Practice Management
Have you considered taking on members of the clinician training program as new patients during this process for those of us who are interested?
Chris Kresser: I may consider that at some point. Right now I just don’t have the time to take on...
I have a patient wanting to do an ELISA test for various health problems. She had a case of EBV infection last year, lost her voice, and had no energy. She worked with a nutritionist in San Diego and started the GAPS Diet. She is feeling better overall, but still reacts to almost everything food-wise. She had an organic acids test, which showed yeast overgrowth. I told her we probably need to focus on the gut first, but she wants to proceed with an ELISA test to help her avoid foods that could be setting her off. Any suggestions when you get a patient with lots of pre-knowledge on the subject?
Dr. Amy Nett: There’s so much out there to read, and as we all know, medicine is much more an...
How often are you seeing patients? How many do you usually see on a weekly basis?
Dr. Amy Nett: I have a schedule to see patients Monday through Thursday and probably about 24 hours of appointment...
How long do patients continue working with you, on average? For example, after the initial consult and one to two follow-ups, what’s the average amount of visits you have per patient?
Dr. Amy Nett: This varies completely. We have some people who come and they’re really sick. Maybe they have something...
Can you tell me the name of the company Chris and Dr. Nett use to have patients order their supplements from?
Chris Kresser: I wish there was a really easy response to that question. It turns out that supplements and how...
What’s your supplement return policy?
Chris Kresser: We do allow patients to return supplements that are unopened. If they’re opened, we don’t allow returns unless...
For those of us unlicensed and ready to break away from our licensed partner, what are your words of wisdom, specifically for nutritionists and exposomists? Any programs out there that would be more worth our time than another, particularly part-virtual programs? The RD path makes me cringe, but I respect that it’s our system and we have to oblige. However, an allopathic ND program also makes me cringe in my time-crunched world. When will functional medicine be license worthy? Rhetorical dreamy question!
Chris Kresser: Yeah, good question. This is a question I get a lot, so I wanted to speak to it...
I’m a nutritional therapist and not licensed. I do share space with my husband who is a chiropractor. My question is, I’ve been able to open accounts with Cyrex and Doctor’s Data and other labs because I do work under him. However, sometimes my clients are not his patients, and I order the labs for them anyway. Do you know if it’s legit to do that? I don’t run it through insurance, but if I did want to run it through their insurance, my understanding is they would need to see the chiropractor first to make that legal. Is that right? I’d love to know and discuss how to work in an office with a licensed practitioner.
Chris Kresser: Yeah, I think that is right. Generally the license holder will have to be the supervising clinician, and...
What kind of success rate do you have with your chronically ill patients?
Chris Kresser: That’s kind of a hard question to answer. I guess it depends on what you mean by “success,”...
Before you built your online presence, how were you primarily getting patients? Did you notice a difference in types of patients? Do you feel with functional medicine a lot of pre-education via online presence is the key to working with the right patients? What would be your advice for those of us who don’t have a huge online presence yet? A lot of practitioners have asked about this, and they don’t feel these patients are willing to order and pay for these tests or labs.
Chris Kresser: Great question, and it’s one of the reasons why I asked Keith to provide access to his authority...
