North Campus Family Health Service
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a nurse-managed center?
A nurse-managed center is a primary care health center that
is managed and staffed by nurses. Primary care is provided by
nurse practitioners and nurse midwives. These nurses work in collaboration
with other health professionals, such as physicians, to provide
high quality care to patients.
What is a nurse practitioner?
The nurse practitioners on our staff are, at a minimum, masters-prepared
registered nurses who have received additional education and training
to enable them to serve as primary care providers (PCPs) for patients.
Is there a doctor on staff at the clinic?
The clinic has a physician consultant who is available at all
times by telephone to provide guidance to the nurse practitioners.
However, the physician is not regularly present at the clinic.
Will my insurance pay for care at the clinic?
In many cases, yes. The nurse practitioners are approved as
primary care providers by many insurance plans. If your plan is
not currently listed on the web site, staff at the clinic can
give you specific information about whether your plan will cover
care.
I am an international graduate student, and I am not familiar
with how health insurance works in your country. Can you help?
Many of the University of Michigan's international graduate
students have Chickering Insurance, which is administered by AETNA.
For students with this insurance there are three options for obtaining
health care:
- If you go to an AETNA Gatekeeper for care when you are sick,
there is no additional payment (referred to as a co-payment)
required. Within the Chickering system, our nurse practitioners
have the status of Gatekeepers, so visits to our clinic for
care of your illness are at no additional cost to you.
- If you go to an approved AETNA provider who is not a Gatekeeper,
you will be charged a $50 copayment for your visit. Any followup
visits for the same diagnosis are free of charge, but any visits
for a different problem will cost $50 for the visit.
- If you go to a non-AETNA provider, AETNA will pay a reduced
amount to the provider, and you will be responsible for the
balance. This could amount to several hundred dollars.
What if I don't have health insurance?
We have staff available to help you find and apply for health
care insurance. A sliding fee scale is also available for patients
without insurance. If you wish to use the sliding fee option,
you need to bring proof of income (tax forms, pay check stubs
etc.) for your entire household with you to your first appointment.
Can my children be seen at the clinic?
Yes, the clinic is staffed by Family Nurse Practitioners, who
can see both children and adults.
Do I need an appointment to be seen?
We recommend that you make an appointment to be seen. The clinic
does have limited walk-in times, and we will always make time
to see a sick patient, but if you call for an appointment we can
reduce waiting time for everyone.
Do you do school physicals or sports physicals?
Yes, the nurse practitioners perform school, sports, pre-employment
and camp physicals.
What if I need to be admitted to a hospital?
The nurse practitioners will work closely with the consulting
physician, who admits patients to the University of Michigan Hospital.
While you are in the hospital, your care will be coordinated by
the physician, who will communicate regularly with your nurse
practitioner.
Who will watch my kids if I make an appointment with you?
If you must bring your child with you, please let us know when
you call to schedule your appointment. We will take this into
consideration when scheduling your visit.
Can I volunteer at the clinic?
Yes! There are many different opportunities for volunteering
at the clinic. Call Carol Zastrow, Clinic Administrator, at (734)
647-1636 to discuss your interest in volunteering.
Back to NCFHS Home |