Our mission, quite simply, is to help you optimize your health.
Ascend Wellness, Longevity and Performance Medicine combines traditional medicine with functional medicine, nutrition, anti-aging medicine and other advanced specialties. We start with an executive physical and then add VIP service, longitudinal health coaching, and technology to deliver an unparalleled personalized healthcare experience and to promote real progress to optimize your health and transform your life.
Ascend membership includes:
The executive physical at Ascend includes testing and diagnostic evaluations that go above and beyond what is included in your health insurance plan as part of a basic physical exam. This is a state-of-the-art executive physical modeled after and rivaling the $6500 plus dollar programs offered at the Nation’s finest academic centers.
In combination with one-on-one counseling from your doctor, it will be used to gain a comprehensive understanding of your current health status, develop your customized wellness plan, set your goals, and consider the best plan for health coaching.
Essentially, this is the launchpad for your health transformation.
VIP service includes priority scheduling, extended appointments, direct communication with your physician, virtual video visits, remote monitoring for certain chronic conditions, integrative health coaching, and much more.
With the addition of Ascend Medicine, we now have several options of care depending on your individual needs.
Altitude Family and Internal Medicine will continue to be an insurance-based practice, and we have added experienced, knowledgeable doctors, who are available for traditional office visits. We also have direct primary care at Altitude which caters well to individuals with high deductible insurance plans or a health savings account.
Once the membership positions are full, Dr. Sartor and Dr. Hansen will transition to Ascend.
Simply put, we are committed to your satisfaction, so there is no long-term commitment. Your membership renews each quarter and membership fees will be paid quarterly with a credit card on file. You are fee to cancel at any time prior to your quarterly membership billing date.
We accept assignment with Medicare and most private insurance companies which allows you the flexibility to take advantage of our executive services while still allowing your health insurance to appropriately pay for traditionally covered services.
Your standard health insurance benefit will not cover membership fees.
Because we accept assignment with Medicare and most private health insurance companies, the membership fee cannot include charges for items or services that your health insurance typically covers unless your health insurance will not pay for the item or service.
The reality is that insurance coverage for wellness services is extremely limited these days. Insurance does not generally cover things such as executive physicals, VIP services, nutritional supplements, health coaching, or certain types of specialty care such as functional medicine.
Your investment in membership at Ascend will give you access to services above and beyond those offered by your insurance company, helping you achieve true health optimization.
While insurance will not cover the membership fee, we can bill your insurance company for services that are accepted by insurance like problem-oriented visits, medical procedures, labs, and testing. We have also negotiated generous self-pay pricing for laboratory and radiology testing which is often discounted far below what you would pay even with insurance. In the case that our providers refer you to an outside location for specialized testing or to see a physician specialist, these services would be billed separately by the party delivering the test or service.
Most likely. Again, please remember, insurance does not cover your membership fee.
We can use your insurance to pay for services that are not part of your executive membership but typically covered by insurance like laboratory testing, diagnostic testing, and problem oriented visits.
For insurance covered services, we accept most major medical plans including Medicare.
This is not an insurance plan and membership does not take the place of health insurance. The services offered in the program are above and beyond what is covered by health insurance. We believe that all patients should have some type of health insurance coverage.
For traditional medical services outside of our office: In many cases we have negotiated generous self-pay pricing (particularly for laboratory and radiology testing) which is often discounted far below what you would pay even with insurance.
For traditional medical services inside of our office: You may choose not to use your health insurance, and instead pay a discounted fee for office visits, in-house labs and radiology, and other services. We are happy to share sample pricing with you upon request.
Yes. In most cases, the membership fee may be reimbursed by flexible spending accounts (FSAs), medical savings accounts (MSAs), health reimbursement accounts (HRAs), and health savings accounts (HSAs). If you do not have one of these accounts, your membership may be tax deductible. We recommend you speak with your financial advisor or company’s benefits manager to discuss the specifics of your account.
It’s up to you. The providers at Ascend Medicine are able to offer primary care services for members, plus much more! Members also may keep their current PCP and utilize Ascend specifically for our executive physical and specialized services.
While we feel that our membership model provides the best care and best value, a few of our services are available on an ala-cart basis. These services include hormone optimization and aesthetics. Additionally, the nutritional supplements that we include with membership are available directly from Thrivetality Nutriscience. Functional Medicine, Lipidology, and Nutrition consultation packages are also available, please send an email to team@ascendmedicine.com to discuss availability.
To start with, by becoming a member, you will receive 5 times the value of the membership fee (actually nearly $20,000 in value) per year. Additionally, you will receive discounts on bioidentical hormone optimization, aesthetic services, other nutritional supplements, advanced labs and testing, and more.
Your membership fee will be paid quarterly with a credit card on file.
Membership is $297 per month and includes all of the services listed above. In all, that’s nearly $20,000 per year in value!
We have not yet seen a program as comprehensive as Ascend.
Actually, our membership fees are less than most membership-based or concierge medical practices and only about half of the typical cost for an executive physical. Additionally, our program includes benefits not available in other programs like functional medicine, over $2000 in nutritional supplements yearly, integrative health coaching, and much more.
Our fees strictly support our mission of providing exceptional quality health care and outstanding value, well beyond that which is available in the traditional healthcare system. In fact, our revenue and income are substantially lower than they would be if we were practicing in a more traditional setting. Our doctors and care team have chosen this model because it is their passion.
There is no copay for services covered by membership. However, insurance law does require us to collect a copay and or coinsurance for typically insurance covered services like problem-oriented visits and medical procedures.
While we cannot come to your home, we offer the convenient option of virtual visits. You may schedule certain types of visits with your provider from the comfort of your own home, via your computer, tablet or smartphone.
Compared to the traditional primary care physician who sees 3279 unique patients, we are limiting membership to 500 dedicated clients in order to provide individualized care with a personal touch. At Ascend, you should feel like family. Enjoy our home like atmosphere and experience health care with a provider that truly cares about your well-being.
While we cannot answer this with perfect certainty, we have performed a market analysis to provide an estimate. Once membership is full we expect the wait time for new members to be about 18 months.
Sometimes. In-person visits will definitely occur at our Morrison office.
Ascend Medicine is nestled in historic Downtown Morrison in the beautifully renovated John Ross Home built in 1874. Conveniently located just off C470 and Morrison Road, enjoy our relaxed atmosphere surrounded by the beauty the foothills. Virtual visits can occur wherever you have internet access.
We have arranged accommodation options for our out-of-town guests when coming to Morrison for their annual executive physical.
Yes. We have an on-site phlebotomist for your convenience. We plan to offer in-home phlebotomy services in the very near future to save you even more time.
Functional medicine seeks to find the root cause of illness and chronic disease by taking a holistic, patient-centered approach. Functional Medicine Practitioners take in to consideration nutrition, digestive function, detoxification function, energy metabolism, hormone balance, inflammation and immune function, and structural function. Using results from an in-depth history, physical examination and laboratory testing, we utilize a wide range of treatments and therapies including herbal supplements, dietary changes, herbal medicine, stress reduction techniques, ad exercise. Functional medicine can be useful in treating chronic conditions already present and considers risk factors to prevent future disease states.
The best place to start is by watching our educational video series at www.IWantToAscend.com. Please contact our office by email at team@ascendmedicine.com or by phone at 720.543.2274, and we will be happy to answer any questions you might have. We are happy to arrange a free new patient consultation over the phone or in person. Once you become a member, we encourage you to schedule your executive physical.