
  • Limited Number of Patients to Prioritize Quality Time & Care to Members
  •  The Annual Fee for Membership is $3,000

  How often will membership renew?

  Membership will renew every year.

  What does the bone health consult include?

  Every bone health consult includes bone mineral density screening with same-day results, fracture risk evaluation and osteoporosis/osteopenia prevention and treatment review.

  • Comprehensive bone mineral density screening (to include an in-office DXA scan at Bone and Body Women’s Health if necessary*).
  • Detailed review and explanation of current and historical DXA results.
  • Evaluation of bone loss and fracture risk.
  • Osteoporosis or osteopenia prevention and treatment discussion to include lifestyle modifications (dietary, exercise, fall risk) and if required, FDA approved therapies including injections or infusions and coordination of care to reduce fractures.
  • Consultation fee includes injection and infusion medications that may be ordered/administered at Northwestern hospitals, other institutions or infusion centers.
  • The consult fee is $1,500 for 2 in-office or virtual visits for bone health management. Your bone health consult fees can be applied toward Bone & Body Women’s Health membership if you choose to become a member. This is a telehealth visit for women living outside of Illinois and includes a comprehensive review for women with osteopenia, osteoporosis, or fractures requesting bone health recommendations.

  *Based on your prior DXA’s, Dr. DeSapri will decide if an updated DXA scan at your initial consult visit Bone and Body Women’s Health is recommended.

  What if you live outside of Illinois and want to see Dr. DeSapri for a bone health consult?

  We offer a telehealth (via video or phone) consultation and comprehensive review for women with osteopenia, osteoporosis, or fractures requesting bone health recommendations.

  This includes:

  • A Review of DXA Scan (Including Images) Done at Another Institution (Outside of Bone & Body Women’s Health) and
  • Diagnostic Evaluation & Treatment Recommendations

  The cost for an out-of-state bone consult fee is $1,000 which includes 2 virtual visits.

  What if you live outside of Illinois and want to see Dr. DeSapri for a midlife (perimenopause or menopause) consult?

  We offer a telehealth (via video or phone)  consultation to review your symptoms and signs of peri/ menopause and create a management plan.

  This includes:

  • Midlife (Perimenopause/Menopause) Comprehensive Medical & Gynecology History Review
  • Full Spectrum of Menopause Treatments including Lifestyle (Nutritional, Exercise, Supplements), Hormonal including Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy & Non-Hormonal Recommendations

  The cost for virtual peri/menopausal consult is $1000 to include 2 virtual visits.

  Do you have a license to practice in other states?

  Dr. DeSapri has a medical license in Illinois and a telehealth medical license in Florida.

  Can you be my internist?

  Although I am board certified in Internal Medicine, I will not practice primary care. As an internist with specialty gynecology training, I will perform a detailed review of your medical history and past laboratory and imaging to help guide our plans. Based on symptoms, my exam may include a breast and pelvic examination including PAP smears or endometrial sampling. I do not have a GYN ultrasound in my office and will partner with my gynecology colleagues if a more complex gynecology or surgical consultation is recommended.

  Do you take insurance?

  We are an out-of-network provider. By not billing insurance, we have more time for taking care of you, rather than insurance collections. We will help you submit for reimbursement to your commercial insurance company.

  There is an app called Reimbursify that is designed to help patients submit to their insurance companies. You can often use your Health Savings Account(HSA) or Flexible Spending Account(FSA) to pay for the visit.

  Any lab tests we order, like bloodwork, pap smears or mammograms, are still covered by insurance. Your insurance will be billed directly for lab work by Northwestern Medicine if you choose to have labs done in our office.

  Do you take Medicare?

  Starting October 1st, 2023, I am an out-of network provider with Medicare.

  You cannot submit your DXA scans, visits, the Bone & Body Membership or bone health consult fees to Medicare. They don’t allow you to request reimbursement.

  Any lab tests we order, like bloodwork, pap smears or mammograms, are still covered by Medicare insurance.

  If treatment requires osteoporosis treatments such as injections and infusions that are covered by Medicare, we will coordinate care and order medications at Northwestern Hospital, outside institutions or infusion centers. In that case, you may be responsible for any related co-payments and/or deductibles that are not otherwise covered or payable by Medicare.

  Do you collect a co-pay?

  There are no additional charges for office visits, virtual care, or any other communication with your doctor. This means that there are no co-pays for office visits.

  Are you affiliated with any hospital?

  Yes, I am affiliated with Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital.  I can order obtain labs and imaging studies to be done at any hospital including those affiliated with Northwestern, University of Chicago or Northshore Health Systems. I will have access to medical records via EPIC, the most commonly used electronic medical record.

  Will you have access to my medical record?

  Bone and Body Women’s Health will use the EPIC electronic medical record (EMR) system. If you have been a patient at Northwestern Medicine, all of your medical records will be available. 

  If you have been seen at another institution that uses EPIC (NorthShore University Health System, Rush University Medical Center, Loyola University Medical Center, Amita Health, Advocate/Lutheran General Hospital, Mayo Clinic, and many more), it is likely that Bone & Body Women’s Health will have access to your records via the “CARE EVERYWHERE” portal in EPIC. 

  Click Here for Northwestern Medicine MyChart

  Will you have an onsite lab?

  Yes, I will have a lab in my office and patients can also use Northwestern facilities or outside labs as desired.

• Office & Location

  Where are you located? Where do I park?

  570 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 4 lower level in the Winnetka Galleria.

  Click here for interactive directions from Google Maps.

  There is convenient street parking on Lincoln Avenue and in the Village parking lot behind the Winnetka Galleria. There is elevator access from the lobby and wheelchair access from the rear entrance of the Winnetka Galleria.

  Do you have restrooms?

  A private women’s restroom is located directly adjacent to the office and on the main floor of the Winnetka Galleria. 

• Bone Health & DXA Testing

  My last DXA was over 2 years ago at outside hospital or clinic, should I establish a new baseline DXA at our center?

  If you are coming to establish care with Dr. Tough DeSapri, we prefer to perform a thorough in-office DXA of both hips (femur), spine and forearm to assess bone density and bone quality. If required, we can perform a VFA (vertebral fracture assessment) and whole body DXA to assess lean muscle and fat mass.
  Dr. DeSapri will share and explain the DXA report, images and provide recommendations.

  Since 2010 Dr. DeSapri has been an ISCD trained certified clinical densitometrist requiring specialized ongoing certification. She teaches and trains colleagues in DXA interpretation.

  What information will I learn from my DXA?

  • Know if you have thinner bones or osteoporosis before you break a bone.
  • Predict your chance of breaking a bone in the future.
  • See if your bone density is improving, getting worse, or staying the same.
  • Find out how well osteoporosis medicine is working.
  • Understanding why you may have a bone fracture.
  • Assess trabecular bone score (TBS) which is a measure of bone microarchitecture or bone quality in the spine.
  • If desired, evaluate lean muscle and fat mass.

  How do I prepare for DXA scan?

  You should not take calcium supplements, vitamins containing calcium, or antacids such as Tums on the day of your DXA scan, as they may interfere with images. You should wait 14 days after a CT scan with contrast to undergo DXA. You will change into a gown for the scan which takes 10 minutes and scans both hips, spine, and sometimes the forearm.

  Does this test expose me to radiation?

  The DXA scan is associated with very low amount of radiation, 100 times less than a routine chest X-ray and comparable with the amount of radiation exposure from taking an airplane flight from New York to Los Angeles.

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