Functional Medicine vs. Concierge Medicine: Why Functional Medicine is the Better Choice for Health Optimization
Concierge medical clinics and InHealthRVA’s Functional and Integrative healthcare model are both vast improvements on today’s “disease-care” model, with its short appointments and little relationship with, or access to, your provider.
So what’s the difference between concierge medicine and InHealthRVA’s Functional & Integrative medical models? And what is right for you?
While both concierge and InHealth’s Functional medicine model offer much longer appointment times, better access and a real relationship with your health care provider, concierge medicine care is still conventional medicine: disease & symptom management through pharmaceuticals and dividing the body into seemingly disconnected parts.
In contrast, InHealthRVA’s Functional & Integrative clinic seeks to optimize your health through an investigative, holistic approach that identifies root causes and seeks to optimize health through a variety of therapies, including natural, pharmaceutical, lifestyle medicine and mind-body awareness.
Let’s dive into what Functional & Integrative medicine and concierge medical clinics have in common, how they differ and which one is best for you.
What Is Concierge Medicine: Better Access to Conventional Care
Concierge medicine steps up where conventional care often falls short. At its core, you could think of it as restoring how medical providers used to be able to practice: longer appointments, a deeper relationship with your practitioner and better access.
While concierge care is much better care, it is still conventional medicine that treats established diseases and manages symptoms primarily with pharmaceuticals. It is not holistic, Integrative or Functional medicine and so does not investigate why the body has health imbalances and how to optimize health.
Concierge medicine is 20th century, disease-care, conventional medicine utilizing primary pharmaceuticals.
Functional & Integrative medicine is 21st century seeks to optimize wellness through an investigative & holistic medicine utilizing natural, pharmaceuticals and lifestyle therapies.
What is Functional Medicine: Treating the Whole Person
Functional medicine is a mindset shift away from simply managing disease towards optimizing wellness. How do we do this? Through an investigative approach to your health that understands the body and person as a whole and offering the best of natural & pharmaceutical medicine to work towards your health goals.
Functional medicine is dives into the latest physiology research and personalized diagnostic testing and combines it with an in-depth health history to understand the why behind your health concerns and identify issues before they start. We offer the full range of health care: a root-cause approach, symptom management and wellness optimization.
Functional medicine is personalized, not just in addressing your unique health issues and goals, but in personalizing protocols to meet you where you are. We work together to create and evolve your health plan, blending the best of natural medicine, pharmaceuticals and lifestyle therapies to optimize your health.
At its core, Functional medicine recognizes that you’re more than a collection of symptoms or lab results. It looks at the whole picture and understands that your body’s systems, and therefore symptoms, can be connected.
Whether you are fighting a cold, optimizing aging or seeking better answers and solutions for complex health conditions, we offer a range of treatments and levels to work with you to feel your best.
Why Functional Medicine Stands Apart
Root-Cause Focus: Functional medicine asks, Why is this happening? We work to understand how the body works, what variables drive your health concerns and how to support your healing and wellness goals.
Personalized Plans for You: Functional medicine utilizes advanced labs that go beyond routine testing: identifying nutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, microbiome issues and more. We then integrate this information into your health history and preferences to create personalized protocols—integrating lifestyle, nutraceuticals, herbs, and pharmaceuticals—to meet your unique goals.
Compassionate, Whole-Person Care: We know your biology is unique. But so are your circumstances. We create treatment plans and work with you through the twists and turns. It’s not just about fixing numbers on a lab sheet, it’s about working with you wherever you are.
Comparing Functional Medicine and Concierge Medicine: Thrive vs. Survive
Advanced Diagnostics
Functional medicine goes beyond disease-centered diagnostics to uncover what’s really going on. Think nutrient levels, metabolic pathways, hormone balance, and gut microbiome diversity—all areas that can profoundly impact your health but go unnoticed in conventional care.
Concierge medicine typically relies on standard diagnostics like cholesterol panels and blood pressure checks. While important, these tests often miss many other areas of health that could hold the answers to your wellness.
Both Functional and concierge medicine refer you out to specialists, such as cardiologists and endocrinologists. Your Functional medicine practitioner will then in-house that information back into an integrative health plan to help you understand and consider their recommendations within the whole picture of your health.
Whole-Person, Preventative Care
Where conventional care treats symptoms in isolation, Functional medicine takes a systems-based approach. Your body isn’t a series of disconnected parts—it’s an interconnected system.
or example, stress can affect your gut and immune systems, which in turn can lead to hormonal changes….which can feedback and affect your gut, immune system and mood! Functional medicine addresses these links, empowering your body to heal as a whole.
Concierge medicine focuses on conventional analytics of labs to look for established diseases, such as high lipids and diabetes. Concierge medicine doctors are rarely or incompletely trained in whole-health, Integrative & Functional medicine, including herbal & supplement options, lifestyle and mind-body recommendations.
Below is a side-by-side comparison to see how Functional and concierge medicine differ across essential aspects of care:
For Whom is Concierge Medicine Better?
Concierge medicine is better for those who need or prefer 24/7 service or “white glove” service. This may be because you have frequent medical emergencies or need coordination of multiple medications and specialists, or simply because you want 24/7 access and response.
Functional & Integrative medicine is very helpful for those with chronic/complex health conditions with many medications and emergent needs but is not set up to respond to 24/7 needs or emergencies.
Why doesn’t Functional medicine do both? Both models require increased fees to allow practitioners to have the time and diligence to practice. The fees for concierge services go towards providing that 24/7 access and white-glove service. The fees for Functional & Integrative medical services go towards the holistic, root-cause health analysis and journey. While a clinic could conceivably offer both, the cost to sustain both would be unattainable for most people.
Why Functional Medicine Is the Future of Healthcare
The 20th century sought to conquer death by allowing us to survive disease. Concierge medicine allows doctors to do a better job at supplying that care.
21st century medicine works on the root-causes that drive health issues and also aims to optimize wellness not just pharmaceutically manage conditions and symptoms. 21st century care aims to help us thrive, not just survive or manage disease.
At InHealthRVA’s Functional & Integrative medical clinic, we are leading this revolution by delivering the best of root-cause medicine and personalized care through combining the best of holistic and conventional medical offerings:
Advanced testing in areas such as the gut microbiome, cell health, inflammation, hormones, toxins/pathogens and nutrients.
Diet, lifestyle and mind-body support.
Certified supplements, nutraceuticals and herbal remedies along with pharmaceutical and other conventional health care options.
More time, better access and a relationship with a practitioner who works with you towards your wellness goals.
This comprehensive approach is rooted in compassion, honoring your story, and starting wherever you are to help you achieve your unique health goals.
A Call to Thrive
At InHealthRVA, we believe everyone deserves the right to wellness-focused healthcare that combines the best of conventional and holistic medicine.
Whether you’re managing chronic health concerns, looking for more complete and personalized care or seeking to optimize your health and feel your best, Functional medicine offers the latest in modern understanding of human health, all in a more compassionate model along with a real relationship with your practitioner.
Are you ready to move beyond surviving and start thriving? Let’s work together to create a personalized health plan that empowers your body, mind, and spirit. Reach out today—your journey to lasting wellness starts now.