Functional Medicine FAQs | The Functional MDs

Your Questions About Functional Medicine & Telehealth, Answered

At The Functional MDs, we know starting functional medicine care often comes with questions. All about our approach, telehealth visits, testing, and membership options. Here, you’ll find clear answers from our board-certified physicians to help you understand how our MD-led, root-cause approach works and what to expect as a patient.

What is functional medicine?

Functional medicine is a root-cause approach to care that focuses on understanding why symptoms are happening — not just masking them. It looks at the body as one interconnected system, using clinical diagnostics and personalized strategies to support function, improve resilience, and optimize long-term health.

How is Functional Medicine Different from Conventional Medicine? Will You Be My Primary Care Physician?

Conventional medicine often focuses on diagnosing and managing symptoms, typically through medication or procedures. Functional medicine takes a systems-based approach — looking deeper to identify root causes, including lifestyle, environment, and underlying biological imbalances. It emphasizes individualized care, long-term strategy, and clinical insight beyond symptom control.

For example, instead of simply prescribing medication for high blood pressure, a functional medicine approach may explore genetics, epigenetics, metabolomics, stress response, sleep patterns, gut health, and nutrition — recognizing how these systems interact and contribute to the condition.

When it comes to primary care, most patients keep their own PCP alongside functional medicine. But we also offer a concierge-style Direct Primary Care program, which is a next level of service: primary care delivered by a physician who is also an expert in functional medicine. You can choose functional medicine only, concierge primary care only, or a combination of both.

What Conditions Do You Treat?

We work with a wide range of complex, chronic, and unresolved conditions. This includes hormone imbalances, gut dysfunction, autoimmune activity, fatigue, brain fog, metabolic issues, mold and toxin-related illness, and fertility challenges. Many of our patients come to us after not finding answers elsewhere.

What’s Included in My First Appointment?

Your first visit is a 60-minute consult with a board-certified MD (telehealth or in-person). We take a deep dive into your history, symptoms, medications/supplements, lifestyle, and goals; review prior labs; and, when in person, perform a focused exam. You’ll leave with initial clinical impressions, a prioritized problem list, and a testing plan (routine labs through LabCorp, Quest, or HealthLab; specialty options with clear pricing and coverage review).

If you choose to move forward, we can begin the same day with specialty testing, a personalized supplement plan, and a protocol-based approach. Health coaching, nutrition counseling, and your broader care plan may also be deployed at this stage. From there, you decide whether to continue in our membership-based care (functional medicine, concierge primary care, or a combined program), where ongoing protocols, prescriptions/hormones if indicated, and close follow-up are provided.

Do You Accept Insurance?

We do not bill insurance for our services. Membership fees are direct-pay, though many patients are able to use HSA or FSA funds for these expenses (check with your plan for eligibility).

For labs:
Routine labs (CBC, CMP, thyroid, cholesterol, etc.) are typically billed through your insurance at national laboratories such as LabCorp, Quest, or HealthLab.
Specialty functional medicine labs vary: some offer insurance billing options directly, while many are out-of-network and patient-pay only.

Before ordering any test, we will review coverage and pricing so you know exactly what to expect. Whenever possible, we prioritize insurance-eligible pathways, while also making clear which specialty tests may require out-of-pocket investment.

How Long Does It Take to See Results with Functional Medicine?

Every case is different, depending on the complexity and how long symptoms have been present. Some patients begin noticing improvements within the first few weeks, while others may take several months. Our goal is lasting results — not quick fixes — and that takes time, consistency, and the right strategy.

How Is Your Clinic Different from Other Functional Medicine Practices?

The Functional MDs is not a wellness spa or “functional medicine lite” clinic. We don’t rely on trendy therapies, generic protocols, or expensive gimmicks that drive up cost without improving outcomes.

Our care is structured, rigorous, and built for people who need real answers. Patients start with a comprehensive diagnostic discovery process. From there, treatment is delivered through a phase-based model that includes medical oversight, health coaching, and nutrition — all integrated under one plan.

We intentionally keep our caseload small to provide individualized support, detailed follow-through, and the clinical depth needed to manage complex cases.

What Makes Your Approach Effective for Complex Cases?

Complex cases demand more than protocols — they require clinical expertise. Our care is led by board-certified physicians with advanced training and years of hands-on experience managing multi-system conditions.

What sets us apart is our ability to think critically, synthesize patterns, and make precise decisions that generic approaches simply can’t match. This is doctor-led medicine, grounded in depth, strategy, and results.

Do I Need to Live Locally to Become a Patient? Do you offer telehealth visits?

No, you do not need to live locally. We offer secure telehealth visits for patients in states where we are licensed, as well as in-person visits at our Indiana practice. In our experience, telehealth patients achieve outcomes equal to those we see in person. Functional medicine is uniquely well-suited to video visits: we take a detailed history, order advanced diagnostics, and design personalized protocols that can be implemented remotely. Routine labs can be drawn locally at LabCorp, Quest, or HealthLab. Specialty labs are shipped directly to your home, with clear instructions, and prescriptions (when appropriate) are sent to your local pharmacy. This makes care seamless, whether you live nearby or several states away.

Currently licensed states: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Washington.

Licenses in progress: Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, California.

If you live in one of our licensed states, you can receive complete care through telehealth. We update this list regularly as we expand.

How long do I have to wait to get my first appointment?

At The Functional MDs, our philosophy is that your care should not wait. Even with a full schedule, we reserve dedicated slots each week for new patients. This means you can usually be seen within 1–2 weeks, instead of waiting months as is common at many specialty and functional medicine practices. We believe timely access is essential to getting you started on the right path without delay.

How much does it cost to become a patient?

The initial consultation is $250. After that, ongoing care is available through several options:
- Functional Medicine Programs – structured 3-, 6-, or 9-month programs tailored to your needs.
- Tiered Memberships – monthly memberships ranging in support level and complexity of care.
- Direct Primary Care (Concierge Model) – available on its own or combined with functional medicine, offering comprehensive, next-level primary care with direct access to your physician.

Which path is best for you is determined during your first appointment, where we review your goals, case complexity, and support needs. No matter the option, you can expect highly personalized, physician-led care designed to give you the best chance of success.

What’s included in the monthly membership?

Membership provides access to your care team, including MD visits, health coaching, nutrition counseling, protocol development, and secure portal messaging. It also includes coordination of labs, supplements, and medications as part of your personalized plan.

For patients in our programs (3, 6, or 9 months), a portion of labs and supplements may be included as part of the package allowance. For monthly membership patients, these are billed separately but integrated seamlessly into your care.

Are labs and supplements included?

It depends on your program.
- In our 3-, 6-, or 9-month programs, a set allowance toward labs and supplements is included.
- In our monthly memberships, labs and supplements are not bundled, but routine labs may be billed to insurance, and supplements are provided at a discounted professional rate. Specialty testing is reviewed up front so you know what to expect before ordering.

Our patient coordinator will walk you through the details so you know exactly what’s included with your option.

Do I have to sign a long-term contract?

No. Our monthly memberships are billed month-to-month and can be canceled anytime with 30 days’ notice.

Our programs (3, 6, or 9 months) are prepaid commitments that include built-in allowances for labs and supplements. These are designed for patients who want a structured, all-inclusive approach.

How is your approach different from other clinics offering functional medicine?

We are not a wellness spa or supplement-heavy protocol clinic. Our care is led by double board-certified MDs with deep training in functional, integrative, and precision medicine. Every decision is rooted in diagnostics, clinical judgment, and systems-based strategy — not guesswork or fads.

What kinds of tests do you offer?

We use a wide range of diagnostics — including blood, stool, urine, saliva, and genetic testing — depending on your symptoms and clinical needs. These may include gut microbiome panels, hormone and adrenal rhythm testing, toxin and mold screening, nutrient analysis, food sensitivity markers, and advanced inflammatory and metabolic panels.

Do I need all of these tests to start care?

No. Testing is recommended strategically — based on your history, clinical presentation, and response capacity. We never order large panels without clear reasoning or use “data dumping” as a substitute for judgment.

Are these tests covered by insurance?

Routine labs may be submitted to insurance. Some specialty functional tests may be covered by your insurance plan, depending on provider agreements and benefits. Regardless of coverage, most out-of-pocket testing costs are eligible for payment using HSA or FSA funds.

Will my doctor explain the results to me?

Yes. All results are reviewed in a dedicated visit with your physician. You’ll receive clinical interpretation, not just raw numbers — and a clear plan tied to what we find.

Do you test for food sensitivities, mold, or heavy metals?

We do — when clinically appropriate. These are not “screening panels” but tools we use to investigate deeper layers of dysfunction when symptoms or history support the need.

Can I bring lab results from another provider?

Absolutely. We’re happy to review previous labs and may be able to reduce testing duplication if those results are clinically useful and current.

What is functional health coaching?

Functional health coaching supports real-life implementation of your care plan — including nutrition, sleep, stress, movement, and behavior change. It’s not generic motivation or lifestyle tips. It’s guided, phase-based coaching that works hand-in-hand with your clinical strategy.

Is coaching included in my membership?

Yes. All functional medicine membership tiers and programs include health coaching and lifestyle medicine support — integrated with your physician’s protocol.

How often will I meet with my coach?

Coaching frequency depends on the program or membership tier you choose. Some programs include more frequent sessions (for example, weekly or biweekly during the early phases of care), while others are structured around monthly or as-needed check-ins.

Your exact schedule is determined based on your needs, phase of care, and membership level—and every coaching session is coordinated with your MD’s guidance to ensure your care plan stays aligned.

How is this different from other coaching programs?

Our coaches don’t operate independently. Every strategy is informed by your labs, medical plan, and wearable data — and delivered within our clinic’s collaborative EMR platform. It’s fully connected care.

What kind of results should I expect from coaching?

That depends on your goals and consistency — but most patients find coaching helps with clarity, accountability, and habit formation. It’s the link between knowing what to do and actually doing it — with expert support at every step.

What types of hormones do you prescribe?

We use bioidentical hormones only — including estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, pregnenolone, and others — depending on clinical need. All prescriptions are customized and monitored.

Do you offer pellet therapy?

We evaluate all available routes, including transdermal, injectable, oral, and pellet therapies. However, we only recommend pellet therapy when clinically appropriate and with proper oversight. We do not believe in aggressive or unmonitored dosing.

How do you monitor safety with hormone replacement therapy (HRT)?

We perform baseline labs, regular follow-ups, and ongoing evaluation of liver, lipid, and hormone metabolism markers. Hormones are never prescribed without continuous clinical oversight.

Will I automatically be placed on hormone therapy?

No. Hormone therapy is never automatic. “Hormone optimization” in our model includes a wide range of strategies — from nutrition, lifestyle, and stress regulation to nutraceuticals, peptide support, and, when appropriate, bioidentical hormones. If HRT is considered, it’s only after thorough testing and clinical evaluation. Many patients benefit from non-hormonal strategies alone.

Will I have to be on hormones forever?

Not necessarily. For some, HRT is a temporary phase in recovery. For others — especially postmenopausal women or men with hypogonadism — it may be a long-term strategy. We evaluate your case and goals carefully.

Do you work with patients who have thyroid conditions like Hashimoto’s or subclinical hypothyroidism?

Yes — when appropriate. Our team frequently evaluates thyroid function as part of a broader hormonal and metabolic picture. We assess markers such as Free T3, Free T4, reverse T3, TPO antibodies, and conversion dynamics — especially when symptoms persist despite “normal” lab results. Any treatment approach is personalized and based on your clinical findings, history, and goals.

What kind of wearable data can be integrated?

We currently integrate Oura, smart watches (like apple watch, samsung watch etc), Garmin, Fitbit, and other major platforms into our EMR. This allows your care team to monitor trends in sleep, HRV, heart rate, and activity recovery in real time.

How is care coordinated across the team?

All team members — including your physician, health coach, and nutritionist — operate within a shared EMR and communicate regularly. That means no gaps, no repeated explanations, and no misaligned plans.

How often will I hear from my doctor?

You’ll have regular visits and direct messaging access. Frequency varies by case, but most patients have multiple physician touchpoints monthly — with as-needed responsiveness in between.

What happens if something changes in my labs or symptoms?

We adjust. That’s the value of ongoing oversight. Your plan isn’t static — it evolves based on your physiology, recovery, and feedback. Every phase is monitored and refined accordingly.

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