Work with Karyn
Whole-Person Comprehensive Functional Medicine Consultations with Karyn Shanks MD
Trust that your healing has already begun. You’ve made the commitment to yourself. Welcome.
The way I see it? You’re not here for fixing or rescuing. You’re not broken, but a beautiful work in progress.
Here we begin the deep dive into telling your unique story, convoluted and complicated as it may be. We’ll uncover the root causes of your challenges from a whole-person, core Functional Medicine systems biology, positive body-mind-spirit psychology perspective—the science that assures us your potential for healing is unlimited and fully accessible to you. Together, as partners, we’ll define your needs, clarify your goals, and carve out a sustainable path to your healing.
As a new client to our practice, your first encounter with Dr. Karyn Shanks will include a comprehensive consultation from a whole-person, root cause, Functional Medicine systems biology perspective. This evaluation will be based on a thorough review of your completed health questionnaires, the past medical records you provide in advance, and the story you tell at our first visit together.
Based on this first evaluation, we will establish a comprehensive problem list, a set of goals we create as partners, and craft a powerful initial personalized plan of care. This will include diagnostic testing, a food and lifestyle plan, and all necessary therapies to restore your health and assist you in work with other healthcare practitioners on your care team.
Expect to spend 2-4 hours (time depends on complexity of the situation) in your first encounter with Dr. Shanks.
All Functional Medicine Consultations are currently being done virtually, using the Zoom platform. You will receive your Zoom invitation as we get close to your scheduled appointment time.
All charges for lab tests will be separate from the consultation fee and will be paid directly to the labs we choose or billed to insurance by the lab. We make every effort to work with labs who perform the highest quality testing in the industry at fair prices. Many of them will work with you on insurance reimbursement.
Follow-Up Visits with Dr. Shanks
First Follow-Up Visit
These visits are usually 1.5 hours in length, though may vary depending on the complexity of the situation. This time is used to discuss all test results and initial observations about food and lifestyle changes undertaken and response to initial therapies. We will continue to develop and expand your personalized care plan to achieve optimal health.
Subsequent Follow-Up Visits with Dr. Shanks
These visits are typically one hour in length, though we try to maintain flexibility, understanding that people have very different levels of need.
Contact Karyn
[email protected]
Phone: 608-622-7775
Fax: 319-220-3746
Fees
New Clients
New clients will be charged at a rate of $600 per hour, prorated to time used in 15-minute increments. You will be charged for time spent by Dr. Shanks preparing for your visit—thorough review of all questionnaires, timeline, and past medical records—as well as all face-to-face time.
Follow-Up Consultations
$600 per hour, prorated to time used in 15-minute increments, for entire service provided to you (includes prep time, face-to-face time, and follow up tasks that are essential to the visit). At this time all follow-up consultations are done virtually due to COVID-19.
Summary of New Client Services
- A thorough review by Dr. Shanks of all health questionnaires, medical records, and other materials provided by you prior to your appointment.
- Development of a detailed Functional Medicine roadmap and timeline, constructed from your questionnaires and medical records, to help organize the details of your health/life story and guide our work together.
- A 2-4 hour direct face-to-face visit with Dr. Shanks to explore your complete health story. We’ll forge a partnership grounded in who you are, your goals, and shared development of your personalized healing roadmap.
- A comprehensive personalized care plan that targets the root causes of your health challenges, crafted in partnership with Dr. Shanks. You will receive a written care plan at the end of each visit.
- Your personalized care plan will be sufficiently detailed to be shared with your local healthcare team to help you implement the recommendations.
- All prescription medications should be managed by your personal physician or other prescribing professional.
- You will receive direct links to all nutritional supplements or other products recommended in your care plan.
- A lifelong commitment to you and assisting you in achieving optimal health and healing.
Policies and Fees
Please review our policies below. Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.
Consultations with Karyn Shanks MD
$600 per hour prorated to time used in 15-minute increments.
Email Consultations
We do not provide consultations or assessments of any kind by email. This is due to our concerns about the privacy of email and the challenge of conducting a complete and clear back-and-forth conversation. Email should be used only for schedule changes or requesting an appointment.
For Healthcare Practitioners
Intensive Functional Medicine Mentorship Sessions: $600 per hour
Cancellation Policy
Four full weeks are required to cancel an initial consultation with Dr. Shanks to receive a full refund. One week is required to cancel follow up appointments. You will be responsible for the entire fee if notice is not provided within the stated times.
Insurance
Dr. Shanks is licensed to practice medicine in Iowa and Wisconsin and is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. As such she is covered by your medical insurance as an “out of network” provider. Full payment for your service is expected at the time of your visit. Any reimbursement by insurance is the client’s responsibility and will be done at the rate established by the insurance carrier. All of our services, including prescribed nutritional supplements and nutritional consultations qualify for all flex and health savings account (HSA) plans.
If your insurance carrier requires further participation by Dr. Shanks in the reimbursement process or any needed appeal processes beyond providing insurance codes (contained within each visit’s invoice), documentation of the visit (office notes generated at each visit), or her signature, her time will be charged at her normal hourly fee, prorated to time used in 15-minute increments.
Medicare
Karyn Shanks MD is not a Medicare provider and as such cannot submit claims to Medicare on your behalf. Some supplemental plans will reimburse for services not covered by Medicare. You will need to investigate your plan regarding this.
Payment of Fees
All fees are collected at the time of service. You will receive complete documentation of your visit, including insurance codes, to assist you with insurance reimbursement. It will be the client’s responsibility to fill out all claim forms and work with their insurance company for reimbursement.
Personal checks, cash, VISA, MC, Discover, and HSA cards are accepted. We do not accept American Express.
Client Forms
To schedule an appointment, please email your request to [email protected].
Due to the high volume of requests for just a few available spots on our upcoming calendar, you will be asked to download and complete all of “Karyn’s Forms,” to the right, and return them to us to secure your scheduled appointment time.
Once all of the documents have been received, including the signed Cancellation Policy, you will be eligible to reserve the next available new client opening.
Please use the Release of Medical Information form to obtain copies of medical records for Dr. Shanks’ review. Send the form directly to the providers from whom you would like copies of records obtained.