Membership FAQs

  • Functional Medicine determines how and why a disease develops and attempts to restore health by addressing the root causes for each individual. It is critical to go as far upstream as possible to get to the source of illness and, from there, try to modify factors to ameliorate all the downstream effects. This is very different from the traditional pill for your ill mill that conventional medicine has become.

    I start by reviewing your medical history and symptoms from a slightly different perspective than your conventional doctor. I organize your health story using the Functional Matrix, and this allows me to identify key areas of dysfunction and imbalance that can be corrected. This does require a significant time commitment on your part before the first visit, which could take several hours. This exhaustive look at your life and risk factors may be exactly what is needed to alter the cancer terrain or cancer pre-disposing terrain. Everyone is at risk of cancer. Dr. Jamie’s unique approach also takes a thoughtful and strategic approach in modifying your cancer risks.

    Conventional medicine aims to categorize and label your symptoms as a diagnosis in order to match them to a prescription or rehabilitative treatment. Again, functional medicine goes upstream to look for causes for your problems and diminish inflammatory influences in your body.

    My goal is simple: to prevent cancer development, progression, and recurrence, to lessen treatment side effects, and to improve quality of life. This approach tends to lessen multiple other health problems as there tend to be common inflammatory roots that cause chronic illness. But these diseases can be conditional if we change the conditions.

  • Integrative oncology focuses on building a comprehensive and evidence-based approach to cancer care that brings together both standard cancer treatments and integrative therapies in an effort to improve clinical outcomes for patients.

    Integrative oncology aims to optimize health, quality of life, and clinical outcomes across the cancer care continuum and to empower people to prevent cancer and become active participants in their health journey before, during, and beyond cancer treatment.

  • Are you ready to get started? Motivation and commitment are essential for success in any anticancer strategy or functional treatment plan. However, true change and healing come from our ability to partner together. Dr. Jamie's style of teaching and delivery of medical care may not be a good fit for some people.

    This is why Dr. Jamie requests all patients apply for a discovery call where you fill out a short form and submit it so that Dr. Jamie can review your needs before setting up a 20-minute Discovery Call before the Initial 2-Stage Consultation. This call has a small fee of $20.00 charged before setting up your appointment. At the end of every year, we donate our Discovery Call fees to charity.

  • The initial consult is typically done in person but the second visit can be via telemedicine if you prefer. This is really a 2-visit commitment. The first visit is a comprehensive intake about your history and your functional medicine questionnaire that you must fill out and submit 3 days prior to your first visit. Dr. Jamie will make some early suggestions. However, you will sit down with her again in 7-10 days to discuss your findings and her recommendations. This initial 2 part consult visit does not require a membership and will provide helpful information even if you decide not to commit to 1-year membership. This educates you and empowers you to decide what you want to commit to your therapeutic plan.

    Functional Medicine labs are not performed unless membership is pursued as this is part of the focus of our membership, shoring up significant body stressors, whether they be mitochondrial, oxidative, toxins, hormone imbalance, or related to the alterations of your gut microbiome, to name a few.

    We spend a great deal of time working on modifying your terrain, making your body less hospitable to cancer. This important work requires the entire team which is why Dr. Jamie uses a membership model.

  • You can see a detailed outline of what to expect through the year as a CIOFM member under pricing and membership full details.

    Visits with Dr. Jamie will be performed in person in her Cincinnati office OR via Telehealth.

    We want to meet you where you are! Seeing you in your home, workplace, and travel not only keeps you on track through the year.

    Both traditional labs and functional medicine labs may be ordered. Some may be covered by insurance, and some may not be. Imaging studies will also be required for some patients, and this may be covered by your insurance.

    Supplements are offered at a discount for members based on your type of membership, either through CIOFM or through an online dispensary. You are never required to purchase your supplements through CIOFM, but we offer them as this is typically much less costly than other suppliers.

    Other benefits of your CIOFM membership are found immediately upon signing up in our community with member support, online courses, and video materials to help you on your journey to a functional medicine lifestyle. You will also be scheduled to see a holistic dietician and/or health care coach as part of your plan. This is integral in your successful implementation of long-term lifestyle changes.

  • While there are no guarantees with any health care strategy, the treatments employed at CIOFM are low toxicity but potentially transformative. This also requires a serious commitment on the part of the patient. We believe at CIOFM, we can improve outcomes and personalize care for each patient with:

    • Advanced testing that you likely have not had access to before.

    • Dr. Jamie’s expertise in being able to interpret that testing for you, target root causes and terrain vulnerabilities, and integrate holistic treatments in your plan may be a missing piece in your care.

    • The CIOFM means assessing you as a whole person with one connected mind, body and spirit .

    • You have multiple experts rooting for you – Dr. Jamie and her team (health care coach and holistic dietitian). We collaborate weekly and discuss any challenging cases amongst our team of experts.

    • The ongoing membership gives you the time and space to heal and support like you've never experienced before.

    We are committed to empowering you on this journey.

    *We make no representations and/or warranties regarding the efficacy of treatments. We simply cannot guarantee the treatments will work and neither can traditional routes like chemotherapy.

  • All visits with Dr. Jamie, Erin, CNP, Sarah, our holistic dietician, and Maggie our health care coach are included at no additional cost or co-pay. You will be able to have your first appointment in the first month of your membership (unlike many other online practices!) You will see both the provider, health coach and dietitian several times over the year and will be fully supported with direct messaging & community access between visits.  The frequency of your visits is determined by your plan. See pricing and membership tab.  

  • Labs: Functional Medicine Labs

    Imaging: Scans may be ordered by Dr. Jamie and would be covered by your insurance once authorized.

    Supplements: CIOFM members are offered discounts off supplements based on their membership package, but you are never required to purchase supplements from CIOFM. These are offered to ensure quality, professional grade supplements and as well as member convenience.

  • No. Labs are not included in your membership. Some traditional labs may be covered by your insurance and drawn at a lab of your choosing.

    Advanced Functional Testing like gut microbiome, hormones, cortisol, mold, toxins, food sensitivity, breath testing, and much more are also available at direct, transparent prices. This will be performed prior to your first visit as a new member.

    Dr. Jamie will help you sort through what may be of value in getting to some of the root causes of your cancer or cancer predisposition. No more wasted time/money on tests that don't mean anything to you! Instead, you'll gain insights about your body from data you've never had access to before and a plan using that data.

    Dr. Jamie will send you a loom video or sit down with you and go through the interpretation and implication of your results, teaching you the importance. Then a thoughtful, methodical plan to shore up trouble areas will be discussed.

  • Because supplement recommendations are personalized based on your preferences, health goals, and lab results, we did not include them in the package price. However, you will receive a discount on any CIOFM-recommended supplements during your membership.

  • Nutrition is a foundational piece of functional medicine. We believe you can’t practice functional medicine without it. It impacts blood sugar balance, micronutrient status, gut health, hormone health, and more.

    Our dietician can help with any questions you may have about your visit with Dr. Jamie who teaches a lot about foods that are inhibit cancer, angiogenesis (blood vessel formation of tumors), and metastases as well as detoxification. Food is medicine! If there is a question we can’t answer, everyone on our team communicates regularly on cases to ensure we are providing the most comprehensive care. We can help you get the information you need.

    During visits with one of our dietitians, we determine how we are going to use nutrition to support your healing and target your terrain.

    We sort through the confusing and conflicting nutrition information and explain why we are making the recommendations that we are. We put together a realistic and achievable plan with an emphasis on nourishment and diversity, not restriction.

    We share our favorite nutrition resources and functional medicine meal plans, and personalized meal ideas (especially for those with active cancer). We also work with you to set realistic an achievable goals during our visits.

  • CIOFM offers a 10% discount on the initial consultation for former oncology patients previously seen by Dr. Jamie.

  • A CIOFM membership is an annual membership, which secures your spot with Dr. Jamie and her team (holistic dietician and health care coach) and allows access to the CIOFM platform, scheduling visits as needed, supplement discounts, digital meal plans, educational resources and messaging Dr. Jamie or her team. We value the continuity of care that our membership-based practice provides.

    Memberships auto debit monthly based on the credit card you have on file or we can set up and monthly deduction from your checking account.

    All memberships and payments are non-refundable.

  • You may cancel at any time after your 12 month membership. To cancel your CIOFM membership before renewal, contact CIOFM and give 30 days' notice. Any charges that are pending in those 30 days will go through, and you will have access to CIOFM services for the 30 days from the date of your notice.

  • CIOFM is set up as a membership practice because, if we were to be able to offer "one-off" visits, we would have thousands of people per provider trying to get in for short appointments (just like every other "one visit" model out there) and we wouldn't be able to see the real change and support that we value at CIOFM. Pay-per-visit patient panels average 2700 patients per doctor. Being a membership practice allows CIOFM to have less than 10% of that volume for more individualized treatment plans and support, which translates into more 1 on 1 with Dr. Jamie and her team.

    In order to secure the time and space and a limited number of members per doctor, we need to continue to be a membership practice in order to give the highest level of attention to each person.

    Full transparency: The bottom line is that a pay-per-visit model leads to shorter, more expensive visits, little to no support in between (which is when the transformative planning happens - 90% of health occurs outside the visit), and, therefore, less likely for a successful result. We're a membership model because we care about results and helping you succeed.

    BTW: A CIOFM membership likely will save your money by reducing doctor's visits and & lab costs because our treatments target root causes of inflammation. So while our focus is detoxifying your life, boosting your immune system, and repurposing drugs, botanicals and nutraceuticals to prevent cancer occurrence, progression, and recurrence- all of this tends to improve many of your other health challenges.

  • Our office does not bill insurance. You may pay by check, credit card, cash, or HAS/FSA card or debit card.

    Upon request, we can provide you with a copy of the superbill for your 2-stage consultation which you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement for out-of-network care. The superbill is a detailed medical receipt that contains procedure codes, diagnosis codes, and the fees charged for your office visit. We cannot guarantee what reimbursement, if any, you may receive. We do not submit claims or call insurance companies directly. This is the responsibility of the patient.

    We do not participate with Medicare, nor do we bill Medicare for any services rendered. A patient can NOT submit superbills to Medicare for possible reimbursement.

    We are able to provide care to Medicare patients, given they are NOT enrolled in Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage). If you have an HMO, you must consent that integrative oncology and/or holistic services are not covered under your plan to move forward with care at CIOFM.

    Membership fees are not typically reimbursed by your insurance company.

  • No, at this time we do not offer any payment plans.

  • Yes - we can accept both HSA and FSA cards. It is important to note that we always recommend that our members reach out to these entities directly for questions, as guidelines can vary per your administrator.

  • We do not participate with Medicare, nor do we bill Medicare for any services rendered. A patient can NOT submit superbills to Medicare for possible reimbursement.

    We are able to provide care to Medicare patients, given they are NOT enrolled in Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage). If you have an HMO, you must consent that integrative oncology and/or holistic services are not covered under your plan to move forward with care at CIOFM.

Treatment FAQs

  • While Dr. Jamie is allopathically trained to treat all cancer types, she does not administer chemotherapy or immunotherapy at this location. She is happy to work with your local oncologist if desired.

    Dr. Jamie’s schedule does not typically allow for same day or acute issues that would better be handled in Urgent Care or with PCP, like UTIs, acute viruses or infections, etc. We cannot replace primary care and we are not able to do routine physicals.

    We do not prescribe controlled substances such as narcotics or certain classes of anxiety or psychiatric medications. Our membership would target these concerns naturally and can be a complement to other care for these conditions that you currently have in place.

  • Dr. Jamie is board-certified in hematology, oncology, and internal medicine. She has completed additional training in integrative cancer therapies through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine as well as functional medicine training through the Institute of Functional Medicine, IFM, (and is currently working toward formal Certification through IFM). She is also training with Dr. Nasha Winters to become a Terrain certified provider.

  • No, we do not work with children. We do accept members age 17 and older.

  • You are required to have a primary care physician. Dr. Jamie offers integrative oncology and functional medicine consultation only and does not function as your primary care physician. You must have a primary care physician for yearly physicals, wellness visits and for after hours or urgent care purposes. We do not respond to urgent requests of any sort, including messages or phone calls. You must have a primary care doctor for this purpose.

  • Our treatment focuses on lifestyle intervention, focusing on nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress reduction and optimization of relationships.  Herbals and nutraceuticals/supplements may be prescribed to help support your body, based on personalized needs. Prescription medication may be prescribed as well, depending on your disease and symptom severity. This truly holistic integrative approach incorporates both eastern and western options. And is overall directed by the patient’s goals and preferences; within context of safety and efficacy for the health concerns being addressed. A trusting relationship between patient and Dr. Jamie and her team is paramount and an extremely valuable tool to promote health and healing. Time is spent cultivating this relationship to build mutual trust and respect and to educate and empower our patients to institute meaningful life long changes.

  • We help you clarify exactly which vitamins or supplements you need (or don’t need).  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, we’ll provide you access to prescription quality supplements through my FullScript dispensary, where I have personally vetted companies that show the highest purity.

    Since you are ordering them from my recommended prescription service, you will get discounted pricing from MRSP.  However, you should still budget $200-500 for the cost of supplements especially during the first few months of recovery, depending on your disease severity and how much your are relying on holistic treatments to treat your cancer.