How do you start a functional medicine practice? Launching a functional medicine practice is a lot more than picking a logo and hoping for the best. You’ll need to make sure you’re properly licensed and working within your scope, choose a legal structure, and put malpractice coverage in place. From there, clarify your clinical focus and services, decide how you’ll price your work (often cash-based), set up compliant systems for your EHR, labs, telehealth, and documentation, and build a simple marketing and patient experience plan so the right patients can find you—and stay with your clinic.
When 15-minute in-and-out visits stop cutting it, many people start Googling their way toward functional medicine. They aren't looking for someone to just tweak a prescription and send them on their way. They’re looking for someone who will actually dig, explain, and stick with them.
The demand is real: the global “alternative”/integrative space is projected to jump from roughly $180 billion in 2024 to over $850 billion by 2032, and in the U.S., about two-thirds of adults are already using some kind of integrative strategy to prevent or treat a health issue.
But turning that demand into a predictable, compliant, and profitable practice takes more than a passion.
Your passion matters, but so do the numbers. If you don’t know what you’re earning, what it costs to deliver care, and what keeps you compliant, the practice is running you, not the other way around.
In this guide, we’ll help you shape your clinic’s identity, decide what you offer (and what it costs), plug labs in smartly, stay within your scope, and build simple systems that protect both your patients and your profits in the long term.
Build your practice on a diagnostic foundation you can trust with Access Med Labs’ fast turnaround times and comprehensive, physician-exclusive panels.
Before you think about logos, supplements, or social media, you need one thing: a clear practice model.
That means deciding how you’ll get paid, how you’ll deliver care, and what kind of business you’re actually building.
In Access Live: The Million Dollar Hormone Practice, Dr. Carrozzella, Founder of “The Florida Center for Hormones and Wellness,” shared that he initially assumed “doing good medicine” would be enough to get patients to “come streaming to the door.”
And he learned the hard way that it isn’t.
His clinic only became predictable and scalable after he sat down, defined services, set revenue goals, and built a real business plan.
Watch the full video with Dr. Carrozzella below:
Use this section to make those decisions now, before you’re stuck in costly trial-and-error with real patients and real overhead.
First, decide how patients will work with you and how money will flow.
You bill third-party payers for covered services.
The pros? Lower out-of-pocket costs for patients and an easier “yes” for people who are insurance dependent.
The cons? Reimbursement can be lower and unpredictable. You’ll deal with more admin, and you may be boxed into shorter visits and fewer testing options.
In a cash-pay model, patients pay your practice directly, whether that’s per visit, through a program, or a membership.
This gives you more control over how long you spend with each patient, how you use lab testing, and how you structure care plans.
You’re also dealing with straightforward payment at the time of service, rather than navigating denials and delayed reimbursement.
The trade-off is that you’ll need pricing that’s easy to understand and conversations that clearly explain the value of what patients are investing in.
Many practices also find it helpful to offer options for patients who can’t pay the full amount upfront, such as phased programs or payment plans.
A hybrid setup mixes both worlds. You can send straightforward, problem-focused visits or specific labs through insurance, and reserve the longer consults, advanced testing, and ongoing functional programs for cash pay.
It works well as long as you explain exactly where the line is. Patients need to know what’s going through insurance, what isn’t, and why, otherwise, the confusion lands on your front desk.
Whichever route you choose, document so everyone is aligned: You'll want to know which visit types are billable to insurance and which are always cash-pay.
Also, share how you’ll price labs and panels (pass-through, bundled, or included in a program). And have a plan in place for handling larger lab bills and out-of-network reimbursement.
How you set up the clinic will drive both your overhead and your capacity, so it’s worth being intentional here.
A small physical office with just you (and maybe one support person) gives you a high level of control and keeps payroll simple at the beginning. You’ll also be wearing most of the hats, clinician, owner, and often the main point of contact for patients. This setup works well if you’re starting with a smaller panel, testing a new market, or building a boutique-style practice.
Bringing in another clinician or building a group practice usually means higher fixed costs. That means more space, more staff, and more systems to coordinate. In return, you gain the potential for greater revenue and the ability to serve more patients. To make it work, you’ll need clear agreements about who makes business decisions, how profits are shared, and how you’ll evaluate new services like advanced lab testing or IV therapy.
A virtual-first model, or a blend of in-person and telehealth, can keep facility costs down and make it easier to reach patients across a wider area. Success in virtual or hybrid environments depends on strong workflows. Your online intake, secure telehealth, and reliable lab logistics (such as local draw sites, in-home phlebotomy, or mailed kits).
It’s tempting to offer “a little bit of everything” from hormones, aesthetics, gut health, IVs, sexual wellness, weight management, and more.
In the Access Live session, Dr. Carrozzella described what his early menu looked like and how narrowing down to hormones and sexual wellness was the turning point for growth and positioning.
It’s tempting to offer “a little bit of everything” from hormones, aesthetics, gut health, IVs, sexual wellness, weight management, and more.
In the Access Live session, Dr. Carrozzella described what his early menu looked like and how narrowing down to hormones and sexual wellness was the turning point for growth and positioning.
When determining your model, pick 1–2 clinical areas to guide your practice. For example, metabolic health, hormones, autoimmunity, or women’s midlife health.
Then, decide which modalities you’ll support at launch (e.g., personalized labs, nutrition, lifestyle coaching, peptide therapy, group visits).
And, always double-check that every service fits your legal scope of practice, your training and comfort level, and your business model (time required, pricing, and demand).
You can always add more later. Early on, focus on becoming known for something specific.
Once you know how you’ll practice, you can assign realistic numbers to your plan. Your startup and monthly costs will vary based on location, size, and tech stack.
Use the table below as a starting point and adjust for your market and goals (these are illustrative, not financial advice):
| Expense | Low Range | High Range | Description |
| EHR setup |
~$60/mo | ~$200/mo | EHRs like JaneApp, Practice Better, etc. |
| Business insurance |
~$600/yr | ~$1,200/yr | Professional and general liability is required in most U.S. states. |
| Supplement inventory |
~$1,000 | ~$5,000 | Depends on model; some use just-in-time or virtual dispensaries. |
| Marketing & website | ~$2,000 | ~$5,000 | Branding, basic site, SEO, and launch assets. |
Rent or co-working space (if brick-and-mortar)
Staff (front desk, MA, health coach, virtual admin)
Lab and phlebotomy costs (including any mobile or in-office draws)
Telehealth platforms, messaging tools, and automation
The goal is to connect your care model and structure to financial costs.
That way, you can decide how many patients you need to see, at what price points, and what you need to cover your costs and pay yourself.
Before you design programs or publish your first blog post, make sure you know what you’re allowed to do, what you’re offering, and where you’re offering it.
Start with a quick reality check:
Your license is current and in good standing in every state where you’ll see patients.
Every service on your menu, from labs, telehealth, supplements, procedures, and coaching, fits inside your legal scope of practice.
Any required collaborating or supervising agreements (for NPs, PAs, etc.) are signed, up to date, and stored where you can find them.
Once that’s set, build out what you need to keep you safe long term:
Privacy and HIPAA: Use secure, HIPAA-compliant tools for email, your EHR, and any patient messaging. Decide who on your team can see what, and write down how you’ll handle a potential breach or misdirected message.
Telehealth rules: Check the rules for each state you serve, especially around cross-border care, prescribing, informed consent, and whether you need multiple licenses.
Informed consent: Create consent forms for functional and integrative care. Spell out risks, benefits, what the evidence does and doesn’t support, and how you coordinate with a patient’s primary care team.
Charting and documentation: Decide what a standard SOAP template, a structure for lab interpretation, and a care plan look like so that any clinician (or reviewer) can follow your thinking.
The goal is to handle the essentials now so you’re not scrambling later if a patient, payer, or regulator starts asking hard questions.
A functional or integrative medicine practice is both a business and a clinical service.
The structure you choose now will shape your taxes, liabilities, and growth options for years to come.
You’re not just reacting to today’s problems but, as Jody Layne, co-founder and CEO of Accelerated Medical Practices, says, “building the clinic for the future you want, not just for today.”
At a minimum, plan to:
Pick and register a business structure that aligns with your license and location.
Get an EIN and open a business bank account, and loop in a bookkeeper or accountant early so you’re not sorting receipts at tax time.
Pay for insurance to cover malpractice, general liability, and even consider cyber coverage as you grow.
Decide who’s on the “day one” team: will it just be you, or will you bring in support like a virtual assistant, care coordinator, nutritionist, or health coach to take some work off your plate?
If you’re feeling behind on this piece, that’s normal. The goal isn’t to become a CFO overnight, but to put in place an intentional structure.
Your entity choice, banking setup, insurance, and first hires are how you start closing that gap and move from “I hope this works” to a practice that’s actually designed to grow.
For a deeper breakdown of these principles, watch Access Live: The Protocol for a Predictably Profitable Cash Practice, where Jody Layne walks through how to build a sustainable, scalable cash-pay clinic from the ground up.
The tools you choose now will decide how easy it is to chart, order labs, message patients, and get paid later.
Think in terms of a small ecosystem: your EHR, lab partner, marketing platform, and payment processor should all be able to “talk” to each other instead of living in separate silos.
Automation starts to carry its weight.
Jody Layne explains, “Responsiveness is currency. Patients expect fast and consistent communication, and automation delivers that without draining your team.”
When reminders, follow-ups, and lab result notifications are built into your systems, patients feel supported. And your staff isn’t burning an afternoon calling no-shows.
A few tools, connected thoughtfully, can do a lot of that heavy lifting for you. Below is an example of how a simple, integrated stack might look in a functional medicine clinic.
| Function | Recommended Solution | Cost | Why It Matters |
| EMR / EHR |
Practice Better, Jane, or Power2Practice | ~$65–$150/mo | Integrates charting, labs, forms, and telehealth |
| Labs |
Access Med Labs | Varies per test | Streamlined ordering and results |
| Supplements |
Varies per supplement | Varies per supplement | Professional-grade products |
| Marketing | ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo (HIPAA add-on) | ~$50+/mo | Segmented email and automation |
| Payments | Square or Stripe Health or equivalent | ~2.9% + fees | Integrated, secure billing and subscriptions |
When you evaluate tech, always ask:
Will this improve the patient experience? Will it automate something we currently do manually without compromising quality or privacy?
A clear path for the patient helps you deliver consistent care and predictable revenue. Map out each step of the patient journey from first touch to the last follow-up:
Patients usually find you in the wild first, whether they are searching on Google or Instagram, meeting you at a local event, or because their friend won’t stop talking about you.
Once they’re curious, they poke around. Patients read a blog post, watch a webinar, or share their email to get to know you better.
When they’re ready, the patient takes the first step and books their first consult.
From there, you’re building the plan together, tweaking habits, reviewing labs, checking in, and making the follow-through doable.
And if they feel cared for (and see results), they stick around. They come back. They refer people they love. And many join longer-term programs or memberships.
Lori Werner, Founder of Medical Marketing Whiz and author of Anti-Aging and Longevity Marketing, points out in Access Live: Smart Marketing on a Budget for Functional Medicine Practitioners, not every interaction leads to an immediate booking, “We can’t expect a stranger who has never heard of you before to say, ‘Yep, tomorrow I’m ready to make an appointment.’ They need to learn who you are first.”
Build this into your systems. Use education, email, SMS, and low-friction offers (like webinars or guides) to nurture people from curiosity to commitment.
Watch the full session here to see how to implement this inside your own practice.
Think about your pricing as matching the stages of your relationship with a patient, not just the length of a visit.
At the very first step in the door, you might offer a low-commitment entry point, such as a short discovery call, a group info session, or a modestly priced intro visit.
Your deep-dive intake should be priced differently. This is where you’re reviewing history, labs, and goals and building the whole plan. So the fee needs to reflect the prep and face-to-face time it really takes.
From there, wrap your ongoing work into programs or 3–6 month packages.
People want to know how many visits are included, what kind of follow-up they’ll get, and what they’re paying for overall.
When you price your services, factor in what’s typical in your area, what you need to keep the doors open and staff paid, and the level of support you’re promising.
If you can say your prices out loud to a patient and they still feel fair, you’re in the right zone.
Your ideal patients are already searching for solutions. They just need a reason to choose you over everyone else.
Before they ever book, most people will:
Google your name and clinic
Scan your reviews
Glance at your website and social media
Compare you with 2–3 other providers
Lori Werner says it directly, “When they search for you, they’re going to find you, but they’re also going to find two or three other doctors. So how do you get them to choose you?”
If someone hears your name, then searches for you on Google or ChatGPT, what shows up?
This directly connects to your Google Business Profile. You want to make sure you've claimed and updated your profile completely. Start here:
Google Business Profile: Claim your profile, fill out every little detail, and keep it updated. Hours, address, phone, website, all of it.
Categories: Pick categories like integrative medicine clinic, functional medicine, wellness center.
Photos: Upload real images of you, your team, your space, or your virtual setup. Do not upload stock photos.
Name, address, phone number: Make sure your name, address, and phone number match everywhere, your site, Google, directories, socials.
Service pages: Give each major service or symptom area its own page so Google (and patients) can quickly see what you help with.
If you’re not showing up when people search, it almost doesn’t matter how good the rest of your practice is; you’re effectively invisible.
Reviews are often the deciding factor when patients compare options. Make it easy and routine to ask for them (via QR codes, follow-up emails, or SMS) and focus on Google reviews first.
Build internal processes so that every satisfied patient is invited to leave a review, and periodically highlight this social proof on your website and in patient communications.
People can spot “salesy” in healthcare marketing a mile away. And it’s usually the fastest way to lose their trust.
A better approach is to make most of what you publish genuinely helpful. Think of it as mostly education with a light sprinkle of invitation, more “Here’s something that might help you” and less “Book now.”
When you’re creating content, whether it's a quick reel, a longer email, or a webinar, start with the things your patients ask you in real life.
Skip the “health coach” voice. Talk like a human.
Choose one lab marker that your patients always ask about and talk about it in detail.
Or, something simple, a symptom you hear about every week, and talk through what might be behind it in a way real people actually understand. No lectures, no jargon.
When your content sounds human and your actual day-to-day experience, people feel it.
Once the big pieces are in place, “growth” is about looking at your numbers and making smarter calls.
Keep an eye on a small handful of stats that tell you how healthy the practice is, like:
How many new leads are you getting each month, and from where
How many of those leads turn into consults and how many show up
What percentage of consults say yes to a plan or membership
How much revenue you earn per patient and how long they plan to stay with you
Retention checkpoints (are they still with you at 6, 12, 24 months?)
What it costs to get a new patient in the door (cost per lead and per new patient)
Block 30–60 minutes once a month to review revenue, expenses, and key metrics. Next, compare these to your targets. Then, identify one or two adjustments (pricing, marketing focus, visit structure, staffing). And finally, document the change and review its impact next month.
Tools like Airtable, ClickUp, Notion, or a Google Sheet, plus dashboards from your EMR and payment processor, are usually enough at the beginning.
Dr. Brian Anderson, a board-certified physician and founder of the Anderson Longevity Clinic, emphasized in Access Live: Unlocking Profitability in Longevity Medicine, “Systems create freedom. You can’t grow if you’re constantly stuck inside the day-to-day operations.”
Watch the webinar to learn how Dr. Anderson uses systems, team structure, and data to scale multiple longevity clinics across the U.S.
Launching a functional medicine practice is a business, operational, and leadership decision. The clinics that survive and grow are the ones built intentionally, with a solid model, clean compliance, a strong financial foundation, thoughtful tech, and a patient journey that feels human.
You now have the roadmap to build that kind of practice, one that attracts the right patients, delivers standout outcomes, and supports the life you want as a functional medicine clinician.
Start small and concrete: tidy up one messy workflow, let software handle one task you’re tired of doing by hand, or iron out a single step in your patient journey.
And if you already feel maxed out, that’s exactly when your systems, and the partners you choose, from labs to tech, can help turn a hectic practice into one that runs cleanly and supports you long term.
If you're ready to take the next step, explore physician-exclusive testing with Access Med Labs and start building the practice you want to run from day one.
Disclaimer: Content on the Access Labs blog is for informational purposes only and reflects the views of individual contributors, not necessarily those of Access Medical Labs. We do not endorse specific treatments, products, or protocols. This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider regarding any medical concerns.