Dr. Gering has elected to NOT enroll in any health insurance plans.  This means that services at Spero Wellness Clinic will be "out-of-network". Many insurance plans offer out-of-network benefits.   If requested, after your appointment Dr. Gering or her staff will give you a document that you can send to your insurance company to receive out-of-network benefits.  This will either be applied to your deductible, or you may receive a refund for part or all of the bill that you paid.

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At this time, Dr. Gering has also decided to “opt-out” of Medicare . This means that neither she, nor the patient with Medicare may submit the bill to Medicare. Instead, the patient pays the bill at Spero "out-of-pocket" and neither party can receive reimbursement by Medicare. 

• If your insurance is through Medicare, you will need to sign a private contract between Dr. Gering and yourself that states that neither one can receive payment from Medicare for the services that were performed.
  

Hope for better health.  

That's one of the most powerful themes that Dr. Kristie has heard over the years from patients who have been searching for answers.  We won't promise to have all the answers.  In fact, we know we won't have them all. But we will work with you to try to the find root causes of your symptoms, and walk with you as you try different things to help your body heal.

Spero literally means " I hope " in Latin and Italian.  

It is part of a Latin proverb Dum Spiro Spero, which means "While I breath, I hope."

While Dr. Kristie considered the name for her new clinic, "hope" kept coming back to her over and over again. However, it seemed a bit too cliché to name the clinic "hope wellness". So she decided to look it up the word hope in Latin, the language of medicine.  And there it was ...Spero!  When she looked up how to say "spero" it came up as "sparrow", like the little bird.  That brought an image of a sweet song sparrow to her mind and also one of her favorite bible  verses  to her heart.   

• We are happy to see patients of any age, from infancy through geriatrics. 
• We offer functional medicine consults for patients seeking a new approach to managing chronic health issues.
• We also offer the full range of primary care utilizing a functional medicine approach - well child checks, sports physicals, annual wellness exams, medical follow up visits, and even urgent care for our established patients. 
• We are here for patients who feel chronically unwell and who are seeking someone to listen to their story, and help them search for and address the root cause of their suffering. 
• We are here for individuals and families looking for a more natural approach to health. 
• We are here for patients seeking a partner in their pursuit for optimal wellness. 

Adult hospital medicine

Dr. Gering has thoroughly enjoyed working with expecting moms (dads too), and has had the great privilege of seeing many new lives come into this world.  However, to contain the cost of malpractice insurance, and to help Dr. Gering maintain better work-life balance, she has elected to stop offering OB services at this time (no prenatal care or deliveries).

• She WILL be very happy to see patients for preconception counseling. In fact, she has a deep interest in learning more about this subject from a functional standpoint. Helping moms be as healthy as they can be before becoming pregnant, may help to give mom a smooth pregnancy and also hopefully give their babies the best possible chance for a bright healthy future. 

• Dr. Gering WILL also be thrilled to help to provide medical care for your newborn and well baby checks.  Seeing little once grow and thive is one of the things that brings great joy to her practice!

You can have quick “urgent care” labs at our office, including strep screen, influenza testing, rapid mono test, pregnancy test, urinalysis, yeast/bacterial infection test, etc. 

All standard labs can be drawn at our clinic and will be sent to Quest Diagnostics.  Since we are a direct pay clinic, you will find that labs done at Spero are significantly more affordable than elsewhere (~1/3 the price on average).  You can use HSA or Flex funds to pay for labs done at our clinic.  We ask that you pay for the phlebotomy charge and lab fees at the time of service.

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We feel it is important for everyone to have access to affordable labs to help them monitor their health. As a service to the community , we are happy to be a lab resource for the region at large. This means that you do NOT need to be an active Spero patient to take advantage of the reduced prices.  We simply ask that non-Spero patients do three things: 

• First, please to call ahead of time to set up a lab appointment (we usually have same day or next day availability).  Our phone number is 715-861-2300.  We will ask for your name , birthdate, email and possibly other demographics so that we can order the test and send results to you.
• Second, please let us know what labs you are looking for. (See attached sample of Quest labs and current prices.) If you are looking for an unusual lab, this allow us to call Quest ahead of time to ensure we have the right tubes to perform the test, and to let you know the cost.
• Third, when you arrive here, we will ask that you sign a form stating you understand Dr. Gering will not be providing formal interpretation of the lab results. Rather Spero Wellness Clinic simply be providing standard lab results to you personally or to your provider of choice (with normal ranges so you know if your level is high, within range or low). 

If you would like Dr. Gering to look at your labs from a functional medicine approach and make recommendations, she will be happy to do so for a small fee for her time and expertise.

We order specialty labs from a number of exceptional companies that Dr. Gering works with, including Cyrex, Diagnostic Solutions, Doctor’s Data Inc, ELISA/ACT Biotechnologies, Genova, Igenex, Labrix, Precision Analytical, Spectracell, and Vibrant to name a few.

• To receive refills of any medication, you must be an active patient at Spero (meaning that you’ve been seen by Dr. Gering at Spero Wellness Clinic). 
  
• You must be seen at least once a year to have medications renewed (this can be at either an annual exam or medication review visit).
  
• For prescription refills, please call your pharmacy to request the refill, even if the bottle says that none are left. The pharmacy will fax your request to our office, asking for permission for a refill. Please allow 48 hours for refill requests to be completed. 

Many people suffer from chronic pain. We empathize and understand that the search for pain relief can become frustrating and overwhelming. Some become dependent on relief from chronic narcotic medications like hydrocodone, fentanyl, morphine and vicodin. While these medications provide temporary help, we are learning that unfortunately they cause more pain in the end. Studies have shed light on the many harmful effects of long term narcotics with regard to mental health, sexual health, liver issues, and GI problems like chronic constipation. 

If you have a genuine interest in seeking alternatives for pain control and are committed to weaning off narcotics, we are willing to work with you. If you feel strongly that chronic narcotics are the best option for your pain control, then Dr. Gering is not the right doctor for you.

Dr. Gering will do her best to serve her patients "after hours" by taking phone calls.  For non-urgent questions and concerns, please leave a message at 715-861-2300 or send us a message via the secure patient portal. If you do have a concern that can't wait, you may call or text Dr. Gering after hours 715-861-6526.  Please be respectful of the fact that this is Dr. Gering's time to take care of personal/family needs, wash the dishes, and theoretically rest, restore and spend with her family.  Her family appreciates it if you can keep after hours calls short and to the point.  Dr. Gering reserves the right to charge you for a phone consult if the call lasts more than 5 minutes. Unless otherwise arranged, this will be billed to your credit card on file.