Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE?
Functional medicine differs from traditional medicine in that it is a model of individualized, patient-centered care that empowers patients and practitioners to work together to address and treat the ROOT CAUSE of disease, not just treat isolated symptoms. Functional medicine focuses on why the disease is occurring in the first place and creates a plan of treatment for your specific needs. Rather than simply giving
you a medication to treat your problem, Dr. Meek will work with you to determine the root cause of the problem and together, seek to identify and correct it so that you can achieve your health goals and live a life full of energy and vitality!
HOW DO I START WORKING WITH DR. MEEK?
We are so excited you are ready to get to the root of your health problems and begin a journey toward healing! We know you have questions for us, so please read through the FAQs in its entirety to see if you find some answers here. If after reading through these questions you decide you’d like to proceed, our starting
point is a free 15-minute phone consult with Dr. Meek scheduled through our website on the SCHEDULE NOW tab. Dr. Meek will call you at the date and time you choose. If Dr. Meek feels she will be a great fit for your needs, she will then schedule the first visit.
DOES DR. MEEK ACCEPT INSURANCE OR MEDICARE?
Dr. Meek does not accept insurance or Medicare or Medicaid of any kind. At this time, functional medicine and wellness based preventative care are not adequately supported by health insurance providers. Many patients use their flex plan or HSA account to pay for services with Dr. Meek. Upon request, we can provide a properly coded ICD-10 itemized bill for you to submit to your insurance company should you like to try for reimbursement on your own.
CAN I DESIGNATE DR. MEEK AS MY PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN?
Dr. Meek does not act as a primary care physician and does not provide primary acute care services. Similarly, Dr. Meek does not provide urgent/same-day care that might require immediate assistance. She will work with you as a health consultant, strategist, and coach in preventive, nutritional, and functional medicine to help address the root cause of your chronic health concerns. She will gladly confer with your primary care physician if the need should arise.
WHAT KIND OF SPECIALTY TESTING DOES DR. MEEK OFFER?
As a physician who is board certified in internal medicine and now certified in Functional Medicine as well, Dr. Meek has unique insight when interpreting both conventional blood work and functional medicine labs. Dr. Meek has contracted with functional medicine laboratories like Genova Diagnostic, Cyrex Laboratories, Precision Analytical, and Doctor’s Data. These functional medicine labs such as the NutrEval, Allergix, GI Comprehensive Stool Panel, and Dutch Complete hormone panel offer innovative clinical laboratory services for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of complex chronic disease. For kits that require blood work, we have an in-house phlebotomist with over 40 years of experience. Other tests can be done from the comfort of home and shipped with FedEx envelopes provided with each test kit.
HOW IMPORTANT ARE VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT PLAN?
Dr. Meek will help clarify exactly which vitamins or supplements you need (or don’t need) according to your test results. She fully believes in testing and not guessing. While much of your treatment momentum can be gained with customized instructions on food sources and lifestyle changes, many people require temporary (or long term) supplementation based on their unique genetic limitations, digestion inefficiencies, or micronutrient deficiencies. In this case, Dr. Meek will provide access to prescription quality supplements through our Fullscript dispensary. Dr. Meek gives all her patients an automatic discount through their Fullscript account.
WHY ARE OFFICE HOURS ONLY TWO DAYS A WEEK?
Dr. Meek has entered that glorious season of life called grandparenting. Most of her years in practice were spent working in internal medicine. The call to functional medicine came later in life at a time when most people are beginning to think about slowing down their pace. Dr. Meek felt a strong calling to functional medicine and returned to school at the Institute for Functional Medicine to work toward this certification. She spends two busy days in the office seeing patients, works two non- patient days doing phone consults, patient research, and notes, and then spends one happy day with her beautiful granddaughter.
DOES DR. MEEK DO VIRTUAL VISITS?
Yes, Dr. Meek welcomes virtual visits. If you are NOT a Kentucky resident, your initial visit at Bluegrass Functional Medicine must be in person. After the first visit, all follow up visits can be conducted by phone or virtually using our HIPAA compliant platform.
SO HOW MUCH DOES ALL THIS COST ANYWAY?
That’s a great question! First of all, YOU are worth the investment. Staying sick deprives you of so much: time, energy, memories, joy, money. The investment you put into getting well is not only a gift to you, but a gift to all around you. It really is the best investment you can ever make!
Most people who come into our clinic are suffering with chronic illness such as autoimmune disease, hormonal imbalance, or poor gut health. For these people, our Optimal Wellness Treatment Package is the best deal for them. This package includes 4 visits with Dr. Meek – two of these visits are 90 minutes long. The cost for this package is $3200 and includes all the physician visits, as well as a personalized functional medicine prescription resulting from the hours Dr. Meek spends analyzing your test results and coming up with a detailed list of recommendations just for you.
The individual costs of functional medicine labs range from $220 to approximately $500 per lab. Dr. Meek generally tells chronically ill patients to expect lab costs to be $1500-$2000. These lab fees are paid to each lab and are not included in the cost to see the physician.
We understand the value of your health and having a physician who listens and does the hard work of finding the root cause of your sickness. YOU are worth it! To make a free 15 minute phone consultation with Dr. Meek, please go to https://bluegrassfxmed.com/discovery-consultation.
Take The First Step On Your Journey Back To Health
Maybe you have some questions you’d like to ask before you make a decision on becoming a patient. Our patient coordinator is standing by, happy to answer any questions you have to see whether or not Bluegrass Functional Medicine is right for you.
