Our Practice
What is Functional Medicine?
Functional Medicine is an active partnership between the patient and the practitioner. It offers personalized care through detailed understanding and careful analysis of your medical history and condition. Practitioners get to know the “whole person” and treat the “whole body” and find ALL of the drivers that are manifesting as symptoms to all of your conditions.
What is the difference between Functional Medicine and Conventional Medicine?
Conventional Medicine works well with acute-care and emergency situations. Functional Medicine is sometimes referred to as “Root-Cause Medicine” because it addresses the underlying causes of complex, chronic diseases. Our goal is to help you turn your illness into wellness so you can feel your very best!
How do I know you can help me?
In our practice, we see patients who have been to doctor after doctor and come away with few answers and little help. Usually, this is because the practitioner is only looking at one piece of the puzzle. We know that all parts of the body are connected. We take the time to find all of the pieces of the puzzle and figure out how they fit together. We provide the time to figure out WHY you are in distress; often there are multiple layers of issues. We then develop a plan to address each layer.
Is Functional Medicine right for everyone?
No, Functional Medicine is not for everyone! There are times that a person should see their primary medical professional or even go to the hospital when they need acute medical and/or psychiatric interventions. Functional Medicine is for the person with chronic and/or quality of life issues that are not resolved with standard interventions. It is for the person that is willing to do the work to make specifically recommended changes in their diet and lifestyle.
How soon will I feel better?
The answer to this question depends on the following questions. How long has it been since you felt well? How many different concerns do you have going on right now? Are you willing and able to do the work to create changes? Do you have support at home? How quickly does your body heal? That being said, patients typically report seeing positive changes in their health in about eight weeks.
How do I know which practitioner to see?
Many times patients come to us with a referral for a certain practitioner, but if you are not sure, we can guide you based on your specific health needs during your free consultation call. To get to know our practitioners and what they specialize in, watch our videos on our website ahead of time or look at our bios below.
In short, both practitioners are certified by the Institute for Functional Medicine. Dr. Stein is a Board Certified Psychiatrist and Sally is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care.
What do I need to do before I come to see you?
Intake Form: You will complete an extensive intake form. Please take your time and give us as detailed information as possible, including dates. To us, everything from birth to present matters. The intake includes a three-day food diary.
Labs and/or Tests: You do not need to complete any labs or tests prior to your visit with us. Once we meet, we will review any labs you have already completed and determine what testing we may still recommend.
Please send us any labs or specialty testing you have completed in the past two years. Please have your PCP send records of your last physical exam and if you are seeing a psychiatrist, your initial evaluation and last encounter.
Do I need to follow any special diet?
You do not need to change your diet prior to your first visit. Please be as honest as you can when completing the three-day food diary as part of your Intake. We just want to know where to start.
Do I need to be taking supplements?
No, you do not need to be taking any supplements ahead of time. If you are already taking supplements, please bring the containers with you to the first visit so we can look at the ingredients.
Do I have to fill out everything online?
Yes. We are a HIPAA compliant organization that utilizes electronic records. If you need help getting into your account, or sending us documents, please let us know.
Do you see children?
Sally Davidson N.P. has a minimum patient age of 16.
Achina Stein DO has a minimum age of 13. (Inquire about exceptions)
Financials
How much do the one-on-one appointments cost?
The initial evaluation with Dr. Stein is $1600 ($600 deposit – If you need to cancel your INITIAL appointment for any reason, we will provide a deposit refund with a FULL TWO (2) WEEK notice only if the appointment can be filled by another patient.).
This fee includes:
✓ an hour of prep work prior to the meeting
✓ all communications that occur before our first meeting
✓ a 2 hour in-person visit including a full physical exam if and when indicated
✓ 4-5 page written comprehensive individualized treatment plan
✓ six sessions with a health coach between visits with Dr. Stein
Most people require at least four to six follow-ups which are $600 per one hour session.
Dr. Stein can provide an estimate of the number of visits on the Discovery Call by having you complete the Medical Symptom/Toxicity Questionnaire.
Intake & Assessment with April Ritchotte (2 hrs): $600 ($300 deposit – refundable with minimum 2 week notice) and the follow ups are $300 (1 hr).
The initial evaluation with Sally Davidson is $800 ($400 deposit – refundable 2 week minimum notice) and the follow-ups are $400/hr. prorated.
The initial evaluation with Kelly Walker is $600 ($300 deposit – refundable 2 week minimum notice) and the follow-ups are $300/hr. prorated.
First Appointment: Initial consultations are two hours, one-on-one with a practitioner. The fee includes an in-depth review of the intake form and medical records prior to the appointment and the post-appointment written treatment plan addressing your needs
Follow up Appointments: Our standard follow up visits are one hour, one-on-one with a practitioner. Sessions extended at your request will be charged at the appropriate rate while shorter sessions will be prorated.
Why does it cost so much?
Getting to the roots of a person’s health problems requires specialized training, diagnostic tools and extensive clinical experience. In many ways our practitioners have undergone a second medical training, making them uniquely qualified to diagnose chronic and persistent conditions and recommend remedies. You will receive the undivided attention of our practitioners for a full hour (two hours the first session) looking at all of your issues and how they are inter-connected in order to provide a comprehensive treatment plan to address each driver. Furthermore, our experience suggests our practitioners dedicate about one and half hours analysis work for every session hour.
Why do I need to make a deposit for the first appointment ahead of time?
We spend a great amount of time preparing for you prior to your visit with us. We have a waiting list and the deposit guarantees the time is set for you. As soon as you make a deposit, we start working for you.
What are the other costs?
We strongly believe that food is medicine and much can be done without testing or supplements. This is a partnership, and we encourage you to have a dialogue with us, based on your financial needs. We may need to adjust what we do – and when – based on what works best for you.
Blood work: Please let us know if you do not have good insurance coverage, as some lab work can be costly. If your insurance requires that orders only be written by in-network providers, sometimes the PCP is willing to order them.
Functional Medicine Lab Tests: We offer state of the art specialty testing. The prices of the top three tests are: GIMAP (stool test) $359, the OAT test (urine) $309 and the DUTCH test (urine) $250 (at current rates). You will pay the specialty testing company directly for these tests. Some insurance companies may cover part of the cost.
Supplements: Not always necessary as we believe that food is medicine. However, supplements do allow people to make improvements faster. They can serve as a bridge to health while you learn what needs to be changed in your diet and lifestyle and create lasting habits. If you are currently taking supplements, we try to utilize these, providing they will meet your specific needs. Otherwise, we will make suggestions for you.
What if I can't afford it all at once?
We always want our patients to know that they are in the driver’s seat. This is your wellness journey and it is not a race. You can decide what pace is comfortable but you will also need to adjust your expectations.
Will my insurance cover the costs of my visits?
Why do you not accept insurance?
Insurance policies vary greatly and we cannot know what part of our service, if any, your insurance will cover. We will provide each patient with a receipt that is called a “superbill” by the insurance industry. You can submit this superbill to your particular insurance carrier and, in most cases, there is some benefit available to you for out-of-network care. It is your responsibility to know what your out-of-network benefits are.
We thought long and hard about accepting insurance. Insurance pays for acute episodic or sick care – putting out fires and suppressing symptoms. It often does not pay for chronic care with the ultimate goal of obtaining wellness. Most conventional doctors and NPs see 3-5 patients in an hour. We devote a great deal of time before, during and after the sessions. Insurance often does not pay for the time it takes practitioners to elucidate the drivers and root causes of your symptoms.
Will you file the insurance forms for me?
Our practice does not provide an insurance billing service. When you pay for your session, we will provide a receipt knows as a “superbill” that you can print out and send to your insurance company. We advise patients to resubmit their claims if they get denied the first time. Many times we hear that it works!
Can I use my credit card?
We accept all major credit cards. We also accept health care HSA or FSA cards.
Can I use my HSA?
Most people are able to use their HSA accounts successfully. Please check with your company.
Can I pay in installments?
No. In order to keep costs down we are a lean practice operating at a bare minimum of administrative support. We do not offer financing due to the administrative overhead this requires.
What is the cancellation policy?
Appointment with Dr. Achina Stein
If you need to cancel your INITIAL appointment for any reason, we will provide a deposit refund with a FULL TWO (2) WEEK notice only if the appointment can be filled by another patient.
Appointment with Sally Davidson or Kelly Walker
If you need to cancel your INITIAL appointment for any reason, we will provide a deposit refund with a FULL TWO (2) WEEK notice.
We require a forty-eight hour notice for cancellation of follow-up appointments. There is a 25% charge for late cancellations. Without cancellation, you will be charged full price for your scheduled session.
Logistics
Where are you located? Are you easy to find?
We are very easy to find. We are located at 250 Wampanoag Trail in East Providence (Riverside) RI, very close to Interstate 195. We are in the brick building on the 3rd floor, the back entrance is closest to our suite. There is an elevator, but the elevator is closest to the front entrance by the road. The elevator is up the ramp on the second floor, on your left. There is plenty of free parking.
What do I do if I want to speak to a specific practitioner when I schedule my free discovery call?
Click here to chose your specific practitioner.
Can we do a teleheath appointment?
Due to COVID-19, the protocols in our practice are in revision. We are currently providing Zoom sessions.
What do I have to do before each follow-up appointment?
We will send you a Pre-Appointment Form before each follow-up appointment. Complete this ahead of time to make the best use of your scheduled appointment time. We appreciate you updating your list of supplements and citing your top three concerns.
If you do not send this ahead of time, we will ask you to complete it in our waiting room during your appointment time, and we will also have to review it during your appointment time.
What if I have questions in between appointments?
Keep in mind that we do not practice emergency medicine. If you have an emergency, please call 911 immediately or go to your nearest emergency room. You are required to have a primary care provider and in some circumstances, a primary psychiatrist.
If you have a brief question that is specific to your treatment plan, please message us using the Intake Q portal. We tend to respond within hours, and sometimes minutes, but never more than 24 business hours. Our experience is that the portal is quicker than using the phone, as we end up playing phone tag more often than not. Once you are a patient, you will be given instructions on how to set up a username and password. Here is the link to get there –
If you have more complex questions, then we may need to schedule or move up your appointment so that we can fully address your concerns. Substantial practitioner time responding to questions between sessions will be billed.