Telemedicine appointments from the comfort of home

The Program

INITIAL VISIT

In the initial 60 min video or phone consultation, we'll listen to your story and assess how you're doing. Your doctor may order lab tests and may prescribe herbal & nutritional supplements, medical foods, make dietary suggestions, and/or counsel you regarding FMT and helminthic therapy. Your doctor may also prescribe medicines if that’s indicated and in our scope of practice in your state. We might communicate with your gastroenterologist or primary care provider about prescriptions and procedures, or ask you to do so.

Coaching

Intensive IBD rehabilitation may require changes to your diet and lifestyle. Behavioral change can be difficult, so you’ll have regular check-ins with a trained wellness coach to help you succeed.

Daily Monitoring

Entering information about your symptoms every day will allow us to keep track of how you're doing in between visits and provide better care.

Follow Up Visits

Most patients will have a 30-minute appointment with a naturopathic doctor licensed in their state, once a month. At these visits, your ND might adjust your therapies, make diet suggestions, and/or order and review labs & imaging. Patients with more severely active disease may elect for more frequent appointments.

Criteria

To qualify for intensive IBD rehabilitation at IBD Solution, you must need to:

  • Have a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease (or “indeterminate colitis”)

  • Have an address in a state where we’re licensed (full-time residents and part-time residents such as students, etc.):

    • Currently: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia

    • Pending: Massachusetts, New Hampshire

  • Be under the active care of a local care provider (a gastroenterologist, or a PCP like an ND, MD, DO, NP, or PA)

And you must be willing to:

  • Report your symptoms most days, using our automated, HIPAA-compliant email survey system

  • Complete the stool and blood tests we order about once per month

  • Spend at least half an hour a week working on intensive IBD rehabilitation (more time may be required to make dietary changes, complete labs, etc.)

Program Cost

  • We ask you to commit to at least six months of treatment (but there are no financial commitments or penalties if you do not complete 6 months of care)

  • Program fee: $50/month (includes daily symptom monitoring, monthly lab orders)

  • Coaching fee: $150/month

  • Initial ND appointment (60 minutes): $650

  • Follow-up ND appointment (30 minutes)

    • If you have had an appointment in the previous month: $500

    • If you have had an appointment in the previous two weeks: $300

    • If you have had an appointment in the previous week: $175

  • Typical cost (one ND visit per month): $700/month

  • Labs, supplements, etc. are not included in the program; insurance may or may not cover some of that cost. This is only the cost of our IBD intensive rehab program.

Our goal is to collect enough data on the effectiveness of the naturopathic approach to IBD that insurance will cover it.

Cost Comparison

One alternative to the program is biologics. Here are the costs and effectiveness of the most common biologics (prices according to GoodRx, remission rates according to this paper):

  • Remicade (infliximab): $23,165 for six months (to induce remission in a 150 lb person) - 15% remission rate (compared to placebo)

  • Humira (adalimumab): $34,668 for six months (to induce remission) - 10% remission rate (compared to placebo)

  • Entyvio (vedolizumab): $30,087 for six months (to induce remission) - 12% remission rate (compared to placebo)

  • Most people don’t pay the cash rate for biologics, they pay a co-pay, and insurance pays the rest.