MEMBERSHIP

While standardized medicine is an important part of our healthcare system, it does not always work for everyone. You may have multiple health issues that impact one another (hypothyroid + menopause, for example) and need to have both considered in-relation to one another. Add a third complexity such as heart disease or diabetes. Now the relationships between the conditions have quadrupled. Let’s also consider your personal genetic variations (trouble methylating or making glutathione) and it is easy to understand why you might need a healthcare consultant who integrates your medical information and makes patient-specific assessments and targeted treatment recommendations.

The US standard of care model (billing commercial health insurance) is expensive and requires providers limit visit time + number of complaints addressed while seeing as many patients as possible. Dr. Provorse worked 15 years in this model prior to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Her specialities in endocrinology, nutrition, and digestive health required additional expertise, attention, and time that was not covered by commercial insurance. To better serve her patients, she turned to a different healthcare delivery model.

Verve Healthcare is a membership-based practice (which differs from a concierge model). An annual fee covers behind-the-scenes (non-appointment) time spent reviewing your care, ordering labs, interpreting results, exploring new therapies, staying up-to-date on medical research, and developing treatment plans—all while keeping the number of patients Dr. Provorse sees limited. In this way, you have an innovative healthcare provider who is prepared, attentive, and engaged for your longer, more thorough visits. 

We realize that a membership is not financially accessible to everyone. Dr. Provorse offers a limited number of membership scholarships to bridge this gap for patients with hardship circumstances.  She now also sees patients, in-person, for a reduced fee (limited to acupuncture and botanical medicine only). See the LOCAL PRACTICE tab for more information.

Naturopathic physicians (ND or NMD) are trained at four-year accredited naturopathic medical schools. They diagnose, prevent, and treat acute and chronic illness to restore and establish optimal health by supporting the person’s inherent self-healing process. Their Therapeutic Order™ identifies the natural order in which all therapies should be applied to provide the greatest benefit with the least potential for damage. For more information on this, see the American Association website. Naturopathy was created in the early 20th century by American MDs who objected to using toxic substances to treat their patients. The terms Integrative and Functional Medicine were created by 21st century MDs who also wanted to practice outside the standard of care of western medicine by getting additional training in herbalism, nutrition, and other therapies. Separate certification programs exist for these physicians. While training programs and licensing may be a little different, all of these providers essentially are working toward similar goals: to better support patients, helping them feel better with less reliance on pharmacology and fewer negative side effects.