Building a Practice Based on Patient Readiness
Season 2 reimagines patient entry points into a functional medicine practice based on patient readiness. Dr. Nathan Morris and Kara Ware answer how we can make functional medicine more approachable, affordable, and sustainable when the masses need us the most.
Dr. Morris, Kara Ware, and their guests Margret Moore, Dan Kalish, Ashley Howell, and Leigh-Ann Webster make a robust and compelling case for why and how to integrate a health coach into a functional medicine practice as to improve patient engagement, therefore, patient acquisition, activation and retention, thus optimizing clinical outcomes, which means more word of mouth referrals, and thus, a healthy practice bottom line.
Business Coaching
“IFM tells us to integrate a health coach. It wasn’t until I hired Kara as my business coach did I know how to fully utilize my health coach’s skills or design the front and back-office systems to optimize patient activation and retention.” Dr. Emily Roedershiemer, DO
The Next Evolution Health Coach Model
Every practitioner has had the experience of meeting with a patient for the first time who is in a state of crisis. That emotional distress prohibits change and diminishes the patient’s ability to communicate and remember essential guidance and recommendations.
Instead of treating the patient, the practitioner winds up in more of a coaching role – explaining, educating, and comforting patients. This is not only challenging for the practitioner, but it prevents them from using their true gifts of healing.
In contrast, when a health coach leads the first encounter, they get to do what they do best: coach. They can help define goals, educate the patient in the functional medicine process, and act as emotional support when needed.
When the patient meets with the practitioner, they are ready to dive into healing.
Featured Speakers
Margret Moore
Margaret Moore is co-founder and co-director of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, and co-director of the Coaching in Leadership & Healthcare conference offered by Harvard Medical School started in 2008 to advance coaching science. She co-founded and is a board member of the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC)
Ashley Howell
Ashley Howell is a Board Certified, Functional Medicine Health Coach with over 15 years of experience in nutrition and wellness coaching and 8 years of experience working as the lead health coach at Modern Medicine in Dallas, TX.
Dr. Daniel Kalish
Dr. Daniel Kalish is the founder of the Kalish Institute, an online training program dedicated to building functional Medicine practices. Since 2006, the Kalish Institute has helped develop practice models for over 1,000 practitioners worldwide.
Good Medicine On the Go team
Nathan Morris, MD, IFMCP, Co-host
Nathan Morris, M.D. is a family practice, trained functional medicine practitioner. He specializes in determining connections between seemingly disparate clinical observations, approaching the body as an integrated whole. Dr. Morris applies genetic testing as a tool to objectively guide personalized approaches.
Kara Ware, Co-host and Business Coach
Kara Ware has worked in conventional and functional medicine practices for the past 18-years. She is a leading contributor to improving patient retention and clinical outcomes for Functional Medicine practices. Her deep understanding of the patient’s experience, her business acumen, and her coaching skills make Kara an important asset when designing, opening, running, and growing a Functional Medicine practice.
Paul Larkin, Atrium-Innovations Education Strategy Manager
Paul Larkin is Manager of Education Strategy at Pure Encapsulations. In this role, he oversees the development of educational assets across various media (video, audio, print). By combining the rigor of science and the art of storytelling, Paul aims to create captivating and evidence-based education for healthcare providers (HCPs). Paul has advised HCPs on the efficacy and application of dietary supplements and lectured domestically and abroad on topics related to nutritional genomics and dietary supplements. He is passionate about lifestyle and preventative medicine.
Kelsey Stafstrom, Atrium-Innovations E-Learning Manager
“Kelsey Stafstrom, MS, is a science communication enthusiast who brings her unique background in biomedical research and policy to the Good Medicine On The Go podcast production team. She currently serves as the Manager of Clinical Education for Atrium Innovations Professional Brands and helps design, write, and edit our podcast episodes.”
How to Effectively Integrate a Health Coach into a Functional Medicine Practice
A manual to help boost patient activation that will positively affect your patient conversion rates, clinical outcomes, word of mouth referrals, and bolster your bottom line.
About the training manual
This manual details not only all the many ways a health coach can benefit your practice but shares my tested and proven method for interviewing, onboarding, and a health coach workflow integration
model. You’ll learn how to create program bundles based on patient readiness; interview, hire, onboard, train, manage, and optimize a health coach in clinical practice; and configure the technology that drives your practice to streamline the patient’s journey. The goal is to keep the patients activated in the partnership and the process for the length of time required to experience profound results. This manual outlines the method that is proven to attain this goal.
I am a paid advisor at Pure Encapsulations, I do not have any other conflicts of interest. All podcast productions represent the opinions of the co-hosts and do not represent the position or the opinion of the sponsors. Reference by the presenter to any specific product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, or manufacturer does not constitute or imply endorsement or recommendations by the Sponsor. The podcast is not a substitute for standard medical care. The podcast is intended for licensed health care practitioners. Practitioners are solely responsible for the care and treatment provided to their own patients.
