Primary Care

When we say HOME we mean it. Montana Whole Health is the home of our patients as much as it is our own. We get to know you and your family, and you become one of ours.

What is Primary Care?

Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) are the main provider organizing and coordinating care for their patients.  Most PCPs complete annual wellness exams for adults, or more frequent well child checks for infants and children.  PCPs send referrals to specialists if necessary, or order imaging and labwork.  If patients have multiple specialists it is the job of the Primary Care Physician to coordinate care and look at the bigger picture of the patient’s health.

Primary Care Physicians are also responsible for screening for certain diseases (e.g., ordering mammograms to prevent breast cancer, or screening bloodwork to check for high cholesterol).   They monitor your health goals over time.

Why choose a Naturopathic Physician?

Naturopathic physicians in the state of Montana are considered primary care providers and can perform wellness exams, order all lab work and imaging, and make referrals to specialists just like any other conventional pediatrician or family practice physician.

Wellness exams at a naturopathic physician’s office typically go beyond what you would experience at a conventional physician’s office.  Naturopathic medicine focuses on prevention, patient education, and treatment of common ailments using natural methods rather than synthetic medications.  

At Montana Whole Health we spend more than double the amount of time you would receive for wellness exams at most conventional providers offices. Prevention is one of the primary principles of naturopathic medicine.

Making Montana Whole Health your healthcare home.

To assign Montana Whole Health as your healthcare home you will typically need to schedule a wellness exam.  Some insurance companies require you to list the name of the provider as your PCP.  Others let you choose and change at any time.  We need to see adults about once per year, and children according to their schedule of well child checks to maintain Montana Whole Health as their “home.”  This schedule is very important to us, because it is at these visits that we can truly focus on prevention, and not wait until issues arise before seeking care.

Acute visits

Once you are established at Montana Whole Health you can call for same-day acute appointments.  We request all our patients to call by 11:00 a.m. to be seen the same day. (Our acute slots are on our lunch hour.)  If you are scheduling and need a same-day appointment please state this clearly so our staff know you need to be seen right away.  Very rarely we will not be able to accommodate all requests for same-day slots.  This usually happens when we have a newborn and multiple requests for sick-visits.  (Sorry, but newborns take priority!)

For acute sick-visits you will receive naturopathic care.  For most illnesses we advise patients on hydrotherapy, prescribe custom herbal medicine, give supplementation, supportive care and nutrition, and only rarely do we need antibiotics or other medication.