We are currently relocating to an out-of-state location. For that reason, we cannot accept any new patients until the new location has been configured. This might take a while….
You can receive updates by signing up for our mailing list (at the bottom of this page or the home page).
Please feel free to read the FAQs further down on this page, and to review the website (particularly the Health/Brain Services part) to help you understand how our practice has worked. Keep in mind that some of this will need to be modified in the new location.
We have added links allowing you to access the Dr. Martha Herbert PC’s practice’s secure Patient Portal, either to register as a new patient, or to request appointments as an existing patient. You may use the messaging feature just below for other types of communication, but please do not include anything personal, medical or private as it is NOT secure.
Fees and Frequently Asked Questions
- +How do I get an appointment for an integrative consultation?
- If you wish to be seen in this practice, you need to evaluate if we are a good fit for you, and we need to evaluate if you are a good fit for us.
To accomplish this, every person wishing to be seen, or to have their child or dependent adult be seen, will be asked to
- Review material on our website about our practice and our policies to evaluate if we are a good fit for you, and
- Fill out a brief secure online screener questionnaire.
If your initial prospective patient pre-screener form suggests you are a good fit for this practice, you will be invited to submit forms and records for an initial appointment.
- +How much does an integrative consultation cost?
- Our hourly MD consultation rate is $400, billed in 15-minute increments. Initial assessments take from 1-2 hours. Follow-up appointments are generally 30-60 minutes but vary depending upon complexity.
- +Do you take insurance?
- Our integrative neurological and medical consultations and follow-ups are more often than not at least partly reimbursed by insurance companies. We do not maintain staff to submit directly to insurance companies. We give you itemized superbills for you to submit to your insurance company on your own.
- +Is laboratory resting covered by insurance?
- The cost of conventional lab testing (e.g., Quest or LabCorp) is typically covered at standard rates.
Specialty labs need to be paid directly by you for the testing. Insurance coverage may help you reduce costs in many of these companies, which each have their own policies (you can consult them).
- +Do you do phone or internet consultations?
- An initial in-person visit is very helpful in giving context to your concerns. Phone and telemedicine appointments are available. Ongoing programs of care benefit strongly by periodic in-person visits.
- +What ages do you work with?
- Integrative consultations are available for all ages, but some issues will be more suitable for this practice than others. Your pre-screener form will ask for information about why you want to have a consultation.
- +Do you provide primary care services?
- Dr. Herbert is a neurologist/child neurologist and does not provide primary care. She requires that all patients have a primary care practitioner. We also require that you keep us informed about the other medications and treatments you are on, because we need to take account of that information in how we help you. Please understand that this is for your protection. Without up-to-date information about all of your medications and treatments you may put yourself at risk of adverse treatment interactions.
- +Do you have special procedures for children and people with special needs?
- This depends on the circumstances. One procedure we do follow is allowing for appointments with just parents or guardians (generally just phone or telemedicine) where the information being shared might be tedious or disturbing for the patient.
- +Do you treat seizures and epilepsy?
- Dr. Herbert requires that any patient with seizures or epilepsy maintain a relationship with an epilepsy specialist. The contribution Dr. Herbert can make in these situations is to look for and root out underlying irritants contributing to the seizures, and to offer neuromodulation therapies to help calm and stabilize the brain.
- +Do you treat neurodegenerative or neuroimmune disorders?
- Dr. Herbert requires that any patient with a neurodegenerative or neuroimmune condition maintain a relationship with an experienced specialist in the area of their disorder. The contribution Dr. Herbert can make in these situations is to look for and root out underlying irritants contributing to the condition, and to offer neuromodulation therapies that may help calm and stabilize the brain.
- +Do you treat psychiatric conditions?
- Dr. Herbert requires that any patient with a psychiatric condition who is taking medications for that condition maintain a relationship with an experienced specialist in the area of their disorder. The contribution Dr. Herbert can make in these situations is to look for and root out underlying irritants contributing to the condition, and to offer neuromodulation therapies that may help calm and stabilize the brain.
- +Do you have a process of care that you follow for consultations and follow-up?
- Here is our process for ongoing care:
• Formal registration including filling forms and uploading further information
• Review of new materials and information that you share prior to visit
• History, physical exam, discussion of recommendations
• Scheduling of in-office testing and arranging for other recommended assessments
• Scheduling and/or referrals for treatments/therapies
• Scheduling of interim follow-up to check on interim progress and hold-ups, if any.
• Scheduling of major follow-up, to review initial new data from first round of testing and to revise recommendations
- +How do I get an appointment for Neuromodulation and/or Brain/Nervous System upgrade work?
- If you wish to be seen in this practice, you need to evaluate if we are a good fit for you, and we need to evaluate if you are a good fit for us.
To accomplish this, every person wishing to be seen, or to have their child or dependent adult be seen, will be asked to
- Review material on our website about our practice and our policies to evaluate if we are a good fit for you, and
- Fill out a brief secure online screener questionnaire.
If your initial prospective patient pre-screener form suggests you are a good fit for this practice, you will be invited to submit forms and records for an initial appointment.
- +How many sessions will I need?
- Brain training such as neurofeedback take time to really change the brain over to new habits and reduce risk of slipping back. A minimum of 20 sessions are generally needed to really evaluate its potential for you. This applies in similar ways for other treatments such as transcranial light therapy.
- +How often do I need to come in?
- Neuromodulation and Brain Upgrade work are best done at least 2-3 times per week. It is good to see a practitioner for this work who is fairly close to where you live.
- +What do these therapies cost? Do you have packages?
- Our prices are comparable to and competitive with prices in other practices in our area. We offer discounts for packages that include 20 or more sessions and/or that include combining two or more treatments in the same session.
- +What kind of intake and follow-up assessments do you do prior to starting Neuromodulation and/or Brain/Nervous System upgrade Work, and as it progresses?
- We do a thorough review of brain, nervous system and other symptoms so that we can understand how your brain has tended to act. We also use several devices to do in-office brain testing, for those who can follow the instructions. We track changes at every visit, and we more thoroughly reassess at regular intervals, usually around every 20 sessions.
- +What ages do you work with?
- We will work with people of any age, from babies to advanced seniors, provided they are able to sit or stay relatively still for periods of 10 minutes at a time. We will ascertain this prior to or in the intake interview.
- +How long will results last?
- Studies indicate that gains can be long-lasting, but for some conditions, particularly with biological roots (like migraines, panic attacks, seizures) it may be necessary to periodically do a series of sessions to preserve and reinforce gains.
- +Am I required to do an integrative consult in order to do neurotherapy or brain upgrade work?
- An integrative consult will lead to a more well-rounded whole brain-in-body-and-world look at root causes and what to do about them. But if you are already doing that kind of work or have already done it, this may not be necessary. We will recommend an integrative consult if we think it would make your and our efforts more effective.
- +Will insurance reimburse neurotherapy or brain upgrade work?
- Coverage varies and plans may change their policies over time. Please consult with your insurance company to determine their policies.
- +Can I work with other practitioners while I am doing neurotherapy or brain-upgrade work?
- You certainly can. We require that you inform us of any changes in your medications or other treatments from other practitioners, because this information may affect how we interpret your clinical status, as well as how we determine the treatment strategies we use with you. Failure to share this information could put you at risk of unintended adverse treatment interactions
- +Payment
- Payment is required at time of service.
We require a method of payment to be on file.
We charge a fee for returned checks that covers bank charge plus office staff time. - +Cancellation and No-Show Policies
- We require at least 48-hour notice for cancellation without fee. Fees for cancellation or shorter notice as percentage of cost of scheduled visit:
24-48 hours 20%
0-24 hours 40%
No cancellation and No-Show 50% - +Lateness Policy
- Should you arrive later than the scheduled appointment time, we reserve the right to end your appointment at the originally scheduled time, so as not to inconvenience the practice, staff or other patients. The full price for the scheduled appointment will be charged.
Please be advised that Greater Boston has perhaps the worst traffic in the United States. Therefore, please plan appropriately so that you can arrive on time.
- +Fees for Filling Out Complicated Forms and Other Paperwork
- Neurologists often are asked to fill out complicated forms. Here are fees for such work for you:
First 15 minutes Free
Each subsequent 15-minute time unit $50