Physician-led health optimization for adults 40+
Your Health Deserves More Than an Annual Check-In.
Understand your risk. Improve your physiology. Build a deliberate strategy for the decades ahead.
Request a ConsultBoard-Certified in Internal Medicine & Obesity Medicine
In-person care in Cherry Hill, NJ · Telehealth throughout New Jersey
A different time horizon
I saw patients in the hospital after tragedy had already taken place — a heart attack, a stroke, a diagnosis that changed everything.
By the time they arrived, the risk had usually been building for years.
Preventive medicine matters. Screening, blood-pressure treatment, lipid management and other evidence-based interventions reduce disease and save lives.
But many of the changes that shape long-term health begin years before a diagnosis: insulin sensitivity declines, visceral fat accumulates, blood pressure rises, sleep deteriorates, and muscle and aerobic capacity erode.
These changes rarely happen in isolation, and they are difficult to address meaningfully in brief, episodic visits.
Health Improvement Institute is built for that earlier window — when there is still time to identify risk, improve physiology, and deliberately change the trajectory.
A New Kind of Physician Consult
Two Hours to Understand the Whole Picture.
We call it the Blank Slate Protocol: a two-hour initial evaluation and 12 weeks of physician follow-through, starting without assuming you need a particular medication, diet, supplement or test. A comprehensive evaluation establishes where you actually stand. From there, we decide what matters most, build a plan around it, and stay involved while you carry it out.
Assessment
History, prior labs and imaging, current medications, body composition, cardiometabolic risk, sleep, nutrition and hormonal health when relevant — not a shortened physical, the foundation for everything after it.
Strategy
A plan built around your actual life: nutrition, movement, sleep, weight and cardiovascular risk, medication when it meaningfully changes the risk-benefit equation, hormonal treatment when the evaluation supports it.
Follow-Through
We will meet every 2 weeks virtually through the 12-week program.
The program
One Intensive Starting Point. Continued Care When You Want It.
The Blank Slate Protocol
Twelve weeks of physician-led assessment, strategy, implementation and follow-through.
- Comprehensive 2-hour physician consultation, including review of existing labs, imaging, current medications, supplements and medical history
- Labs ordered through Labcorp or Quest, or direct-to-consumer options like Function Health or InsideTracker (insurance doesn’t always cover the cost of comprehensive lab testing)
- Personalized strategy covering nutrition, movement, sleep, weight and cardiovascular risk
- Medication management, including GLP-1 and hormonal therapy when clinically appropriate
- Scheduled physician follow-up visits every 2 weeks, lifestyle and behavioral guidance, and readjustment of your medication/plan
- Weekday secure messaging for non-emergent questions, lifestyle guidance or concerns
- End-of-program reassessment
Ongoing Health Optimization
Beginning in month four, patients who want continued physician oversight may transition into ongoing care.
- Monthly 60-minute physician visit
- Ongoing laboratory review and medication management, including hormone therapy when appropriate
- Metabolic, cardiovascular and body-composition monitoring
- Weekday secure messaging for non-emergent questions, lifestyle guidance or concerns
- Periodic reassessment of goals and strategy
- No requirement to continue after the 12-week program
Fees Cover Physician Services Only.
The cost of laboratory testing, imaging, diagnostic studies and medications is separate from the cost of the physician consultation program. Labs, imaging, medications and other outside services are billed separately by the provider — not included in our fees, and we don’t control their pricing or your insurance coverage.
When new laboratory testing is indicated, Dr. Verma will order it directly. Comprehensive metabolic and hormonal panels are not always fully covered by insurance. Direct-to-consumer options such as Function Health and InsideTracker are also available as a cash-pay alternative for comprehensive lab panels.
How care works
A Physician Relationship, Not a Vending Machine.
Care is provided directly by Dr. Verma.
The physician learning your history is the same physician reviewing your results, prescribing medication, monitoring your response and helping determine what happens next.
There is no treatment algorithm designed to funnel every patient toward the same intervention.
There is no questionnaire followed by an automatic prescription.
And there is no incentive to make your medical plan more complicated than it needs to be.
Who this is for
For People Who Want to Participate in Their Own Care.
You may be a good fit if you:
- Have risk factors — family history, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar — moving in the wrong direction, and want to get ahead of them
- Want to lose weight while protecting muscle, with real physician oversight if that includes a GLP-1
- Have questions about testosterone or hormonal health and want a rigorous evaluation, not a guess
- Want to improve strength, aerobic fitness, sleep or body composition as part of a broader strategy
- Have years of labs and medical information but no coherent plan tying them together
This works if you’re willing to make changes and measure whether they’re working — not if you’re looking only for a prescription.
What Patients Say
What Patients Say.
Over the years, my family and I have experienced his remarkable dedication, professionalism, and compassion firsthand. He doesn’t just treat symptoms — he takes the time to understand how our lifestyle plays a role in our health. Every visit feels personal, never rushed. What stands out most is his balance of deep medical expertise with sincere human connection — a rare combination these days.
Carlos M.
Dr. Verma has a calm, thoughtful way of addressing concerns without ever making you feel rushed or dismissed. He is extremely empathetic, explains things clearly and helps distinguish what truly needs attention from what doesn’t.
Rachit S.
Dr. Verma is very caring, considerate, and professional. He goes above and beyond to help his patients achieve their personal goals.
Lisa K.
Dr. Varun Verma comes from years of experience in the medical profession. He is deeply passionate about health and wellbeing, and I highly recommend his approach and guidance for cultivating a healthier and more balanced life.
Dr. Ehssan S.
Why I built Health Improvement Institute
Varun Verma, M.D.
Board-Certified · Internal Medicine & Obesity Medicine
I spent 14 years practicing hospital medicine at institutions including UCSF, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Mount Sinai and Jefferson Health.
Hospital medicine gives you enormous respect for what modern medicine can do when someone becomes seriously ill. It also changes the way you think about the years that came before.
Many of the patients I cared for did not become sick overnight. Weight changed. Blood pressure increased. Metabolic disease progressed. Physical capacity declined. Risk accumulated.
That experience pushed me toward a different kind of medicine — one focused on the years before the hospitalization, before the complication, and before preventable risk becomes much harder to change.
Health Improvement Institute was created to work in that window.
“Protocols and research tell us where to start. Your labs, your history, and how you actually feel tell us where to go.”
Internal Medicine · Obesity Medicine · Licensed in New Jersey
Frequently asked questions
The Details.
Does Health Improvement Institute replace my primary care physician?
No.
You should maintain your own primary care physician for routine primary care, vaccinations, age-appropriate preventive screening, acute illness and other general medical needs.
Health Improvement Institute provides focused longitudinal care centered on health strategy, cardiometabolic risk, body composition, medical weight management and other areas addressed through your individualized plan.
Do you accept insurance?
Health Improvement Institute is a direct-pay medical practice. Physician fees are paid directly to Health Improvement Institute and are not billed to insurance.
You may still use your insurance for outside laboratory testing, imaging, prescriptions, specialist care and other services when applicable. Insurance coverage is determined by your individual plan.
What’s not included in the program fee?
Laboratory testing, imaging, diagnostic studies and prescription medications are billed separately by the lab, imaging center or pharmacy providing them — not included in Health Improvement Institute fees.
You may be able to use your health insurance for outside labs, imaging and medications when applicable. Any recommendation for additional testing will be discussed with you before it is ordered.
Do you prescribe GLP-1 medications?
Yes, when clinically appropriate — branded, FDA-approved medications only. Health Improvement Institute does not prescribe compounded weight-loss medications.
GLP-1 therapy can be an extremely effective medical tool, but it is not the program itself. When prescribed, treatment includes ongoing assessment of response, side effects, nutrition, weight trajectory and preservation of lean mass.
Do you prescribe testosterone or other hormone therapy?
When clinically appropriate. Testosterone therapy begins with an appropriate clinical assessment rather than a single laboratory result, and patients receiving treatment require continued monitoring for effectiveness and safety.
Health Improvement Institute does not prescribe research-grade peptides or other experimental therapies that have not been approved by the FDA.
Do I need medication to participate?
No.
Medication is used when the expected benefit justifies it. For many patients, improvements in nutrition, physical activity, sleep, weight, blood pressure or other modifiable factors may form a significant part of the strategy.
What happens after twelve weeks?
At the end of the Blank Slate Protocol, we review your progress and establish your next steps.
Patients who want continued physician oversight may transition to ongoing care at $500 per month. There is no obligation to continue.
Is this emergency or urgent care?
No. Health Improvement Institute does not provide emergency or urgent medical care.
For a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Health Improvement Institute
Optimization Starts With Knowing What Matters.
Identify the factors that shape your future health. Improve what can be improved. Measure whether the strategy is working.
The Blank Slate Protocol · 12 weeks · $2,500
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