Frequently Asked Questions
Health Improvement Institute · FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about how the practice works, what’s included, and whether this is the right fit for you.
The practice
What is Health Improvement Institute?
A concierge medicine and health advocacy practice run by a board-certified Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine physician with 14 years of hospital experience at Brigham & Women’s, UCSF, Mount Sinai, and Jefferson Health.
The focus is on the conditions that quietly shorten lives — cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, obesity, insulin resistance, hormonal dysfunction — identified early and addressed thoroughly, before they become something irreversible.
This is not a med spa, a GLP-1 subscription service, or a wellness coaching program. It is physician-led medical care, applied earlier and more thoroughly than the standard system allows.
Who is this practice for?
Adults who are ready to stop accepting “fine” as an answer. You’re likely a good fit if any of these apply:
- Weight creeping up, energy declining, or labs trending in the wrong direction
- Risk factors — high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, blood sugar trending toward prediabetes, family history of heart disease — and you want more than “watch and wait”
- You’ve navigated a hospitalization or complex diagnosis and realized you needed someone in your corner who understood what was really happening
- You see multiple specialists and feel like nobody is looking at the full picture or coordinating your care
- You want physician-led care — not a nurse practitioner clinic, not an online subscription, not a 10-minute visit where half the time is paperwork
- You’ve never had a doctor who had time to actually talk
Who is this practice not for?
- Medicare beneficiaries (I cannot see Medicare patients at this time)
- Advanced diabetes with complications requiring active endocrinology management
- Active heart disease requiring ongoing cardiology management
- Anyone looking for a quick fix without addressing root causes
You should maintain a primary care physician for annual physicals, vaccines, and cancer screenings. My practice is built around the things that get missed, and the things that matter most for how long and how well you live.
How is this different from my regular doctor?
Your regular doctor manages 2,000+ patients and sees 20–30 per day in 15-minute appointments. I keep my panel intentionally small so I can actually practice medicine.
- 60–90 minute new patient visit — no clock watching
- I know your labs, your history, and your goals — not starting from scratch every time
- No phone tree, no anonymous portal replies, no starting over every time — you hear from me directly during business hours
- I treat to optimal outcomes, not guideline minimums
- I do the workup to understand the cause before prescribing anything
- If you’re hospitalized or navigating complex care, I’m available — I know how hospital systems work from 14 years inside them
Pricing & what’s included
What does it cost?
Complimentary Introductory Call
The first step is a brief conversation — to hear what’s going on, answer your questions, and determine whether this practice is the right fit for you.
If we decide to move forward, I’ll outline a care plan and we’ll discuss what that looks like — including fees — before any commitment is made.
This is a premium direct-pay practice. Physician services are not billed through insurance. A superbill is available upon request for HSA/FSA reimbursement.
Ongoing membership is customized based on your needs, complexity, and goals. We discuss structure and pricing after the first visit — there’s no one-size-fits-all arrangement here.
What does the physician consultation include?
- 60–90 minutes — no clock watching, no rushed agenda
- Full review of your history, labs, medications, supplements, lifestyle, and goals
- Comprehensive cardiovascular and metabolic risk assessment
- A personalized blueprint — not a generic protocol — built around your specific numbers, risk profile, and what you want the next decade to look like
- Prescription management where clinically indicated — GLP-1, statins, hormones, metformin
- You leave with a clear plan, not another referral
What does ongoing membership include?
Membership is structured around your actual needs — not a fixed template. At a minimum, ongoing patients receive:
- Regular follow-up visits — video or in person in Cherry Hill
- Direct secure messaging to your physician — for questions and concerns that aren’t emergencies but deserve a real answer
- No phone tree, no anonymous portal replies, no starting over every time — you hear from me directly during business hours
- Lab review and interpretation as results come in
- Medication optimization and refills
- Coordination with your primary care physician and specialists
- Advocacy and guidance if hospitalization or complex care arises
- Evidence-based supplement guidance — no commissions, no pseudoscience
For patients who need more — records coordination, specialist liaison, care navigation across multiple providers — that’s accounted for in how we structure the arrangement.
Do you accept insurance?
No. This is a self-pay practice. I do not bill insurance for physician visits.
However, labs and medications can be billed to your insurance. I order labs through Quest or LabCorp, and prescriptions are filled at your regular pharmacy. Many patients find their insurance covers a meaningful portion of these costs.
If your insurance doesn’t cover comprehensive metabolic panels, I recommend Function Health — $365/year with convenient blood draw locations at Quest throughout the Philadelphia area.
Are visits HSA or FSA eligible?
In most cases, yes. Physician services at a medical practice are generally HSA/FSA-eligible expenses. Check with your plan administrator to confirm — rules vary by account type.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. No long-term contracts. Cancel ongoing membership with 30 days’ notice.
Clinical care
What conditions do you focus on?
- Cardiovascular risk — blood pressure, cholesterol, ApoB, advanced lipid panels, atherosclerosis prevention
- Metabolic health — insulin resistance, prediabetes, metabolic syndrome, blood sugar optimization
- Obesity & weight management — physician-led medical weight loss, GLP-1 therapy, body composition
- Hormonal health — testosterone optimization, thyroid, adrenal function
- General internal medicine — as a board-certified internist, the conversation doesn’t have to be limited to the above
Do you prescribe GLP-1 medications like Zepbound or Wegovy?
Yes, when clinically appropriate. I prescribe tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro) and semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic) as part of a comprehensive approach to weight and metabolic health — not in isolation.
Many insurance plans now cover GLP-1 medications for obesity or diabetes. If not covered, manufacturer savings programs like Lilly Direct offer tirzepatide for approximately $199–499/month depending on dose.
Do you treat testosterone and prescribe TRT?
Yes, when clinically indicated — for patients seen in New Jersey in person or via telehealth. I don’t prescribe testosterone based on a number alone. A thorough workup — including LH, FSH, estradiol, and prolactin — is done first to understand the cause and rule out anything that needs further evaluation before starting treatment.
Target levels are individualized to your symptoms, labs, and baseline — not a one-size-fits-all number. Managed with regular monitoring throughout.
What other medications do you prescribe?
As a board-certified internist, I manage the full range of medications relevant to metabolic and cardiovascular health — statins for cholesterol, antihypertensives for blood pressure, metformin for insulin resistance and prediabetes, and others as clinically indicated. All medications are prescribed with proper workup, dose titration, and monitoring.
I don’t sell supplements. When I recommend them, it’s based on evidence — not commission.
What labs do you recommend before the first visit?
I recommend a comprehensive lab panel before your first visit so we can hit the ground running. Function Health ($365/year) is my preferred option — one of the most comprehensive panels available, with convenient blood draw locations at Quest throughout the Philadelphia area. If you have recent labs from your doctor, bring those and we’ll review them together.
Do you work with my other doctors?
Yes. I review all current medications and records from your other providers at the initial visit. I coordinate with your specialists and won’t make changes to their medications without discussing it with you first.
For patients with complex, multi-specialist care — this coordination is actually one of the most valuable things I provide. Somebody needs to see the whole picture. That’s what I do.
Logistics
Where are you located? Do you offer telehealth?
Both. Appointments are available via telehealth video visit or in person at my Cherry Hill, NJ office.
- In-person: Cherry Hill, NJ. Home visits available in Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Marlton, Haddonfield, Collingswood, and surrounding South Jersey communities (additional fee applies)
- Telehealth: Available for patients licensed in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, California, and Florida
What are your hours?
How do I get started?
Request a consultation through the booking link below. If you’d prefer to talk first, call or text 856-291-6452 — happy to answer questions before you commit to anything.
If any of this resonates, let’s have a conversation.
No commitment. Just a brief call to hear what’s going on and see if this is the right fit.
Request a Consultation