Family Healthcare of Lake Norman

About Family Healthcare of Lake Norman

What is Women's Healthcare of Lake Norman?

Women's Healthcare of Lake Norman is a women's hormone clinic at 9718-A Sam Furr Road in Huntersville, NC 28078. Linda S. Winegardner, MD, runs it and is the only prescriber named. Its main work is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The services listed are HRT, bioidentical HRT, adrenal fatigue, and hormone pellets. Call 704 987-7970 or 704 895-5000 to schedule. In its own words: "Dr. Winegardner will determine with you the best way to deliver hormones to your body."

The pellets are small compounded hormones placed under the skin. Dr. Winegardner attended training sponsored by the Professional Compounding Centers of America and BioTE Medical, and she is a member of the American Menopausal Society. She completed her family medicine residency in Charleston, South Carolina, after medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina, and has more than 30 years of experience in urgent care and family medicine. She has used HRT for menopausal symptoms for over ten years and pellets for over eight. The office also offers pellets to men with low testosterone, on similar terms. The office is open Monday through Thursday from 8 AM to 5 PM and Friday from 8 AM to noon, with a midday lunch closure and closed on weekends. It shares a building with Family Healthcare of Lake Norman, Dr. Winegardner's traditional practice, which she no longer has room to serve for general care.

What does it cost?

It does not publish prices. It refers to a price list, but the list is not shown, so ask for it before you book. No consultation fee is stated. It also does not say whether the pellets or medication are included in any price.

Insurance works two ways. Dr. Winegardner is in network with nearly all insurance companies and will file for covered charges. Required labs may be covered. Visits and consults, however, are usually not billed to insurance, because the practice has found that high deductibles and plan unknowns cost most patients less when they pay directly. Customized compounded hormones and pellet therapy are generally not covered, and compounding pharmacies usually do not file with insurance.

Payment options include VISA, Mastercard, CareCredit, and HSA and Flex Spending cards. Treatment starts with an initial consult, a pre-pellet lab review visit, and a pelleting visit. A post-pellet visit with labs follows, to adjust the pellet schedule. After that, pelleting is done every three or four months, with a minimal office visit each time.

What should you ask before you book?

Ask for the price list, and ask for a total for each step: the initial consult, the pre-pellet lab review, each pelleting visit, and the post-pellet visit with labs. Ask whether the pellets are part of any of those prices.

Ask whether the pellets are compounded or brand-name, and which pharmacy makes them. Ask which of your plan's charges will be filed with insurance, given that visits and consults usually are not. Ask whether there is a membership or contract, and how to stop or pause treatment. Ask who prescribes between visits, and who manages your care for anything beyond hormones, since the practice asks HRT patients to keep a separate primary care doctor and gynecologist. Ask whether telehealth visits are offered, because the listing does not mention them.

Who is it a good fit for?

This is a good fit if you are a woman looking for hormone therapy for menopause symptoms, already have a primary care doctor and a gynecologist, and are ready to pay for visits, labs and pellets out of pocket or with CareCredit. It is a poor fit if you want one doctor for all your care, or if you need a price before you book. In its own words: "Hormone therapy may not be appropriate for every woman."

Sources: womenshealthcareoflakenorman.org, womenshealthcareoflakenorman.org/services.html, womenshealthcareoflakenorman.org/contact.html, womenshealthcareoflakenorman.org/insurance.html, womenshealthcareoflakenorman.org/about.html

Services Offered

Hours

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 8 AM until 5 PM and Friday 8 AM until Noon. Closed for lunch 12 to 130. Closed Saturday and Sunday

Location