Getting Started with Functional Medicine

Expect to spend 2 hours at the office for your initial consultation, including check-in and check-out time. You will spend 1.5 hours face-to-face time with Dr. Samara. The consultation fee includes 2-4 hours spent prior to your visit that Dr. Samara needs in order to thoroughly review past lab work, past healthcare providers' notes, and New Patient Intake Forms to ensure a productive first encounter.

In your visit you can expect evaluation and discussion of:

• Your health timeline (your personal health and life story of how you arrived at your current condition)
• Current symptoms, concerns, and health goals
• Current allergies, medications, and supplements
• Past medical history, lifestyle, and surgical history
• Previous laboratory results/tests and consultations
• The 5 pillars of health (nutrition, sleep, exercise and movement, stress management, and toxin exposure)
• Head-to-toe physical exam
• Laboratory investigation and/or consultations needed to complete your functional medicine work up

After your visit, you will receive a detailed and comprehensive visit summary through the patient portal with your personalized plan including: 

• Action steps on what to do for each of the 5 pillars of health specific to your case, including links to videos and handouts 
• Any changes and/or additions in medications and/or nutritional supplements
• Recommendations on additional consultations if needed
• How to prepare for and complete laboratory testing
• When to follow up
• A Superbill invoice including ICD-10 codes provided upon request which you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement

Your first 3 follow-up visits will be 60-minutes, to allow enough time for review of your case and results with you, as well as time spent before and after your visit reviewing laboratory results, forms you may have been asked to fill out, and your personalized  plan. Additional follow-up visits are typically 40-60 minutes in length. Shorter follow-up visits for brief discussions and simple follow-up lab work in between regularly scheduled appointments may be needed as you and/or Dr. Samara see fit.