The Visit

Your initial visit is scheduled for one hour. During that hour we will have a comprehensive discussion of your health issues, perform a physical examination, and formulate a plan to achieve your health care goals. These things will take a full hour, so please arrange to arrive at least a half an hour before your scheduled appointment time to complete the required paperwork.

Your Role as a Patient
At the end of your initial visit I will provide you with a written copy of your health plan. This plan will require you to invest a significant amount of time and effort in restoring your health. I'll likely recommend changes to your diet that demand adjustments in your daily life—the way you shop for food, the way you eat. Remember that you cannot expect your health to change if you are unwilling to change. True health transformation—the change that leads to healing—requires your commitment.

Initially, I try to focus your plan on issues I believe will help you feel better quickly. I find that initial and measurable improvement is motivational, and often makes it easier for patients to commit to the long-term process of developing new habits. Change is rarely easy, but together we'll embark on collaborative journey to reclaim your health and vitality.

The Check Out
At check out, you will have your written health plan that contains all the information that we have discussed for your health plan. If I have made referrals to other providers you will be provided with the contact information for those providers.
If I have ordered lab tests, you will be scheduled for a blood draw or sent to an appropriate lab for
a testing "kit". Specialty lab testing—nutritional, hormonal, gastrointestinal, etc... —requires the sampling of various bodily fluids. You will be given a "kit" that has sampling materials and
specific instructions for its completion.

Finally, if I have prescribed supplements, many
of those are available for purchase at the office; others can be ordered and drop-shipped to you.

The Follow Up
Follow up appointments are scheduled for a half hour. Depending on the timing of the lab work ordered for you, and how long it takes to get your results, your follow up is usually scheduled from 3 to 6 weeks after your initial appointment. It may take several appointments to address all your areas of concern, and it's generally not a good idea to cover too much at once. Remember: this is a process, with all the time, effort, and development the word implies. Trying to cover too much can be confusing and overwhelming. Sometimes, if an office visit is not possible, I may make a telephone follow up available for your convenience.

 

 

Insurance and Payments

Our Office
Please call our office at 415-440-2200 for information regarding payment and insurance reimbursement.

Lab Work
We sometimes use specialty labs to better understand your health issues. Some of these labs accept insurance and some do not. Any lab payment issues will be discussed with you prior to proceeding with testing.

Personalized Lab Testing
Functional medicine requires a personalized analysis of nutritional and hormonal balance, genetics, oxidative stress, tissue breakdown, gastrointestinal health, and more. Many of these tests have been available for a long time, but are just now moving into mainstream use and medical practice. In order to restore your health, we'll need information about your personal biochemistry: nutrient levels and deficiencies, whether toxins are present and at what levels.

Conventional "recommended daily allowances"—the "RDA" for vitamins and minerals on the side of your cereal box—were developed for the prevention of specific diseases and conditions. Like scurvy, caused by a deficiency of Vitamin C, or rickets, associated with inadequate levels of Vitamin D. The recommended ranges generally reflect the minimal amount of nutrients necessary to avoid those diseases, but they are far below the amounts a functional medicine practitioner would consider necessary for optimal health. We can provide personalized testing to guide development of a healing program and supplement regimen. Many of these tests are covered by PPO insurances.

 

3 ways to make the most of your visit

1. Fill out your forms beforehand. Your visit lasts only for one hour, and you want to spend that time as productively as possible. You can download our forms here and fill them out thoroughly and thoughtfully at home, before you come in.

2. Bring your questions. It's helpful to think about what you want to get out of your visit by prioritizing the things you want to talk to me about. We have a single hour—a substantial but fleeting amount of time—and you owe it to yourself to spend a little time thinking about what you hope to get out of our consultation before you arrive. Write things down, if you find that helps.

I find the following format helpful:
  • What are the symptoms that bring you to my office?
  • What worries you the most, what you have tried, and what seems to have worked in the past?
  • Finally, and most importantly, what would you like to change?

3. Bring your medications and supplements. If you're taking medications, supplements, or vitamins of any kind, prescription or over-the-counter, I need to know exactly what they are. You may remember the names of all of them, but you may not accurately remember the list of ingredients or precise dosages. I need to read the labels.