Functional medicine is the science of health and maintaining function. It takes an individualized approach to figure out how and why an illness occurs in the first place and aims to reverse disease and restore health by getting to the root cause. Unlike conventional medicine which often looks at the body as separate, single systems and lacks time and emphasis on true wellness and disease prevention, functional medicine is a systems biology approach, looking at the body as a whole to find internal balance. Integrative medicine is blending the best of conventional and functional medicine with a focus on lifestyle interventions for optimal outcomes. Wild Rice Wellness offers Virtual Functional Medicine in Denver, CO and throughout the state.
I grew up in a small town, Menominee, in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. Menominee means “Wild Rice People” in the Ojibwe language. Historically, the Menominee and Ojibwe tribes harvested this sacred crop along the shores of Lake Michigan and according to Menominee tradition this was a sacred ritual. It seemed fitting to use a name that takes me back to the roots of my hometown and reflects the food first approach used in functional and integrative medicine.
Welcome to Wild Rice Wellness, Functional Medicine in Denver, CO where we are Rooted in Health.
No. Payment can be made through credit card, debit or HSA debit. I can provide you with a superbill which is a detailed receipt of services that lists diagnoses and testing codes as well as fees charged for your care that you can submit to your insurance. It is the responsibility of the patient to submit this and correspond with insurance and there is no guarantee for reimbursement of services. Due to restrictions imposed by these insurance plans, even for cash pay patients, we cannot accept patients who have medicare or Medicaid plans at this time. This may change in the future.
When practitioners accept insurance, they are bound by contracts with insurance companies that dictate what services can be provided. Insurance often pays very little for complex care which doesn’t get great results for patients with chronic illness or complex needs. This is why our current mainstream healthcare system is falling short. In order to provide the holistic care offered at Wild Rice Wellness we have opted to not bill insurance to ensure that we can meet the needs and goals of our patients. The insurance model is good for “sick care” but in order to deliver personalized, in-depth care focusing on health and wellness we feel that a cash-pay membership model gets the best results.
The simple answer is No. Even though I am trained as a Family Nurse Practitioner I am not your primary care provider. As part of our patient agreement, you must maintain an active relationship with your traditional primary care provider for yearly physicals, screenings, and urgent needs and care that we cannot provide in this model. We do not provide after-hours care for emergencies or urgent matters. I am happy to collaborate with your PCP regarding your care if you would like me to.
Patients will have access to traditional labs through any LabCorp laboratory (i.e. thyroid, cholesterol, basic blood counts, nutrient levels) as well as specialty functional medicine labs (Genova Diagnostics GI Effects Gut Microbiome testing, expanded micronutrient testing with the Metabolomix+, hormone testing with the DUTCH test through Precision Analytical, genetic testing, and more). Lab testing is an additional cost and always optional. Functional lab tests are offered to the patient at the lowest possible wholesale cost.
Functional medicine is root-cause, systems biology medicine. With functional medicine we ask “why” an illness or symptom is occurring and “how” can we restore optimal health and wellness. In conventional medicine there is often a focus on a single symptom or system and oftentimes medications are used for each complaint because there isn’t the time to get to the root cause. There is a time and place for conventional medicine as well as for prescription medications, and I want to work alongside your Primary Care Provider to bridge what is missing with lifestyle and functional medicine. I firmly believe that getting to the root cause is the most important step to health. I am trained in both conventional and functional medicine and often use a blend of both approaches to provide truly holistic, integrative care.
Wild Rice Wellness offers Functional Medicine in Denver, CO and the entire state of Colorado virtually! At this time, I am only licensed in Colorado and can only see patients physically located in the state of Colorado. Even with the introduction of telemedicine, state medical and nursing laws and regulations still apply to virtual visits. I am pursuing licensure in more states, so please inquire and I may be able to accommodate your state in the future.