What Is Primary Care Consulting? (And Do You Still Need Your Regular Doctor?)

If you've looked at our Primary Care Consulting page and thought, "wait, is this instead of my doctor, or in addition to them?" you're not the first person to wonder. It's a reasonable question, and it deserves a straight answer: in addition to. Primary Care Consulting is a second medical voice in the room, not a replacement for the doctor you already see.

Here's what that means in practice, who it's actually for, and what a visit looks like.

What "Consulting" Means Here

Most healthcare happens in 15-minute appointments, which is rarely enough time when something doesn't have a simple answer, a confusing diagnosis, a treatment plan you want a second read on, or a complex picture involving more than one provider. Primary Care Consulting is built around the questions that don't fit into that window.

You keep your regular doctor for your ongoing primary care. What we add is time: longer appointments, a whole-person view, and someone whose job in that hour is to help you think through your options clearly, not rush to the next patient.

Who Actually Uses This

A few situations come up often:

• You have a diagnosis or treatment plan and want a second opinion — not because you distrust your doctor, but because a second, unhurried perspective helps you decide with more confidence.

• You're managing several providers at once — a specialist here, a therapist there, a PCP somewhere else — and nobody is connecting the dots between them.

• You're already working with us for something else — Spravato, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy — and want an integrative medical voice on the physical side of your care too, without adding an unrelated new doctor to the mix.

• You don't have a PCP right now and want a place to bring health questions while you're between doctors, or deciding on one.

If none of those describe you, that's fine too.  Primary Care Consulting isn't meant to replace the relationship you already have with your doctor. It's meant to fill the gap next to it.

What a Visit Looks Like

A consulting visit is a real conversation, in person or by telehealth,  about what's going on, what your options are, and what a reasonable next step looks like. That can mean:

• Talking through a new or confusing diagnosis

• Getting a second opinion on a treatment plan

• Coordinating care across multiple providers so the plan is coherent, not conflicting

• "Urgent-ish" support for things like a lingering cold, a contraception question, or travel advice, when you can't get in with your regular doctor and don't need the ER

• Education visits — time to actually learn about a health topic, from navigating the medical system to menopause to gender-affirming care questions

Every visit ends with a clear plan and clear next steps, not just a list of things to think about later.

Meet Your Consulting Providers

Primary Care Consulting visits are led by Dr. Joey Banks, MD and Hayden Waskatko, PA-C.

Dr. Joey has over 24 years in diverse healthcare settings and views health as a lifelong journey shaped by daily choices. She helps untangle complex health questions, offers second opinions, and supports collaborative care with specialists and therapists.

Hayden is a Missoula native and Certified Physician Assistant who believes meaningful healthcare starts with connection, getting to know each patient's story and treating the physical and emotional sides of health as connected, not separate.

Insurance and Getting Started

We bill in-network insurance, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana, Allegiance, PacificSource, First Choice Health Network, Aetna, Missoula County Employee Benefits, Mountain Health Co-op, and Medicaid (we are not in-network with Medicare). For out-of-network plans, payment is collected at the time of your visit, and HSA/FSA funds may apply.

Getting started is simple: reach out to schedule, tell us what you're trying to figure out, and we'll build a plan around it — one that fits alongside whatever care you're already getting.

Structured care, not a quick fix. If you're carrying a health question that hasn't found the right amount of time or attention yet, that's exactly what this is for.

Ready to talk it through? Call 406-541-2012 or email connect@innerjourneyhealthcare.com to schedule a Primary Care Consulting visit.

Education only, not medical advice. Every care plan is individualized — talk with your care team about what's right for you.