Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Welcome to the FAQ section for Dr. Jennifer Kessmann’s Functional Medicine practice. Here, you’ll find answers to some common questions about functional medicine and Dr. Kessmann’s approach to holistic health care.

What is Functional Medicine?

Functional Medicine is a patient-centered approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of diseases. It views the body as an interconnected system rather than isolated organs and emphasizes personalized care.

What is Personalized Medicine?

We primarily focus on looking at ways to improve health utilizing lifestyle and environmental changes to help address the causes for the issues. We look to remove anything that may be contributing and also add in any vital substances to help promote optimal cellular functioning. We utilize state of the art testing to look into things like gastrointestinal functioning and detailed inflammatory testing, or nutrient testing. We may also utilize genetic testing to understand underlying predispositions to issues as well. Dr. Kessmann has access to most all of the functional medicine laboratory testing avenues, but if there is a specific test you are looking for please inquire using our contact form.

Who is Dr. Jennifer Kessmann?

Dr. Jennifer Kessmann is a Certified Functional Medicine Physician passionate about finding a solution to your health concerns and bringing you back to optimum health. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas A and M University while studying scientific nutrition. She is currently practicing Functional medicine focusing on finding the root cause of disease to improve health. With over 20 years of experience in traditional medicine as an MD, she is able to recognize patterns quickly and find answers to one’s health conditions. Passionate about lifestyle and its impact on disease processes, the mind-body connection is important.

What conditions can be treated with Functional Medicine?

Functional Medicine can be effective for a wide range of conditions, including but not limited to:

Chronic fatigue
Digestive disorders (e.g., IBS, Crohn’s disease)
Autoimmune diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, lupus)
Hormonal imbalances (e.g., thyroid disorders, PCOS)
Mental health issues (e.g., anxiety, depression)
Cardiovascular diseases

What makes Functional Medicine different from conventional medicine?

Functional Medicine differs from conventional medicine in its holistic approach, focusing on the root cause of symptoms rather than just treating the symptoms themselves. It incorporates evidence-based practices and considers the patient’s environment, lifestyle, and genetic factors in treatment.

How long is the initial visit?

Our initial visit actually begins before you arrive. We review your intake packet in entirety and come with an initial good understanding of your concerns. The visit itself is usually 2-3 hours as we teach the Functional Medicine concepts and go over all of your concerns. We encourage you to be as complete as possible in your intake form to make sure we get a good understanding of your case. We do review previous and recent labs but they may add to our time together. We usually spend between 1 and 2 hours prepping for your visit and up to 2-3 hours after your visit as well. Our visit charges range accordingly.

How do arrange the initial visit?

In order to schedule your initial visit we would need the initial intake packet completed and returned to us or a deposit to hold the appointment time. If you would like to request the intake packet please use our contact form and request our new patient packet. If you would like to place a deposit to hold your new patient visit time you may contact our office and request.

How often do I need follow up visits?

Usually the visits will be more often initially and then space out as time proceeds. We always advise a visit follow up at 2 weeks after the initial visit and then at least monthly. When things are stable, we request keeping follow ups every 3-6 months at least without needing an extended visit.

Do you accept insurance?

We are an independent practice and are not contracted with insurance companies nor Medicare or Medicaid. Therefore, we do not participate in any insurance programs and are also out of network. While we are considered out-of-network, our patients can receive a Superbill at the end of their appointment which can be submitted to insurance for consideration of partial reimbursement. We usually find that this request for reimbursement is denied but may be applied towards an out of network deductible successfully. We are unable to call or mail insurance companies as we are not contracted with them.

How do I request records?

If you are looking to have records sent to another provider you will need to request through the portal by completing a Release of Records Authorization. You will need to specify the fax number and location you are requesting we release the records. If this is to a life insurance company we do charge a fee. We discourage sharing this record as we wish to keep your doctor patient relationship as private and secure as possible. Once shared, the record becomes part of an insurance database indefinitely. We will never share a record without your permission and a completed request from you.

Do you take Medicare?

We do not participate with Medicare and do not submit for reimbursement to any Medicare product in order to comply with Federal Medicare laws. If you are wishing to use any Medicare product we request you search for a provider of your choosing on www.ifm.org for a certified provider in your area who may accept your product

Do you use Telemedicine?

Yes, most of our follow up visits are done using telemedicine for ease of review of labs etc. We currently utilize a HIPPA compliant zoom version for ease of use. We currently do not schedule in person follow ups except in specific situations. You may also request for the initial visit to be via telemedicine at this time. We can offer a discounted cost for the telemedicine option. Please request at the time of scheduling and we will be happy to discuss with you.

What testing labs do you use?

We utilize most of the state of the art functional medicine laboratories and are happy to research new options should the need arise. Many of the companies we use are found on our website as well.

Where can I purchase my supplements?

We recommend only high quality supplements, vitamins, amino acids or other substances for therapeutic or preventive purposes. We believe that quality matters when it comes to supplements. All of the brands we recommend are higher quality and verified through independent testing. The FDA does not regulate supplements so it is important to make sure the company you are using is a quality source. We offer direct access to a limited number of supplements at the clinic. All supplements sold in the clinic are at approximately 15% off retail pricing.

We also have an affiliate relationship with Fullscript and Doctors Supplement Store where our patients can order the supplements that we recommend. These are typically sold at approximately 10% off retail pricing.
We encourage all patients to purchase recommended supplements from the vendor of their choice. There is no obligation to purchase them at our clinic or through our online partners. However, many supplements may be found in lower quality versions elsewhere. We advise against ordering online except for the companies above and/or directly from the company to prevent imitation or substituted products.
Please comparison shop for the best prices. If you find the same products are available for a lower price, please let us know. We will share this information with other patients.

Can my primary care order my lab testing for me and submit to insurance?

Yes, your primary care physician may be willing to order our lab tests for you if you are being seen by them frequently and have other lab samples being drawn. Not all functional medicine level testing will be available through traditional labs and therefore often the testing does not contain the information we need to best serve you. Basic medical labs may be covered by your insurance company depending on your insurance coverage. We recommend that you contact your primary care physician to confirm. The issue when ordering testing may be that when/if the insurance denies payment the cost to you may be much higher than our contracted rates. We do not always know lab pricing as the cost is different depending on the lab company used when ordering. You may upload lab test results for review before a visit through the patient portal. If done during a visit no additional fee would apply. If you upload into the portal make sure to alert us if you wish for review of the labs. This can only be done if you are a current patient of ours.

Will insurance cover my lab testing?

Usually the larger functional medicine panels are not a covered entity with insurances. Sometimes, some of the more routine testing may be able to be submitted to LabCorp and Quest but we have found the costs to be high if insurance does not cover and it will usually be put towards a deductible. Therefore, we use labs that allow us to include multiple tests and give us a contracted rate to prevent unpredictable charges to you.

We hope you have found the answer to many of our common questions! If you need more assistance please reach out to us via our contact page or phone call and we would be happy to assist you.