Frequently Asked Questions
Our model is different from traditional concierge medicine because we do not provide "on-demand" access to your doctor, but rather your doctor will work to create a personalized medical plan for you based on your diagnoses, labs, health history, etc.
One way to understand the difference between what we do and concierge models, is that concierge practices are giving a higher level of physician access, while in functional medicine, you will receive a higher level of physician investment. A lot of this time is spent with you during your initial intake and follow-up, but then there are additional hours spent outside of your visit interpreting labs, researching cutting edge therapies specific to your needs, and developing your individualized plan of care to address your health needs and/or diagnosis.
We do provide health coaching, however, to help you make changes in your lifestyle if needed and recommended by your provider.
Functional medicine is a partnership between patient and physician where the care plan is 100% personalized but developed by the physician based on extensive training, patient labs, how the patient responds to given treatment/therapies, etc. You can read more about becoming a patient here: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/patient-membership/
In functional medicine, we do a variety of laboratory tests, including blood, urine, and stool analysis. These are complex testing procedures that can be costly at times. We work hard to collaborate with laboratory partners that are accepted by commercial insurance providers. It's not a guarantee that your labs will be paid for, but we do make a concerted effort to leverage your insurance as much as possible.
Commercial insurances cover the vast majority of our tests, and your standard deductibles apply in that scenario. If you have high-deductible insurance through your employer or buy it separately, you'll be responsible for the deductible. Some plans will reimburse you at the negotiated lab fee on the front end, while others won't until you've met your deductible.
We accept over 80 different insurances, so we cannot know how your individual policy works. Many of the functional labs are not covered by most insurance carriers. In this scenario, based on your insurance, we'll try to utilize the lab that is both most cost-effective and appropriate for your condition. Organic acid testing, advanced stool testing, salivary, hormone, and adrenal testing fall into this category. We use vendors ranging from Genova and Doctors Data to Great Plains Labs and Mycometrics.
We strongly recommend that you reach out to your insurance provider and inquire what their policy is concerning functional/integrative medicine coverage.
Straight, non-supplemented Medicare offers the most comprehensive coverage by far for our practice, as it covers the majority of functional and routine labs. Supplemental insurance with Medicare, on the other hand, may sometimes "take over" the expense and not cover functional labs.
The answer to this question depends on a number of variables. It depends on how sick you are, and it depends on how you're responding to treatment. You can always talk with your doctor or provider about any questions or concerns you have.
RIFM practices personalized, customized health care in which we strive to listen to our patients. If you have a concern about excessive lab testing, we'll weigh your concerns and do our best to follow your instructions. Our objective is to give the finest care as well as access to the most up-to-date testing that leverages all of our experience for your health benefit.
Our in-person membership offers 1:1 doctor-patient office visits from a functional medicine perspective.
We utilize a membership model in order to provide access to the time and expertise that falls outside the scope of the standard medical model.
For a high level of detail on the in-person membership, you can visit: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/becoming-a-patient/
The In-Person Membership costs $4837. This includes an intake fee that is split into 2 payments of $1335. The first payment is due when you sign up, and the second payment is due 1 week before your intake visit appointment.
The remaining balance of $2167 is paid in monthly installments during the following eleven months at a rate of $197/mo. After this contract is satisfied, your membership will convert into a monthly membership at the same rate unless you choose to discontinue, which you may do at any time in writing. Any labs/tests that are ordered will be billed to your insurance. Anything not covered by insurance will be the patient's responsibility.
How is the Verdant Wellness Online Community different from in-person membership?
The Verdant Wellness Online Community is a self-guided, whole-person education platform that helps you learn about and manage your health. With this approach, you'll have more control over your health and wellness journey.
What type of content will I find in the Verdant Wellness Online Community?
The Verdant Wellness Online Community offers a variety of content to help you on your health and wellness journey. This includes self-paced courses, articles, videos, and more. You'll also have access to a community of like-minded individuals who can offer support and advice.
Why should I join the Verdant Wellness Online Community?
Joining the Verdant Wellness Online Community gives you access to resources that can help you improve your health. You'll also have the opportunity to connect with others who are on a similar journey. With this community, you can get the support you need to achieve your goals.
Our online community is a resource for individuals interested in a self-guided process toward understanding and taking control of their health and wellness. The Verdant Wellness Online Community offers a variety of content to help users on their journey including self-paced courses, articles, videos, and more.
Dr. Hartman and his team of experts provide a holistic perspective on health, including Q&A, group coaching, and access to guest experts in fields such as nutrition, aromatherapy, and exercise/movement. With this comprehensive approach, members of the online community can learn to discern their own health stories and heal with the support of the community.
Coaching is structured in a group setting with biweekly check-ins led by Verdant Wellness coaches, who will help connect members with one another and support the development of a self-care routine based on the unique needs of each individual. Monthly content themes will be shared to inspire and provoke self-reflection and group dialogue.
How much does it cost?
$49/month or $490 annually
Will the doctor answer my personal medical questions if I join?
Due to HIPAA and medical licensing requirements, we cannot address specific medical questions, make diagnoses, or treat any conditions. We are, however, more than happy to provide general wellness advice and support including recommendations for how to approach chronic health issues. The Verdant Wellness Online Community is a self-guided resource, and members are able to access education and support that aligns with their individual needs and goals. For example, if you self-discover that you may have an issue with gut dysbiosis or detoxification, we offer guidance to determine diet and lifestyle changes you can make to address those. You can then take those to your primary care physician to ensure that you can safely make those changes to improve your health.
Can you tell me more about the courses in the community?
In addition to hosting guest experts, we have our own signature program and courses to help you on your self-healing journey. Dr. Hartman has developed his signature methodology based on years of working with tough cases as well as his own family's journey in functional medicine.
Roadmap to Resilience: Create Your Personalized Plan for Healing
our flagship course
In this course, we talk about the foundations of functional medicine: diet/lifestyle, exercise, sleep, stress reduction, and healthy relationships. We walk through how to do a self-assessment to figure out which health problems are the most important for you to focus on healing and create a plan to address them. You will have support and community throughout your journey to help you make these changes in your life.
The Triangle of Health Dr. H’s signature method
Dr. Hartman has created this method through many years of experience working with patients one-on-one. Now, anyone who is ready to do the work can find and address the source of their health problems.
In this self-paced program, you'll learn about the three aspects of the Triangle of Health: your gut, your stress, and your sleep. You'll also get support and direction on how to handle tough life events without developing health problems.
- Gut/Diet: Learn how to self-heal chronic health issues through diet
- Stress: Discover practical techniques for managing stressors in your life, like deep breathing, relaxation, and mindset work
- Sleep: Learn how to get the most out of your slumber and wake up feeling refreshed and invigorated
People who focus on these three areas often have better health outcomes. These are also the areas people usually have trouble with because it can be hard to stay on track. But if you make these a priority and use your health history to help you, you can improve your health!
Is the Verdant Wellness Online Community right for me?
We understand that self-healing is a journey and everyone's needs are different. This community is right for you if you are ready to:
- Start your health journey today, without waiting for an in-person visit.
- Spend a few hours each week to improve your health.
- Learn about how to heal chronic health issues through lifestyle change.
- Get all the guidance and information you need from one trusted source.
- Connect with a supportive network of people who are on a similar journey to you, and support those people in return.
- Get convenient access to functional medicine doctors and experts.
We are specialist practitioners of integrative, functional, and holistic medicine, but we are not trained in integrative cancer therapy. We have assisted patients who have already undergone cancer treatment for prevention of recurrence or those who are dealing with a conventional or integrative cancer physician on many occasions. This is where we shine.
If you are looking for a doctor to treat your cancer, Dr. Hartman recommends Dr. Mark Rosenberg. He trains doctors across the country in integrative cancer therapies, and his office is in Florida. His practice is called "Advanced Medical Therapeutics," and you can find more information about him on this website: https://www.amtcare.com/
The short answer to this question is yes; we do hormone replacement therapy. It does, however, need a little explanation. There is a concept known as the hormone hierarchy. Your adrenals, thyroid, and sugar or insulin levels are at the top of the list. If these are malfunctioning, it has an impact on all hormones in your body. Thyroid, sugar (insulin), and adrenal problems are fairly widespread.
Next, we need to work on the gut. The female sex hormones are mostly detoxified in the GI tract. Estrogen dominance can occur if the gut is not properly treated, resulting in hormone imbalances. Then we'll move on to hormones like progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, adrenals, pregnenolone, and other related hormones. There's a method to it that we follow based on data research and how your whole body functions.
We don't just go in and drop hormones on everyone immediately. If the thyroid, sugar levels, insulin, pancreas, adrenals, cortisol, or gut are not addressed properly, you can create a feed-forward cycle in which people feel great for one to two years before declining catastrophically. We are guided by our doctor's oath: "first and foremost, do no harm" and tend to avoid doing therapies that will cause damage. Beginning hormone treatment before addressing the rest of the issues can actually hurt patients in the long run.
To sum it up: we do hormone replacement therapy, but not in the way most people think about it. We have a specific method and process that we follow to ensure that our patients get the best possible care and results. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.
From time to time, we will get questions posed to us through our contact page, social media, email, et cetera.
We are unable to respond to medical queries via email or social media due to HIPAA and a variety of medical criteria for licensing. We can, however, provide a wealth of instructional materials in a variety of ways.
We've compiled a list of recommended reading, which includes several books that are excellent for learning more about functional medicine and diving into particular subjects.
For some great basic information, we have a large variety of educational blog posts on our website.
We also send out a weekly newsletter to assist educate patients about gut health, inflammation, mold, and a number of other issues.
Our online community is a resource for individuals interested in a self-guided process toward understanding and taking control of their health and wellness. The Verdant Wellness Online Community offers a variety of content to help users on their journey including self-paced courses, articles, videos, and more.
Dr. Hartman and his team of experts provide a holistic perspective on health, including Q&A, group coaching, and access to guest experts in fields such as nutrition, aromatherapy, and exercise/movement. With this comprehensive approach, members of the online community can learn to discern their own health stories and heal with the support of the community.
Those who wish to go even deeper may come in for an appointment with one of our physicians.
We hope you find this information helpful, but due to our legal environment and the manner in which things are at present, we are unable to answer medical questions outside of the approved channels.
We've compiled a great deal of information about supplements, how we choose them, how to take them, etc, on this page: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/nutrition/supplements/
Additionally, the video below explains more:
Unfortunately, we at RIFM do not provide telehealth as an option. We can, however, arrange for virtual visits following an in-person assessment, physical exam, and labs.
Patients are welcome to continue seeing their current PCP since the focus of the RIFM membership is on functional medicine—discovering underlying causes and implementing lifestyle modifications, among other things. Of course, our hope is that acute needs also become fewer as one works through their underlying health issues.
The short answer is yes, that is something we are open to. The key is to make sure that it benefits your care and that the physicians involved are supportive of the lifestyle changes you will be implementing. There are many ways to do this, so feel free to ask us how best to integrate into your care team. We are here to support you.
No, we do not require patients to be vaccinated in order to be seen in-office.