
FAQs
Here you can learn more about how to become a patient of Heartland Endocrine Group and get answers to some of the most common questions.

Becoming a New Patient
We are so excited you visited our Heartland Endocrine Group site and hope you will be partnering with us to help you on your journey to endocrine wellness.
We are different. We offer a holistic approach to endocrine health.
We look for the cause of your symptoms. Our practice is strongly based on Western, academic endocrinology and recommends allopathic treatments as well as nutrition, mind-body medicine, herbal remedies, supplements, and exercise when appropriate. In addition, we consider your genetics, exposures and lifestyle to personalize your endocrine-related health plan. Our goal is to help you feel normal again.
Your care may be covered by your insurance provider as out-of-network medical care—many people get up to 70% reimbursed by private insurers.
- Use FSA/HSA
- No visit copays
- No middlemen
- Out-of-network reimbursement
- For Medicare patients, the reimbursement is up to 80% and I give you the form and addressed envelope at your visit.
If you are ready to start your journey with us, please follow these steps:
- You may schedule a new patient visit from our website. Please see the schedule tab.
- We would appreciate copies of any available medical records 7 days in advance of your appointment so Dr. Figaro can review your prior endocrine care. If we have this information in advance, we can spend more of your visit time getting to know you instead of reviewing these records. Our fax is (563) 424-6602.
- Once you have scheduled a patient appointment, please register with our patient portal here: Patient Portal. You need to complete all three consent forms and the new patient questionnaires to begin.
Initial visits
Your initial visit will include a 45-60-minute visit with Dr. Figaro. During your visit, Dr. Figaro will take a detailed history and perform a medical examination. She will review any pertinent medical records that you bring with you or will have already reviewed records you sent ahead. With all that information, she will first develop a plan for the evaluation of your condition and later, usually during a second visit, an integral treatment plan tailored to your particular endocrine condition. During this process, she works alongside with you in evaluating the cause of your symptoms and discusses the possible treatment options. You are a necessary partner in this process. No other patients are scheduled during your appointment time.
- Initial visit: $225-300 (new patients to Dr. Figaro)
- 45-60-minute visit with Dr. Figaro. During the visit, Dr. Figaro will address some or all of the following items:
- Review personal health goals
- Review medical history
- Review medical records and laboratory data
- Perform a thorough physical exam
- Develop personalized medical plan
- 45-60-minute visit with Dr. Figaro. During the visit, Dr. Figaro will address some or all of the following items:
Follow-up visits
- 15-minute follow-up visit with Dr. Figaro: $75
- 30 minute follow-up visit with Dr. Figaro $150
- 30-minute phone follow-up with Dr. Figaro: $75
- 15-minute phone follow-up with Dr. Figaro: $50
FAQs
How do I make an appointment?
At Heartland Endocrine, I strive to utilize technology for everyone’s sanity! Phone tag, phone tree and messages are cumbersome for everyone. My time is spent being 100% present with my patients in office. This is where the best care happens. To keep the office a healing space, we asking you to please:
- Make an appointment with me in the room before you leave, especially if we know you already need a follow-up appointment. (Plan ahead now and prevent that panicky feeling when you can’t get an appointment when you want it.)
- Log on to the patient portal (patientally.com) and send us a request for a scheduled visit
How do I cancel an appointment?
Please do this as early as possible, either by sending a portal message, or by calling the office at 563 424-6306.. We respectfully ask for at least 24 hours to avoid fees.
What should I expect for our first visit?
Our thorough, initial visit (if you are new to Dr. Figaro) lasts up to 60 minutes. It is a chance to tell your story and for me to listen. Our goal will be to create a road map to address your endocrine concerns and to improve your health. Please sign up for our portal before coming in (patientally.com) and fill out the necessary paperwork electronically. This saves valuable time so that we can focus our appointment on a solid plan. Please come 10 minutes early so we can maximize our time together.
I want an earlier appointment, is there a wait list?
Yes. If you want to come in earlier, please ask to be added to our wait list. If there is a cancellation, we will call you to see if you can come earlier.
How do we review labs?
How often should I come?
The following is a general guide for frequency of visits:
Come in ONCE YEARLY if you are:
- Super stable/have no new health goals
- Have no change in health over the last year
(Prior to that visit, we will need: yearly labs, based on your medical problem)
Come in TWICE YEARLY if you are:
- On medications, still evolving in your endocrine problem, but stable overall
(Goals: Refill prescription(s), assess effectiveness, make sure there are not major changes in your health)
If you are starting a new medication for a new problem, we suggest appointments every 4-6 weeks until stable, then every 3 months, and every 6 months for maintenance.
For women starting hormone therapy, you should notice changes in symptoms within 2-4 weeks. These therapies may require frequent adjustments and monthly follow-ups initially, then 12 weeks, 6, 9 & 12 months, in order to help you get the full benefit of therapy.
For men starting testosterone replacement, the first year of therapy involves the most monitoring for safety and effectiveness. Labs are checked at baseline 12 weeks, 6, 9 & 12 months. Once a therapeutic dose is established, we can lengthen our intervals.
How should I use the patient portal?
In general, the portal is used for: scheduling, refill requests, quick yes-or-no questions, and bill view/pay.
All you need to create an account is a simple log-in/password combination.
What insurances do you take?
Why not insurance?
Abuses and bullies me by denying all my first claims.
Reimburses me so little that I may go out of business.
Leverages a $50 penalty against me when my patients accidentally go to out-of-network labs.
Charges me hundreds of dollars of “membership fees” before I’m allowed to see their patients.
Offers me a contract that dictates my responsibility for all legal fees if they determine I did something wrong.
Why doesn’t Dr. Figaro accept Medicare?
I love caring for patients—young and old. I’m happy to care for Medicare patients. I am no longer a participating physician of Medicare on November, 2018. I can see you and will give you an addressed envelope and three page form that you can send to Medicare to be reimbursed.
Why don’t I bill directly to Medicare? Let me fill you in.
I do not bill to Medicare because:
Medicare claims are more complex than any other insurer with more billing codes and rules and regulations that require hiring a team of staff to remain compliant or else . . .
Medicare regulatory codes by which physicians must abide is 130,000 pages long! (US Tax code is only 75,000).
Medicare requires compliance with more unfunded mandates and administrative trivia than any other insurer.
How do I get a refill?
I’m running out of insulin early, what should I do?
What is a superbill?
I need a referral or an official form filled. How do I do it?
My treatment requires a prior authorization. What does this mean?
Can I have an acute visit?
Yes. Please feel free to call and see if there are any openings in the schedule. Let the scheduler know it’s acute and they can always talk to me about accommodating. I try to leave time at the end of day for this. Sometimes people call and cancel same-day, leaving last-minute openings.
Typical acute cases that I see include: sore neck with thyroid disease, hypoglycemia on current insulin regimen, side effects of hyperthyroidism or allergic reactions to medication for hyperthyroidism, needing a letter due to missed work or filling out an FMLA form.
What is an e-patient and am I one?
A patient who participates fully in his/her medical care. e-patients see themselves as equal partners with doctors in the healthcare process. And e- patient is informed, empowered, and savvy with health. With the change in information access patients have resources readily available. There are over 2000 published researched health articles a day (not including popular media). The medical databases house millions of research articles. We can’t all keep up. The goal is to collaborate as partners in your health journey. I’m open to listening to what you have read and bring in. I’m willing to read. I’m happy to direct you to good sources for information and to recommend books. I do the best I can to stay current so we both benefit.
Your Endocrine health starts here

Better hormone health for you is our mission
Office Visits Are By Appointment Only.
4620 E. 53rd Street, Suite #200, Davenport, IA 52807
HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday through Thursday 9 am to 4 pm. Select Saturday hours available for existing patients. Any office visit is by appointment only.