FAQs
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.
What are your Service Fees?
Consultation for New Patients:
This visit is for first-time patients. It includes thoroughly discussing your medical history, reviewing, and understanding your health goals, and determining which tests would be best to obtain based on your goals. Other modifiable lifestyle factors and recommendations for supplements or medications will be addressed when appropriate. The visit fee is $415 and lasts 30-45 minutes.Level 1 Follow-up Visits: These are for established patients with straightforward care plans, minimal testing, or prescription refills. The visit fee is $415 and lasts 30-45 minutes.
Level 2 Follow-up Visits: These are for more complex care needs, including multiple labs, specialty tests, or in-depth education. The visit fee is $550 and lasts 45-60 minutes.
Your provider and you will decide what Level of follow up is needed to meet your healthcare 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 provided.
APPOINTMENT QUESTIONS
WHAT IF I NEED TO RESCHEDULE OR CANCEL MY APPOINTMENT?
Cancellations and Rescheduling
Less than 72-Hour Cancellation Policy:
Please be aware our office has a 72-hour cancellation policy. If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, please do so at least 72 hours in advance. Any appointment canceled or rescheduled in less than 72 hours will be charged the full appointment fee with the credit card on file. For all appointments scheduled at WIFM, a credit card on file is required.Although you may receive reminder phone calls, texts, and emails from our office, about appointments, these reminders are a courtesy only. It is your responsibility to remember your appointment date and time. To cancel or reschedule your appointment: Please call our office at (920) 968-9311.
Please note that leaving a message in the portal or phone system within 72 hours of your appointment is not considered as a valid form of cancellation. In case you need to cancel a Monday appointment, you cannot do it on Friday since we will not be able to fill the appointment over the weekend. You must cancel the appointment by Wednesday prior to the appointment.
WHEN SHOULD I ARRIVE?
Please arrive 10-15 minutes early for each appointment.
LABS/BLOOD WORK-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
- 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.
- Do NOT stop your hormone cream, injections or oral progesterone prior to labs.
- Patients who menstruate and are having labs drawn to check hormone levels should follow these scheduling guidelines:
- Hormonal Labs Drawn
- 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 follow-up.
We do not conduct medical care in the portal.
WHEN SHOULD I SCHEDULE MY FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENT?
- Pellet lab: Schedule your follow-up lab appointment for six (6) weeks after your pellet placement.
- Your provider will determine when you should follow up based on your treatment plan
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.
It is possible to use your insurance for labs that are conducted outside of our facility. However, please note that WIFM will charge a processing fee of $25 for services such as entering, faxing, contacting the lab, uploading the results, and entering them into our electronic health record system. Please be aware that at times, the labs outside our facility may not make this process a smooth one. No outside labs will be ordered unless you’ve completed the Lab Acknowledgement Form.
Please see the map below for the affected area.
