HEALTH INSURANCE
We do not accept any health insurance and have opted out of Medicare. The model of medical care covered by most insurance is definitely “disease care,” with appointments focused on prescriptions and financial disincentives for not following official guidelines (vaccinations, colonoscopies, and other issues not relevant to this practice). This fits very poorly with a functional approach.
If your insurance reimburses you for out-of-network care, then we can provide you with a superbill for completed visits and you may submit it for reimbursement.
We try to reduce costs for you in the following ways:
The question for you is whether the benefit you are hoping to obtain from this approach is worth the cost to your time, energy, and finances.
COVID
The COVID crisis presents a good opportunity to focus on improving our baseline health. Reduced travel and social engagement means time freed up for designing a healthful diet, and for focusing on mindfulness, exercise, and detoxification. For many people however, symptoms have worsened, likely due to the many pressures such as fear and anxiety, isolation, bad air quality, and the upcoming election. The effects of these pressures will be felt for several months or longer.
Given that we are at the crossroad of these realities, I have modified my programs to offer shorter, more frequent visits, in order to monitor progress and offer more support. All visits are still virtual, due to the poorly understood dangers posed by prolonged face-to-face contact and indoor ventilation. The windows in my office don’t open, so I have decided to close the office completely.
BILLING DETAILS
Our initial contact is relatively short (30 minutes) and inexpensive. The goal is for me to hear what you are experiencing and what your health goals are, so I can describe how I would address your issues and why. Please be prepared to access the link we will send you and purchase the $50 “Initial Contact.” In order for you to make the purchase, please email me so we can choose a time, and I will send you a link to Hint Health, an online payment platform.
FIRST MEDICAL VISIT
The next step in working together is the $750 comprehensive review of your medical and life history, the “First Medical Visit.” This visit usually lasts 90 minutes. Please complete online questionnaires ahead of the visit.
At this visit, we request that you sign up for a $270/month active membership. This membership gives you access to full supplement discount (about 35% off the list price on Fullscript) and a 70% discount on face-to-face visits up to 1 hour/month. It also takes into account email communication for clarification of issues discussed during appointments.
SUBSEQUENT FOLLOW UP
We then meet once or twice a month, for a total of 60 minutes, at a cost of $180/hour. We do not need to meet every month. If we need more time in a month, the fee is $430/hour. We expect most people will need between 6-8 months to address complex medical issues comprehensively. You can put the Active Membership on pause for 2 months out of each 12 month period but need to resume the membership to regain the membership discounts.
ONGOING PATIENTS
Once you reach your goals or have been in the Active Membership for 8 months, we ask you to sign up for the “Basic Membership“ ($39 monthly) so you can stay connected to the practice, including receiving prescription refills, and a 20% discount on appointments.
If you do not want to sign up for a membership, you can still pay for individual appointments ($540/hour). We request an hour-long visit if you have not been seen in the last year.
IN SUMMARY :
– Initial contact: 30 minutes, $50
– First medical: usually 90 minutes, $750 and start Active Membership $270/month
– We expect that most patients will benefit from staying on the membership for at least 6 months, so we can address issues comprehensively.
Those who feel that they have met their goals may then sign up for the Basic Membership if desired.
Summary of memberships:
Active membership: $270/month, full supplement discount; visits up to 1 hour per month, $180/hour; additional time $430/hour.
Basic membership; $39/month, medication refills, discount on visits ($430 instead of $540/hour), 50% off one 55 minute appointment for each 12 months of membership, partial supplement discount.
No membership: no medication refills, no discount on supplements, visits are $540 per hour.
Prices are subject to change, usually on January 1st. Basic Membership fee will remain unchanged in 2021.
WE AIM FOR A THOROUGH INTERVENTION
In order to fix a chronic medical issue that has proven resistant to other approaches, we usually have to address several aspects of physiology.
EXCEPTIONS
1. Some people only want “preventive functional medicine.“ We may only need 2 follow up visits if there aren’t significant symptoms. People with few symptoms typically have very few deficiencies and toxicities, which means we can move quickly from one stage to the next.
2. It is possible that the problems resolve faster than we expected, in which case we will transition to a basic membership sooner.
3. Many young children do not require a 90 minute first medical visit. We can pro-rate the fees.
We do not accept any health insurance and have opted out of Medicare. The model of medical care covered by most insurance is definitely “disease care,” with appointments focused on prescriptions and financial disincentives for not following official guidelines (vaccinations, colonoscopies, and other issues not relevant to this practice). This fits very poorly with a functional approach.
If your insurance reimburses you for out-of-network care, then we can provide you with a superbill for completed visits and you may submit it for reimbursement.
We try to reduce costs for you in the following ways:
- we do not profit from the sale of supplements during active treatment
- we use discounted laboratory testing where available
- we are happy to rank tests and supplements by order of importance so you know which ones to prioritize
The question for you is whether the benefit you are hoping to obtain from this approach is worth the cost to your time, energy, and finances.
COVID
The COVID crisis presents a good opportunity to focus on improving our baseline health. Reduced travel and social engagement means time freed up for designing a healthful diet, and for focusing on mindfulness, exercise, and detoxification. For many people however, symptoms have worsened, likely due to the many pressures such as fear and anxiety, isolation, bad air quality, and the upcoming election. The effects of these pressures will be felt for several months or longer.
Given that we are at the crossroad of these realities, I have modified my programs to offer shorter, more frequent visits, in order to monitor progress and offer more support. All visits are still virtual, due to the poorly understood dangers posed by prolonged face-to-face contact and indoor ventilation. The windows in my office don’t open, so I have decided to close the office completely.
BILLING DETAILS
Our initial contact is relatively short (30 minutes) and inexpensive. The goal is for me to hear what you are experiencing and what your health goals are, so I can describe how I would address your issues and why. Please be prepared to access the link we will send you and purchase the $50 “Initial Contact.” In order for you to make the purchase, please email me so we can choose a time, and I will send you a link to Hint Health, an online payment platform.
FIRST MEDICAL VISIT
The next step in working together is the $750 comprehensive review of your medical and life history, the “First Medical Visit.” This visit usually lasts 90 minutes. Please complete online questionnaires ahead of the visit.
At this visit, we request that you sign up for a $270/month active membership. This membership gives you access to full supplement discount (about 35% off the list price on Fullscript) and a 70% discount on face-to-face visits up to 1 hour/month. It also takes into account email communication for clarification of issues discussed during appointments.
SUBSEQUENT FOLLOW UP
We then meet once or twice a month, for a total of 60 minutes, at a cost of $180/hour. We do not need to meet every month. If we need more time in a month, the fee is $430/hour. We expect most people will need between 6-8 months to address complex medical issues comprehensively. You can put the Active Membership on pause for 2 months out of each 12 month period but need to resume the membership to regain the membership discounts.
ONGOING PATIENTS
Once you reach your goals or have been in the Active Membership for 8 months, we ask you to sign up for the “Basic Membership“ ($39 monthly) so you can stay connected to the practice, including receiving prescription refills, and a 20% discount on appointments.
If you do not want to sign up for a membership, you can still pay for individual appointments ($540/hour). We request an hour-long visit if you have not been seen in the last year.
IN SUMMARY :
– Initial contact: 30 minutes, $50
– First medical: usually 90 minutes, $750 and start Active Membership $270/month
– We expect that most patients will benefit from staying on the membership for at least 6 months, so we can address issues comprehensively.
Those who feel that they have met their goals may then sign up for the Basic Membership if desired.
Summary of memberships:
Active membership: $270/month, full supplement discount; visits up to 1 hour per month, $180/hour; additional time $430/hour.
Basic membership; $39/month, medication refills, discount on visits ($430 instead of $540/hour), 50% off one 55 minute appointment for each 12 months of membership, partial supplement discount.
No membership: no medication refills, no discount on supplements, visits are $540 per hour.
Prices are subject to change, usually on January 1st. Basic Membership fee will remain unchanged in 2021.
WE AIM FOR A THOROUGH INTERVENTION
In order to fix a chronic medical issue that has proven resistant to other approaches, we usually have to address several aspects of physiology.
- The functional medicine approach is a layered, systematic approach that addresses one basic physiological “function“ before moving on to the next.
- The first targets are usually digestion, nutrient deficiencies, and glucose regulation. You can expect to see benefits as you begin to address these aspects of your physiology.
- Then we target possible environmental toxicities, for example from heavy metals, mold, or industrial chemicals and pesticides.
- Finally, we look for possible chronic infections. These become chronic specifically because of nutrient deficiencies, digestive issues, inflammation, or toxicity. They may resolve on their own, or require targeted intervention. Completing the course of treatment is meant to prevent backsliding into your original dysfunctions.
EXCEPTIONS
1. Some people only want “preventive functional medicine.“ We may only need 2 follow up visits if there aren’t significant symptoms. People with few symptoms typically have very few deficiencies and toxicities, which means we can move quickly from one stage to the next.
2. It is possible that the problems resolve faster than we expected, in which case we will transition to a basic membership sooner.
3. Many young children do not require a 90 minute first medical visit. We can pro-rate the fees.