Tips for Starting a Practice (or just getting a job) in functional medicine

Step 1: List what you need

There are many things you need beyond a name and some documents when getting started.  While I was setting up my business, I put together a checklist of what I had to do (and added to it as I built my practice).  

This checklist would include, but is not limited to,:

  • EMR (Electronic Medical Record): The most common integrative medicine options include Cerbo, Practice Better, and Charm.  I use Vibrant Practice (a new AI-supported EMR that launched in 2025).  Check out this article on other features in EMRs to be aware of for functional medicine.
  • Consents and disclaimers (best created by a knowledgeable attorney – I used Scott Rattigan’s membership for these)
  • Malpractice and liability insurance (I used CM&F, but Baxter is another one recommended by colleagues)
  • Registering your business with the state as an LLC (and knowing state laws regarding the practice of medicine – including integrative medicine specifics, if there are any – Texas has this requirement); these care covered in Scott Rattigan’s course and membership
  • Verifying there are no trademarks on your business name
  • Consider whether you will hire administrative support and if you need to develop SOPs (standard operating procedures) or hire someone to do this
  • Brick and mortar considerations 
  • Marketing and business exposure

Step 2: Legal Support

Functional and integrative medicine practices often go beyond (or against) the standard of care, which can make them more vulnerable.  There aren’t many attorneys that are knowledgeable in the risks associated with integrative and functional medicine, but there are a handful!

You need to have good documents with “legal language,” especially if you maintain an active license and will be prescribing supplements/nutrition recommendations (which are often not standard of care per mainstream “rules”, but are still under the practice of medicine).

Small business attorneys may help with some of the operations without needing to spend a lot on a retainer fee, but I recommend  Scott Rattigan’s membership for:

  • Over 70 templates that may be needed in a practice (including GLP-1 consents, website disclaimers, and more)
  • An entire course with short videos explaining the needs of a practice
  • Access to weekly live (and recorded) Q&As

See more (and schedule a free call to see if it’s a good fit) on this page.

I joined his membership the second time I started a practice, and it saved a lot of time (and worry)! 

There are 2 other attorneys I’m aware of, that colleagues have recommended, but both required retainer fees and were more expensive.

Step 3: Marketing and Other Support

If you are able to join a program that supports the growing pains of a new practice, I recommend it!  

A few organizations that may be helpful:

  • Nurse Practitioner Maggie Berkoff has a Mastermind that supports practitioners who are wanting to have a profitable practice and more work-life balance.  She tends to focus on high ticket options for clients and utilizing social media to build a practice, but has a big support network.  When she offered a course called Online Business Academy, I bought it to assist in the online parts of owning a business (I know first hand how detailed and organized she is from this course!).
  • A marketing company that does a lot of the work for you, and focuses mainly on functional/integrative medicine practices, is Big Boost Marketing
    • Tip = join the private Facebook group, since Uli – the founder – provides a lot of information and free webinars
  • I was a podcast guest on Dr. Lara Salyer’s podcast, and have followed her work for years.  She provides a lot of insight into her mentorship in her podcast episodes.  Her mentorship is called the Catalyst Mentorship and I tend to recommend her services to those who don’t want to “go big” (especially on social media or charging for their services), since Dr. Salyer lives in a small town in Wisconsin and managed to create a successful membership-based practice in this setting.  Dr. Salyer is also a new addition to the School of Applied Functional Medicine (SAFM), teaching her methods to SAFM students.

Just want a job in functional medicine?

If owning your own practice isn’t something you’re interested in now, but you want to work for a practice that utilizes functional or integrative medicine, consider the following:

  • First, you need to have some education to understand how functional and integrative medicine is different than mainstream medicine!  I sell a detailed guidebook that lists over 75 organizations, but I don’t know of any options right now that lay out a clear distinction between functional medicine vs mainstream medicine.
  • The primary resource for jobs in the functional and integrative medicine space is Integrated Connects
  • Reach out to practices in your area directly.