A Letter From Carrie
To those of you who have trusted me, and Restorative Health Care, with your pursuit for better health, I am excited to announce that after much careful deliberation and research, I have decided to open my own Functional Medicine practice in Southwest Michigan – Insight Functional Medicine!
Space in the practice is limited, and details about how to sign up are at the end of this letter. But first, I want to share with you how we got here and where we are going.
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I am still working on finalizing the location, but I plan on splitting time between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. I will forward information as soon as I have settled on where we will be.
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I am incredibly excited and eager to get back to doing what I love – helping people find hope and regain true health and wellness. These last few weeks have been somewhat difficult as I loved our practice and our team with whom I have worked for so many years. It has been challenging to figure out how best to continue with the tradition we had established of providing excellent care.
For those of you who have worked with us over the years, you are aware of how dedicated we were at RHC to provide care under an insurance model. However, you may not have been aware of the challenges that presented. Insurance reimbursement benefits providers who can see a large number of patients for short periods of time. As my appointments are much longer, that means when I see 4-6 patients daily, I am unable to earn enough through insurance reimbursement to pay the bills associated with running a medical practice.
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Health insurance today is helpful in treating acute concerns or reimbursing care through traditional models of short appointments in order to address one symptom or disease at a time. It does not, however, allow for the time and attention necessary to get to the root cause of a patient’s health problems and facilitate organically sustainable improvements to health.
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Because of this, I will be shifting my practice to a cash-pay model. This has not been an easy decision; however, this is the only way I can continue to provide the care I have over the last few years and remain viable long term. After careful deliberation, I have decided on a membership model for my new practice.
Therefore, this is how Insight Functional Medicine treatment plans will be structured. We will be offering annual memberships to our patients through our introductory pricing plan:
Health Restoration Plan: ($199 per month for 12 months - paid annually) for those who have complex health concerns. This will include 6 appointments annually, as well as an appointment with our dietitian and health coaching phone calls if needed.
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Members will also receive 15% off supplements as well as a significant discount off hyperbaric treatment plans. (Yes, we have the hyperbaric chamber!) Members will have email and phone access, as well as access to telemedicine visits and educational opportunities. Family discounts will be available.
So...what is the next step?
I am planning to start seeing patients in January 2020. What we are asking is for patients who are committed to becoming a member of Insight Functional Medicine to place a $250 deposit to reserve your place. The deposit will be applied toward your total membership fee. The number of patients is limited. This letter is first being sent to previous patients. If there are still open spots after 2 weeks, the membership will be opened to the general public. Once the practice is full, we will keep a waiting list.
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**If you are looking for a way to refill supplements, we also have a Fullscript account online where you can get many of the supplements we had available at our practice. Click here to access the Fullscript site today to reorder from the convenience of your home.** (If you order in the next two weeks, you will receive free shipping on any order).
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You do not have to join Insight Functional Medicine as a member to use the hyperbaric chamber or order supplements through this site - I am committed to helping all of our previous patients have access to top-quality supplements and hyperbaric treatment. If there are supplements you require and that are not available on the site, please reach out to us so we can help ensure you get what you need. Please call for more information regarding hyperbaric treatment pricing.
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If you have any questions, please visit the FAQ page linked here, or call (269) 224-1659.
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The Cleveland Clinic just published a study in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) that shows improved outcomes and increased patient satisfaction with the functional medicine model of care over traditional primary care. Functional medicine IS the future of health care!
I am excited to continue to to play a role in this movement. I remain committed to spending significant time and energy with each and every patient under my care to help improve health as well as quality of life. I continue to think about all of you, and I hope we can reconnect in some way soon.
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With hope for a healthier future,
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Carrie Palmer PA-C, IFMCP
Certified Practitioner through the Institute for Functional Medicine