Patient Portal FAQ's

You can give patients the option to pay for their formulas directly at www.bewellherbs.com! You can also choose to add a percentage markup or a flat rate markup to the cost of the formula. We remit the total markup revenue collected to practitioners by checks mailed on a monthly basis at the end of each calendar month. Orders for the portal must be a minimum of 100 grams. NOTICE 6-15-22: We are now adding a surcharge of $5.00 for portal orders that are less than 100 grams.  We do not allow markups that exceed 50%, past experience has shown that higher markups result in patients not ordering formulas after we have placed them on the portal.


How do I order a formula so that a patient can pay for it on the portal?

How do I authorize refills?

I'd like to charge patients a markup on formulas, what do I need to do?

How does a patient pay for a formula?

How are shipping methods selected?

What information is included on the patient's packing list?

Is the Patient Portal HIPAA Compliant?

How do I order a formula so that a patient can pay for it on the portal?
All steps up until “Select Payment Method” (on the checkout page) follow the established procedures. A new payment option has been added: “Have patient pay using patient portal.” Checkout questions have been added to allow you to specify number of refills and to change or set your markup. Please provide us with
only the patient's first and last initials and zip code on the checkout page (do not enter PHI directly on the website!). You can send the patient's name and address via the HIPAA secure form, but this isn't necessary if the patient will be using the portal: we can match the initials and zip code you entered to the information entered on the portal by the patient.
If you have patients that are using multiple formulas you can also add a descriptor by entering it in the "Add Descriptor" checkout question—we suggest that, in order to protect patient privacy, such a descriptor be as vague as possible without causing confusion. Descriptors such as “Nighttime Formula” or “Daytime Formula” are acceptable, those that specifically describe a condition would link treatment information to patient information and are therefore not acceptable.* You might make formulas distinct by using letters or numbers e.g. “Formula A, Formula B, Formula 1, Formula 2, etc.” and then you can communicate directly to the patient what each formula is for. Detailed patient instructions can still be entered
on the main site and they are, as always, included on the packing listthe descriptor on the patient portal only helps patients know which formula to purchase at a given time. Top

Authorizing Refills: Another new checkout question allows you to specify the number of refills allowed. Patients can order a refill that has been authorized by you at their convenience without contacting you. The default selection is “No Refills” and you must actively change the selection to the number of refills you'd like to authorize. If you have authorized refills they will be placed in the patient's "saved formulas" area after the first formula or the previous refill has been purchased. An additional checkout question asks if you would like to replace a previous formula with the formula currently being ordered so that refills going forward will be repetitions of the new formula. When you specify that you are replacing the previous formula your patient will no longer be able refill it, and the number of refills of the new formula will be reset according to the selection you make. Top

I'd like to charge patients a markup on formulas, what do I need to do?

If you would like to have Chinese Herbal Solutions collect a markup on your behalf you MUST submit an W-9 Form W-9 PDF to us BEFORE we can start mailing payments to you. This can be sent in PDF format by e-mail or regular mail
it doesn't need to reach us before we start collecting a markup for you, but we cannot send your payments until the form is on file. Practitioners who receive $600 or more in payments in any calendar year will be provided with form 1099 MISC.
How to set a markup: Please e-mail us to specify your default percentage markup, which can be any whole number value (e.g. 1%, 2%, 3%...9%, 10%, 11%...) or your default flat-rate markup which can be any dollar amount that you wish to add to each formula's cost (e.g. $1, $1.50, $2, $3...$5...$10... per formula). Percentage markups are NOT applied to the shipping charges. You can also set or reset your default markup by answering a checkout question when placing any order. We do not allow markups that exceed 50%, past experience has shown that higher markups result in patients not ordering formulas after we have placed them on the portal.
If you would like to charge a lower or higher markup on a particular formula you can override your default markup by answering the checkout questions that are specific to the use of the patient portal. Please note that you cannot set a default markup without e-mailing or calling us--this ensures that we have a clear understanding about what you'd like us to do. We will reply to confirm the arrangement.

How does a patient pay for a formula?
You can tell your patient at time of treatment that they can pay for their formula directly at www.bewellherbs.com. A link to the patient portal is also provided on our main site, so you don't necessarily need to remember both website addresses. I
nstructions for portal use are displayed on the homepage of the site. Business cards specific to the patient portal (that include the portal website address and basic instructions for use) are also available on requestwe will mail you small quantities as needed. If you need some time to order the formula please let your patient know when it will be available on the portal.
Patients MUST register with the site to pay for their formulas. Registration is a simple process similar to registration on most online stores. Please note that we cannot contact patients before they have registered on the site or unless/until they have contacted us first—you must provide them with the information necessary to find the site. After a patient has registered we will put any formula that you have ordered for them in the “saved formulas” area on their account page. They then click on the “saved formula” link which puts their formula into a shopping cart. The formula is described by order number, practitioner initials, number of grams, and cost, e.g. “CHS Order #39xx Practitioner: BA 100 grams $27.00.” After a patient places a formula in a cart they proceed to the checkout page where they will select First Class Mail or Priority Mail shipping. They can then pay for the formula using a credit card or by clicking on a link that takes them directly to Paypal (see next section for shipping methods). Top

How are shipping methods selected?
Your selection of shipping methods on the checkout page doesn't matter when you choose to have the patient pay through the portal. This is because patients can choose First Class Mail or Priority Mail shipping when THEY complete their order on the portal. If you've selected First Class Mail shipping when you order a formula, for example, the $3.50 shipping charge will be subtracted from the cost of the formula when the order is transferred to the patient portal and the patient will then add the shipping charge for the method they select. We charge patients the same rates for shipping: $3.50 for First Class and $7.30 for Priority Mail. Top

What information is included on the patient's packing list?
The packing lists that patients receive include practitioner contact information, a list of the herbs and the gram quantities in their formula, dosage information and any other instructions you have entered, and the total and shipping charges that they paid for their formula. They don't receive a breakdown of individual herb prices. Top

Is the Patient Portal HIPAA Compliant?

This system was designed to meet and exceed HIPAA guidelines: Patient contact information is stored in a completely separate database from treatment information (formulas and dosage instructions) and the databases are not linked in any way. Patients who wish to use the system must voluntarily enter their contact information by registering on the patient portal. A page on the portal is dedicated to informing patients about their privacy rights and it also provides a link to the Health and Human Services HIPAA site. The item descriptions for patient formulas on the portal do not disclose any information linking them to a practitioner other than the inclusion of the practitioner's first and last initials. All patient identifying information and treatment information is handled by Chinese Herbal Solutions as protected health information (PHI). Top

*We take every step possible to protect patient privacy. We treat all patient information as PHI and take extra precautions by separating information that identifies patients from information that describes conditions or treatments. Account and payment information on the patient portal are transmitted over a secure server using SSL technology.