General Questions
What do you do at Wisconsin Institute of Functional Medicine?
We help improve the overall health and well-being of every person who walks through our door and places their trust in us. We recognize that you are more than just a medical condition or ailment—you are a person who wants to realize all that life has to offer and are intent on feeling and looking your best.
Our commitment is to treat you, the individual, and not the diagnosis. We seek to educate, inform, and inspire you to achieve long-term, positive health outcomes that help you reach and achieve your goals.
How is Functional Medicine different than traditional medicine?
By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, functional medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms.
We provide more of what you need: longer visits, individualized care plans and support along your health and wellness journey.
Why are we testing my blood so much?
At Wisconsin Institute of Functional Medicine, we want to ensure you are achieving optimal health & wellness. We spend ample time understanding your clinical symptoms to ensure that you are receiving care specific for your needs.
We also use objective data, such as labs. We don’t guess if your hormones are balanced or if your thyroid is functioning correctly; we test your blood levels to ensure the therapies we’ve started are creating optimal values for your health & well-being.
Does Wisconsin Institute of Functional Medicine take insurance?
Wisconsin Institute of Functional Medicine does not bill insurance for one simple reason: the care you receive should be guided by your provider, not by what your insurance company will approve. Our providers will create a treatment plan that is free of constraints and focused on what will help you achieve your goals.
Will insurance reimburse my costs?
This is a question that only your insurance company can answer for certain. Typically, you may submit a reimbursement claim to your insurance company, and while the process will vary slightly from company to company, you’ll usually need the clinic information, provider/physician information, diagnosis codes you’re being treated for and the procedure (or CPT) codes used to treat you, all of which are on our invoices.
Appointment Questions
When should I arrive?
Please arrive 10-15 minutes early for each appointment.
Labs/Bloodwork-Related Questions
How should I prepare for my lab appointment?
- Drink plenty of water the day before your labs to hydrate your veins.
- Don’t eat or drink 12 hours before your labs except for water, black coffee and plain tea.
- If you are having thyroid labs drawn, wait until after your blood has been taken the day of your labs to take any thyroid medication.
- Refrain from placing hormonal creams on the inside of your arms where we draw blood, as it can skew hormonal results.
- Patients who menstruate and are having labs drawn to check hormone levels should follow these scheduling guidelines:
- Hormonal Labs Drawn: Please always get a FSH level.
- 28-day menstrual cycle – schedule your labs during days 19, 20, or 21 of your cycle.
- Regular cycle but not 28 days; shift your “draw days” before or after accordingly: 26-day cycle: draw on days 17,18,19 (if -2 days from 28, then – 2 days from the draw date 19-2 = 17). 32-day cycle: draw on days 23, 24, 25 (if + 4 days from 28, then + 4 days from draw date 19 + 4 = 23).
- Irregular menstrual cycle – schedule your labs 5 days before the suspected start of your period.
- Unpredictable menstrual cycle – schedule labs for any day they are not bleeding.
- On Birth Control pills = your hormone levels will be suppressed and low. You must be off the pill for 12 weeks for your hormones/cycle to normalize to their baseline. Labs drawn when you are not bleeding if they don’t want to wait 12 weeks.
- Menopausal = Labs can be drawn anytime.
What if I have a hard time getting my blood drawn?
- If you usually have a “hard stick” (i.e., we have trouble getting the needle in your vein) – keep your extremities warm prior to your appointment. Eat something salty and hydrate the evening prior to your labs to make the draw more successful.
- If you tend to get lightheaded or faint when having blood drawn – please let us know ahead of time so we can make you as comfortable as possible.
When/how will I get my lab results?
Please allow 10-14 days for your labs to be reviewed by your clinician. If you have a follow-up appointment scheduled, your results will be discussed at your appointment. If not, please call our office to schedule a lab review or follow-up.
When should I schedule my follow-up appointment?
- Pellet lab – schedule your follow-up lab appointment for six (6) weeks after your pellet placement.
- Testosterone injection lab – schedule your follow-up appointment for six (6) weeks after starting injections and have labs drawn 4 days after your last injection.
DO I NEED TO USE WIFM FOR MY LAB DRAW?
To better serve our patients, WIFM will be requiring that all patients who live within a 30 mile radius of our office, have their labs drawn in-house at WIFM.
We understand that many patients are accustomed to having their labs drawn at outside facilities, but we have found that we often have better results and a more seamless patient experience with our in-house servicer, Access Medical Labs.
Access Labs provides very reasonable pricing, often substantially less than outside options. The results are obtained quickly, typically in 3-5 days, and require less blood to be drawn.
Please see the map below for the affected area.
Aftercare Questions
Medications and Supplements
How & Where Do I Get Them?
Compounded/ Specialty medications – come from specialty pharmacies, and orders are completed via Wisconsin Institute of Functional Medicine. They are paid for before ordering because these medications are made specifically for your needs. They can be shipped to your home or the clinic via FedEx (you’ll receive a tracking number) at no additional cost, taking 7-10 business days to arrive. Typically we prescribe a 90-day supply for the best value.
Regular Medications from your local pharmacy – these will be sent electronically, and you should contact your pharmacy for pick-up. Typically we prescribe a 90-day supply.
Supplements – You should be able to go home with most supplements recommended. If we don’t have a supplement in stock, we invite you to set up an account on Fullscript. You can purchase recommended supplements at a discounted price and have them shipped directly to your home. You can also use this account to purchase any supplements you need to replenish.
Peptide Medications – come from specialty pharmacies, and orders are completed via Wisconsin Institute of Functional Medicine and are paid for before ordering. Peptides can be shipped to your home or the clinic and take 7-14 days to arrive. Peptides typically require 2-day shipping to prevent overheating.
When should I schedule my follow-up labs?
Follow-up labs need to be completed two (2) weeks prior to your follow-up appointment. Please remember to call and schedule these if you haven’t already.
When do I need to complete my saliva kit?
Saliva kits must be completed and mailed two and a half weeks prior to your follow-up appointment to ensure we receive the results in time. Please ask for your tracking information when mailing from UPS and review instructions carefully when completing your test. Tests not processed correctly will still be charged.
How do I view my upcoming appointments?
You can find all of your upcoming appointments in the Patient Portal on the main page after you log in.
When will my referral be sent?
If you need a referral, it will be sent out within 48 hours after your appointment. Please call your referral location to schedule if you don’t receive a call within 48 hours.
When will I be able to access my plan of care?
Your provider will upload your plan of care to your Patient Portal within 48 hours of your appointment.
How do I submit a prescription refill request?
Submit refill requests through the patient portal. Please allow two business days to process your request and submit it to the pharmacy. If we are filling this through the mail-order pharmacy, we will reach out to obtain authorization to charge your credit card. To expedite your order, please write/type “okay to charge card on file” when requesting a refill.
What if I have questions after my appointment?
If you have questions, updates or other information you need to share with your provider or another staff member, please message us through the patient portal or call (not both) and give a response time of two business days before reaching out again.