Cost of Care

Functional Medicine care fees are the Wild West. 

Fees for service vary drastically across our field and sometimes, it just doesn't make sense. Let's break down the common fees and what Bio•femistry charges for care and why.

Have you ever notice you go to an FM doc's page and you see they list of the tests that they do? 

They may include:

• Food sensitivity
• GI Pathogen/Stool tests
• Blood Chemistry Lab work
• Hormone Testing
• Salivary tests
• Hair & Mineral Test
• Urinary/Organic Acid tests
• Mucosal barrier
• Autoimmune/Antibody tests.

The list goes on, but you get the idea. One should ask, are these necessary? If so, WHEN are they necessary?

So often, these tests are listed almost as a means of virtue signaling or a means of increasing the perception of the expertise of a practitioner. If you were starting care with a doctor and they recommended a number of these tests at the get go - that should give you reason to pause.

Before I carry on, let me be clear, there IS a time and place for many of these tests, and there are times that I use them. And...

The PURPOSE of a test is to CONFIRM a clinical impression or diagnosis. 

Ordering a ton of tests at the start is like saying "I don't know how to figure out what's going on" or "I don't have the skills to understand what's occurring based on your history/intake and basics labs." 

It says, "I'm not doctoring, I'm using tests to know."

That is just how a lot of doctor's are trained, and often to no fault of their own. When I took on this journey, I chose a different way- doctor (think) my way through the information. Know my biochemistry, science and physiology.

These tests, when I did a search online, varied from $300-700, with some "speciality" labs up to $6K. Seriously.

(Also, this doesn't even get into the lack of validity or scientific support for many of these tests or how they are assessed and applied. Dig into that and you may find yourself just as disappointed as I was...)

There's a lot to say here, but let's keep it brief!

If people are deficient or need therapeutic influences in the healing process, then supplements are a logical part of the process. Just like tests, there are a lot of "fancy" and flashy names, trends and products... and a lot of smoke and mirrors.

A common issue I find is that people are given products that are specialized and the person's foundational issues haven't been addressed. So they take something that can only help put a band-aid on the issue versus actually supporting a shift int eh metabolic/cellular function, for the long term.

Supplements are vastly unregulated and can totally be harmful (this is why I NEVER, EVER, EVER...ever... recommend buying from amazon or really cheap brands (with very few exceptions)). 

If you are TRYING TO HEAL the body...then it behooves you to not risk putting high levels of potent garbage into your system. 

I have had patients who saw previous FM docs and paid anywhere from 500-1000 a month for supplements alone. This is not uncommon, and I have heard people pay less, and some pay more. Some were taking redundant products, and others were not taking things that were basics or specific to their complaint.

It's a mess, ya'll.

Lastly- supplements are a tool, not oxygen. Ideally, and it's my professional goal, we don't need to be on these. Sure, maybe we will take a multi-vitamin a couple of times a week but taking loads and loads of supplements every day, forever... that's not necessary if you are actually improving the body's health.

Initial Visits: $350-1500 (sounds like $350 is the national average)

Follow-ups: $175-600, saw one at $1500(!)

Labs: $300-700, one clinic said $6k.

Specialty tests: $250-800 each

Supplements: $175-750/month

S E R V I C E S :

Info call: $0, 15 mins.

Initial Visit: $400, 45 mins + 15 min follow up

(This includes a review of history, plan of care, and health report. Meaning, this includes everything you need to know about what is going on and getting you started with care.)

Follow-up visits: $180, 55 mins.

Monthly Support: $499/mo

 (optional for those needing a lot of support, includes follow up visits)

T E S T S:

Initial Lab work: $230-$250 typically.

Follow-up Labs: starts at $75 (most common)

S U P P L E M E N T S

First Phase of Care (30-45 days): $325 

Second Phase of Care (30-45 days): $345

Total Month for 3 months: ~$580/month.

I hope this helps you see that FM care can and should be as accessible as possible.

By doing critically thinking and understanding how the science works, we can make it less costly and still be effective, specific and evidence-informed. 

I hope this helps you figure out how to navigate finding care without paying costs and fees that are outrageous.