Childbirth Education & Lactation
Serving Greater Lansing, MI
contact@abbiemullins.com
517.798.4878 (p)
517.225.0490 (f)
Lactation Visit
Preparing for your
Our Lactation Consultants
Both Abbie and Kristen are here to support you in your feeding goals. We are International Board Certified Lactation Consultants and Registered Nurses. You are welcome to pick your provider or schedule with the first available. You can learn more about us, our backgrounds, and our training here.
(photo credit: Victoria Christophe Photography)
Visit Locations
We offer lactation support visits in the following ways and places:
Home Visits
Greater Lansing
For In-Home consultations, both Abbie and Kristen serve the Greater Lansing Area. If you are in an outlying community, please be aware there is a mileage fee of $0.67/mile for distances traveled greater than 20 miles (or greater than 40 miles traveled round-trip). This is based on the current year's federal mileage tax rate. Travel fees are not covered by insurance and are the client's responsibility. We do not travel to Grand Rapids, Flint, or Kalamazoo areas. We would be happy to find you a lactation consultant that serves your area!
Oakland County
Kristen serves Oakland County on Tuesdays. Abbie does not serve this region so you would only be seeing Kristen if you live in that community.
Service Area
If you have any pets, please secure them in another room or area for our visit. I am an animal lover, and it is nothing against your special furry family members! Pets tend to become very protective of their tiny people, and I am a stranger coming into their space. They are usually also very curious about my consult bag and all the things inside. By doing this, it will help us to focus on you and your baby the entire time.
Pets
Clinic Visits
Rooted Counseling
111 E César E. Chávez Ave, Lansing, MI 48906
Free parking is available on Washington Street and in the lot behind Rooted. There are metered spots out front. Enter the front of the building through the Rooted door using the door code your received in your booking confirmation. Once inside, enter the first door to your right. Take a seat in the waiting room and we will come get you at your appointment time. There is a restroom with a changing station down the hall and straight to the back.
Old Town Lansing
Telehealth Visits
We offer synchronous, HIPAA compliant telehealth lactation visits. These are often covered by insurance and can not only be used for full consultations, but also for quick check-ins when back to work and needing to troubleshoot new issues.
It's helpful to ensure you have adequate WiFi strength, good lighting, limit background noise, and if working on a feeding session, have a helper for holding your phone/tablet/laptop if possible in order us to best visualize you, your baby, and a feeding.
What to Expect
Infection Precautions
As we work with newborns with immature immune systems, we take infection precautions seriously. More information about these precautions, what to expect from us, and our expectations of you can be found on the Infection Precautions page. Illness / cancellation policies can also be found on this page.
Preparing for your Visit
There are a few things you can do to prepare for our visit together! This helps us spend our time focused on you, your baby, and meeting your goals.
If you can plan on your baby needing to feed sometime within an hour after the start of your appointment time that would be best! We know however that sometimes, it is hard to predict when babies will be hungry. If your baby needs to eat shortly before your visit, please feed your baby enough to take the edge off of their hunger, but if possible not a full feeding so your baby will be ready to eat again sometime during your visit.
If you have a breast pump, please have it with you as well as your tubes / flanges / bottles. We will make sure your flanges are fitting you correctly and will discuss how to optimize your pumping routine!
Secure Client Portal
We use a secure, HIPAA client portal for all booking, communication, intake forms, notes, and telehealth visits. You can download the app, Practice Better, to your phone or tablet. You will be receiving an email from me inviting you to create your account and join the portal. This can be done via the app or on a computer.
Once you book your appointment online, you will receive another email with your appointment date and time that you can confirm.
When downloading the app, be sure to allow notifications as this is how we will communicate, how you will know which forms to complete, and also will let you know when your visit notes and education are posted to your portal. Alternately, some clients elect to have their notifications go to their email.
Your baby will have their own profile with their own health record and intake form. to complete their pending forms and see the visit notes and care plan after our appointment. In order to switch between your record and your baby's record, follow these instructions:
Computer
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In the top right corner of the toolbar, click or tap on the profile image.
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A menu will appear with an option to "Switch Profile".
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Click "Switch Profile".
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A screen will appear allowing you to select from a list of family records.
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Here you can select your baby's profile
Practice Better App (phone or mobile device)
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In the top left corner, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines)
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Scroll to the bottom of the menu and select "Switch Profile"
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Select your baby's profile
Intake Forms
You will have a few intake forms to complete prior to our visit. These will all be in the client portal. At your earliest convenience, please complete your intake form, your baby's intake form, and sign your consent forms. You will get notifications of the forms you need to complete via the portal.
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Your Forms:
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Consent for Care, Payment Policy, Disclaimer, Release of Liability
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Illness Screen and Cancellation Policy (for in-person visits)
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HIPAA Acknowledgement
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Lactation Consultation Intake Form - Parent (your health history)
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Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
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Your Baby's Form:
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Lactation Consultation Intake Form - Infant (baby's health history)
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Filling out these forms are very helpful for me to prepare for your consult and take into account any factors which will help you reach your goals!
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Secure Messaging
Practice Better also has secure messaging which works like texting. This will allow us to communicate with each other before and after your visit while documenting it all in your chart!
You can access helpful tutorials on accessing and using portal on the Practice Better website. Below is a video tour of the client portal on a desktop:
During Our Visit Together
During your consult, here is what you can expect!
Together, we will:
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Review your completed intake forms
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Discuss your feeding goals and goals for the visit
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Make a short term and longer term plan to help you meet your goals
Over the course of the visit, we will:
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Take a thorough history of both you and your baby
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Do a full assessment of:
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You and your breasts
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Your baby, including an oral function assessment (We will guide you on helping with this in a virtual visit)
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A full feeding if you are direct breastfeeding or by bottle if that is how your baby is feeding
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Weigh your baby so we can check your baby's growth (in-person visits).
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Complete a pump fit assessment and ensure you are well oriented to your pump and pumping technique.
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Answer any questions you have regarding your breasts and nipples, milk supply, feeding your baby, and your baby's growth and nutrition.
We will then share our assessments with you, formulate a plan going forward both for you and your baby, and review the education with you that will be provided in the portal. We will also make a follow-up plan if indicated.
Support After Your Visit
After our visit, you will receive a detailed Care Plan both for you and for your baby via Practice Better. It explains all we discussed during the visit and tips and techniques to meet your goals. Your care plan contains detailed instructions, videos, E-Handouts, and website links for more resources. This can be found under the menu in the "Session Notes" section.
A provider report summarizing our visit is also faxed to both your healthcare provider and your baby's healthcare provider. If I recommend you be seen by any other professional, we will also initial those referrals and fax them to the recommended provider.
After our visit, your Lactation Consultant is available to you for two weeks via secure chat in Practice Better for any questions you have and for support! If new issues arise, you would like more hands-on help, or if after two weeks, you are still having challenges, you may benefit from a follow-up consultation.
Insurance Coverage
We are excited to let you know that we are partnered with The Lactation Network to help get your consultation covered by your insurance company! This is an incredible organization that helps parents and parents-to-be get the breastfeeding support they deserve, covered by their insurance. It's always worth checking to see if your insurance plan may qualify! They are adding more plans all the time.
For select health plans, the Lactation Network covers in-persons and telehealth consultations with an IBCLC at no out of pocket cost. They handle the paperwork and bill your insurance directly. Pre-approval is required and is obtained online through Lactation Network. It is important to do this in advance of your visit as we cannot guarantee retroactive coverage. You can read even more about what plans participate here.
Once you hear you are approved (usually within a day or two), you will not need to pay us at the end of your visit, will owe nothing out of pocket for your consultation (unless there is a mileage fee), and The Lactation Network will take care of the rest! Let’s see if we can get it covered!
To see if your specific plan participates and get pre-approved, click here to fill out your application.
Self-Pay / HSA
If your plan doesn't participate, or if for some reason you are not approved for coverage by the Lactation Network, you will just pay me at the end of your visit. That doesn't mean it won't be covered by your insurance plan! You will simply submit for reimbursement after the fact. Many of our local plans, like PHP, are great about reimbursement for lactation care and support.
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Fee schedule is by the hour and every 15 minute portion therein. Fee for a postpartum lactation consultation is $100/hr.
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We accept cash, personal check, or major credit/debit cards.
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If you would like to use a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) you may use that as well!
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We will also provide you a Superbill (like a receipt with insurance codes) via the portal that you can send to your insurance company to request reimbursement.
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Reimbursement may vary, but per the Affordable Care Act, you are entitled to breastfeeding support coverage.
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It is always a good idea to call your insurance company ahead of time to determine if they cover lactation support, at what percent, and any stipulations. I would be considered an out-of-network provider.
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They may request the following information:
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Abbie's Provider Number (NPI): 1902346380
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Kristen's Provider Number (NPI): 1023886298
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We usually bill under the lactating parent not the baby and use procedure code:
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S9443
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We use diagnosis code:
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Z39.1
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It may also be helpful to ask your insurance company if a referral from your OB/GYN or Primary Care Provider will help with reimbursement. If so, your provider can fax a referral to us at (517) 225-0490.
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Book Online
If you haven't already booked your initial visit, you can do that online anytime! Use the menu on the left of the booking page to select your visit location (clinic, home or telehealth).
Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions I can answer for you. I am looking forward to working together!