Becoming a Medical Marijuana Patient

B&B Medical Marijuana Evaluation Center was founded in 2012 and became licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Health in 2014. B&B Consulting, LLC is the only licensed facility by the Department of Health to conduct medical marijuana evaluations and approvals for the Medical Marijuana Program. The office is compliant with all requirements that is expected in an Organized Ambulatory Care Facility and does not accept any form of health insurance. The physicians at B&B Consulting, LLC are required to take continued education in medical marijuana to make sure they provide the most accurate and current information on how medical marijuana can improve a patient’s quality of life. B&B Consulting approves a majority of the Medical Marijuana Patients in our state and is on the forefront of providing information, education and consistent updates regarding laws and regulations pertaining to the medical marijuana program. From our experience here at B&B Medical Marijuana Evaluation Center (B&B Consulting, LLC), many physicians are okay with the program. In fact, many believe strongly in its positive medicinal benefits. The issue is they will not sign for whichever reason. In this case potential medical marijuana patients have a few options. They can either ask their physician again at a follow-up appointment/yearly physical, look for another physician who will sign, wait for the recreational marijuana law to pass, or go to B&B Consulting, LLC to get approved for the Medical Marijuana Program.

For a potential medical marijuana patient to start the process at B&B Consulting, LLC our physicians are going to require medical records. Our medical marijuana patients do not get approved unless they have an outside physician who can provide recent medical records regarding the patient’s qualifying condition. For a chronic condition such as chronic pain, muscle spasms, wasting syndrome (cachexia), and nausea the physicians are going to require 6 months minimum to 1-year worth of recent medical records/documentation.  For conditions such as Cancer, Glaucoma, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), Hepatitis C (HEP C), the treatment of HEP C, Seizures (including, but not limited to Epilepsy), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Crohn’s Disease, Agitation related to Alzheimer’s Disease, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) the physicians require one recent progress note within the past 6 months or office visit note showcasing that this patient is currently diagnosed and is currently being treated for one of those conditions. There is one unique condition that is going to require more than just medical records. That condition would be Autism Spectrum Disorder. The Department of Health requires patients diagnosed with this condition to consider FDA-approved medications, including off-label use of the pharmaceutic grade form of pure CBD prior to initiating medical marijuana therapy. If for any reason the medications were not implemented, there needs to be documented reason in the patient’s medical record.

Records are meticulously reviewed and once the physicians deem the records sufficient the office will have the okay to schedule an initial appointment for the approval. If for any reason records are not enough for the approval, it doesn’t mean the patient is denied. This means that the physicians are going to require additional records and we will try our best to work with our patients to obtain additional information. When a patient is approved for the medical marijuana program, they will be contacted by the B&B Consulting, LLC’s staff to schedule the patient’s initial appointment to see the physician for the approval. The Patient will be called a day or two prior to confirm appointment date, time and what to bring. The fee of the appointment is due when the patient arrives to the appointment. The fee is $150 (cash, credit or debit), we do not accept checks. Medical Marijuana is still federally illegal, the payment is not covered by health insurance and it is all out of pocket. The fee is slightly reduced to $140 if a patient receives Social Security Disability, Social Security Supplemental, Medicaid and/or VA Service-Connected Disability. Once approved and seen by the physician, per Department of Health, patients have to keep a patient/physician relationship with their signing provider which is maintained by seeing the physician once every six months. The follow-up fee is $50 (cash, credit or debit) and are required to be completed before our physician’s can sign another medical marijuana recommendation approval.  

Give our office a call if you have any questions or concerns!