Frequently Asked Questions:

What kind of doctor is Dr. Gomer?

Dr. Gomer is a board-certified internal medicine physician—this means that Dr. Gomer treats adult patients (18 years and older) and is a primary care doctor to his patients. He can make referrals for you, treat a wide variety of medical illnesses, order labs for you (including such labs as your cholesterol, blood sugar, etc.), help you interpret and understand your labs, among other things. Dr. Gomer has an MD degree, is licensed to practice medicine in the state of California, and is also known as a primary care provider or general adult doctor. Sometimes Dr. Gomer is asked if he is a “holistic” or “natural” doctor—his reply is that he considers himself a “lifestyle” doctor, in that he considers lifestyle modification and prevention as first line therapies and treatments to address medical issues. For example, he considers the first-line treatment of high blood sugar and high cholesterol as weight loss, and blood pressure and diabetes medications as treatments that do not directly address the root cause. Medications are, in many instances, second-line interventions, and surgical intervention is a third-line intervention. To consider another example, if a patient comes in for depression, he will not push psychoactive medication as the first line therapy. Dr. Gomer uses a combination of traditional and nontraditional methods in medical treatment; his criteria to use a treatment method is that it has a solid and well-established record of success and safety and he considers evidence from multiple viewpoints, including scientific trials, independent authors and experts, patient testimony, and many other sources. He is perfectly happy to use medical consensus treatments as well as to push back against medical consensus treatments—his only criteria are treatment success and safety.

Are you accepting new patients?

Yes, we are! Please give us a call at (951) 750-7888 to learn more about us!

Do you accept walk-in appointments?

Regrettably, we are generally not able to accept walk in appointments. However, please give us a call to see what might be possible for a given day, especially if there are cancellations. We try to give urgent issues priority. True emergencies are best handled at the hospital with follow up after evaluation at the hospital. Though we cannot make a guarantee in advance, if there is space available on a given day, we will try to accommodate your request.

What is the wait time for an appointment?

Most new and existing patients can be scheduled fairly quickly. We will make every effort to schedule you in a timely manner and minimize any wait time.

How quickly can I get a referral that I need?

In most cases, a referral can be given within 24 hours of a patient’s request. You do not need to be seen in person for a referral! Just give us a call and let us know what referral you need (for example, to a heart doctor or surgeon) and we will input it quickly. While our office inputs referrals usually on the same day of the request, there may be a lag period between your insurance company and the medical group Dr. Gomer is part of to get a referral authorized. We will make every attempt to expedite your referral and to make sure things happen without a long wait!

What happens if I’m out of network?

We are in network with virtually all PPO plans. If you are in an HMO plan and are out of network, there are a couple ways to become in network. We are happy to see you and not bill you or your insurance at your first visit if you are planning to switch to our practice to eventually become in network. We can connect you to a reputable health insurance agent or broker who can facilitate becoming in network for you. We never want to let insurance issues interfere with your healthcare and we want to see you first and figure out insurance issues later.

Can I join Dr. Gomer’s practice if I’m not part of his medical group?

Yes, you can! All you need to do is give your insurance company a call and request that Dr. Gomer become your primary care doctor. Your medical group membership will automatically be switched to the group that Dr. Gomer is a member of, which is Optum (formerly Primecare of Temecula). You can make this switch any time of the year and it does not have to be during open enrollment period. If you have any questions or you encounter issues, please give us a call and we can refer you to a health insurance broker who can help.

What kind of experience can senior patients expect at Dr. Gomer’s office?

Dr. Gomer is an internal medicine physician, and as such, only sees adult patients. He currently also works at nursing homes in the area where he routinely treats and manages senior patients with a variety of medical conditions. Dr. Gomer is very aggressive with seniors’ medication lists, which are often extremely large and convoluted, and works to reduce the medication burden on seniors. He also systematically reviews the medical problems seniors face to create a thorough plan to address those problems. With his adult focus, senior nursing home experience, and commitment to reducing the medication burden and systematic medical review process, seniors are well taken care of in Dr. Gomer’s practice.

What is your vaccination policy?

We never force or intimidate you to take any vaccination in our practice. We may recommend certain vaccinations based on medical indications, but the final choice is yours! You will always be treated with respect in our practice regardless of your stance on vaccines.

How can I make the most out of my visit?

We encourage you to bring your medical records, medications, and any recent labs with you so that we have the most complete picture of your health right away. While we always request records from your previous doctors and specialists, the majority of the time our requests are sadly ignored by the receiving office!

Why did Dr. Gomer name his practice Virtue Primary Care?

Dr. Gomer wrote his doctoral dissertation on virtue—or an excellent trait of character that makes someone into a good person—and virtue’s relationship to a happy or good human life. He argued in his dissertation, against those who oppose his point of view, that virtue is necessary to living an excellent human life. It is a concept that he has spent years thinking and researching about, and it is the namesake of his practice.

What if I cannot afford my payment, deductible, co-payment, or have no medical insurance?

Please talk to us directly and we will work with you.

What is your policy on herbal supplements and natural remedies?

We attempt to meaningfully investigate the safety of all herbal supplements and natural remedies. We may not be able to make a final recommendation for or against some specific supplements if they have not been rigorously tested. Unless a compound is known to be detrimental to your health, we generally are okay with patients continuing supplements if they believe it to be in their best interest and tolerate them well.