While the demand and need for functional medicine continues to grow, the future outlook for functional medicine in the healthcare system is somewhat uncertain, as it faces a number of challenges as a professional medical specialty. Nevertheless, there are promising signs for the future.

Functional medicine has gained increasing recognition and popularity in recent years as a holistic approach to healthcare that focuses on identifying and addressing the underlying causes of illness.

According to a report published by the Institute for Functional Medicine in 2020, the functional medicine industry has experienced significant growth in recent years, with a 20% increase in the number of practitioners between 2016 and 2018 alone.

This trend is likely to continue, as more and more people seek out alternative approaches to healthcare that address the root causes of illness and promote optimal health and wellness. However, despite its growth and potential to improve patient outcomes, functional medicine practitioners and providers continue to face a number of significant challenges in their efforts to establish it as a respected and viable medical specialty.

Ensuring the long-term growth and success of the functional medicine movement requires practitioners and providers to understand these critical challenges – and actively work to address and overcome them.

The good news is that they’re similar challenges to those faced by other, now-established fields. These challenges range from limited access to education and training, to difficulties in obtaining insurance coverage for functional medicine services, to a lack of research and evidence on the effectiveness of functional medicine interventions.

Challenge #1: Limited Access to Functional Medicine Training and Education

One of the biggest challenges faced by functional medicine practitioners is the limited access to education and training in this field. Despite the growing recognition and popularity of functional medicine, there are relatively few formal training programs available for practitioners who want to learn more about this approach to healthcare. This lack of education and training can make it difficult for practitioners to gain the skills and knowledge needed to effectively integrate functional medicine into their practices.

Lack of Formal Training Programs for Functional Medicine

Unlike traditional medical specialties, which often have well-established residency and fellowship programs, functional medicine does not have a standard educational pathway for practitioners to follow. This can make it difficult for practitioners to gain the knowledge and skills needed to effectively integrate functional medicine into their practices.

Some functional medicine practitioners may choose to pursue additional education and training through professional organizations, such as the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) or the Functional Medicine University (FMU). These organizations offer courses and training programs that cover a wide range of topics related to functional medicine, including nutrition, supplements, lifestyle changes, and more.

However, while these programs may provide valuable education and training in functional medicine, they are not recognized as formal medical training programs by traditional medical institutions, which can limit the opportunities available to practitioners and hinder their ability to establish a successful practice.

Additionally, the lack of formal training programs in functional medicine may make it difficult for practitioners to obtain the necessary credentials and certification to practice. While some professional organizations, such as the IFM, offer certification programs for functional medicine practitioners, these are not recognized by traditional medical institutions as a formal credential. As a result, practitioners who hold these certifications may face challenges in gaining recognition and credibility within the mainstream healthcare system.

Limited Recognition by Traditional Medical Institutions

Despite the growing recognition and popularity of functional medicine, many traditional medical institutions do not recognize it as a legitimate medical specialty and may not consider practitioners who have received training in functional medicine to be qualified healthcare professionals.

This lack of recognition can make it difficult for functional medicine practitioners to find mentors or other sources of support and guidance in their studies. It can also make it harder for practitioners to gain credibility and respect within the medical community, which can be a barrier to practice. Additionally, the lack of recognition by traditional medical institutions may limit the opportunities available to functional medicine practitioners, as they may not be able to secure positions or recognition within mainstream healthcare organizations.

Furthermore, the limited recognition of functional medicine by traditional medical institutions can also create barriers to collaboration and integration with mainstream healthcare practices. Some traditional medical practitioners may be skeptical or resistant to incorporating functional medicine approaches into their practices, which can make it difficult for functional medicine practitioners to work effectively with them.

Overcoming The Challenge of Limited Access to Functional Medicine Training and Education

Professional organizations, such as the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and the Functional Medicine University (FMU), are working to develop more formal training programs in functional medicine. These programs aim to provide practitioners with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively integrate functional medicine into their practices.

That’s a good start.

Functional medicine practitioners, however, can do more to break down these barriers. Here are specific steps everyone in the field should consider making:

• Encourage your alma mater. Reach out to the medical, nursing or health care school at which you received your training to push for greater recognition of the importance of functional medicine and inclusion in their curriculum.
• Encourage regional colleges. Reach out to medical, nursing and health programs at local and regional universities to push for more training in functional medicine – perhaps even developing a specialty.
• Encourage teaching hospitals. Reach out to the teaching hospitals in your area or region to develop functional medicine programs in their training and practice. The fact that major healthcare systems, including Cleveland Clinic, have invested in functional medicine programs should be a big help.

Challenge #2: Limited insurance coverage for functional medicine services

Another significant challenge faced by functional medicine practitioners is the limited insurance coverage for their services. Many insurance companies do not fully understand or recognize the value of functional medicine, and as a result, they may not cover functional medicine treatments or may only provide limited coverage.

This can make it difficult for patients to afford the out-of-pocket costs of functional medicine care, which can be a barrier to access. Furthermore, the lack of insurance coverage may also discourage practitioners from offering functional medicine services, as they may not be able to recoup the costs of their care.

The lack of insurance coverage for functional medicine services is a complex issue that is influenced by a number of factors.

• Specialty recognition. One factor is the lack of recognition of functional medicine as a valid medical specialty by traditional medical institutions. Many insurance companies may not consider functional medicine practitioners to be qualified healthcare professionals, and as a result, may not cover their services. Additionally, the lack of recognition of functional medicine as a valid medical specialty may make it harder for practitioners to secure positions or recognition within mainstream healthcare organizations, which can limit their ability to provide functional medicine services to a larger patient population.
• Sufficient research and evidence. Another factor contributing to the limited insurance coverage for functional medicine services is the lack of research and evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions. While there is a growing body of research on functional medicine, much of it is limited to small, observational studies or case series. This makes it difficult to conduct randomized controlled trials, which are considered the gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of medical interventions. Without robust evidence of the effectiveness of functional medicine interventions, insurance companies may be hesitant to cover these treatments.
• Understanding of functional medicine. Additionally, some insurance companies may be hesitant to cover functional medicine services because they are not familiar with this approach to healthcare or do not understand how it differs from traditional medical approaches. This lack of understanding may make it difficult for practitioners to explain the value of functional medicine to insurance companies and convince them to cover these services.

The limited insurance coverage for functional medicine services is a significant challenge faced by practitioners and patients alike. While more and more patients recognize the benefits of functional medicine, many simply can’t access it without insurance.

Plus, if patients can’t afford functional medicine treatments, physicians and practitioners may be discouraged from offering functional medicine services.

Overcoming The Challenge of Lack of Understanding and Recognition by Insurance Companies

There are a number of steps that functional medicine practitioners can take to address the challenge of lack of understanding and recognition by insurance companies. Some potential strategies include:

• Educating insurance companies about functional medicine. One of the key steps that functional medicine practitioners can take to address the challenge of lack of understanding and recognition by insurance companies is to educate them about functional medicine. This can involve providing information about the benefits of functional medicine and how it differs from traditional medical approaches, as well as highlighting the research and evidence supporting its effectiveness.
• Educating employers to advocate for insurance coverage. Because most Americans receive their healthcare coverage through their employers, pushing human resources directors and company executives to advocate for inclusion of functional medicine in your company’s health plan is often the most effective way to get insurance companies to change their policies. Also, because larger companies often have self-insured programs, they have more sway in what is covered in their company insurance policies.
• Working with professional organizations to advocate for insurance coverage. Professional organizations, such as the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), can play a valuable role in advocating for insurance coverage for functional medicine services. These organizations can work to build relationships with insurance companies and provide them with information and resources to help them understand the value of functional medicine.
• Seeking out alternative payment options. In cases where insurance coverage for functional medicine services is not available, practitioners may be able to offer alternative payment options, such as cash pay or sliding scale fees, to make their services more accessible to patients. Also, some patients with private insurance coverage can use a health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA) plan or a cost-sharing plan to help cover the cost of functional medicine treatments.
• Reach out to your legislators. Private and governmental healthcare payers (insurers) are always attentive to their key clients and stakeholders – which are employers and the government. By pushing your federal and state legislators to include functional medicine coverage in Medicare and government programs, for example, private insurance plans may soon have to include that same coverage in private plans.
• Providing evidence of the effectiveness of functional medicine interventions. Another important step that functional medicine practitioners can take is to provide evidence of the effectiveness of their interventions. This can involve conducting research studies, sharing case studies and patient outcomes, and highlighting the research and evidence supporting functional medicine approaches.

This won’t be easy, but many of the healthcare treatments that are now routinely covered by insurance companies all came about through the steps outlined above.

Challenge #3: Limited Research and Evidence on the Effectiveness of Functional Medicine

Despite the growing recognition and popularity of functional medicine, there is still a lack of robust evidence to support its effectiveness. This can make it difficult for practitioners to demonstrate the efficacy of their treatments to skeptical or disbelieving colleagues or to secure funding for research.

A major factor contributing to the limited research and evidence on functional medicine is the difficulty in conducting randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RCTs are considered the gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of medical interventions, as they help to control bias and other confounding factors.

Unfortunately, functional medicine interventions are often highly personalized and targeted to the specific needs of individual patients, which can make it difficult to conduct RCTs in this field. Additionally, the complexity of functional medicine interventions, which may involve multiple modalities and interventions, can also make it challenging to conduct RCTs.

Another factor contributing to the limited research and evidence on functional medicine is the lack of funding for research in this field. Many research institutions and funding organizations may be hesitant to invest in research on functional medicine due to the lack of recognition of this field as a valid medical specialty by traditional medical institutions. Additionally, the lack of robust evidence on the effectiveness of functional medicine interventions may make it difficult for practitioners to secure funding for research.

According to a review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2019, there have been relatively few RCTs on functional medicine interventions, with just 24 RCTs identified in a search of the PubMed database. This small number of RCTs makes it difficult to draw robust conclusions about the effectiveness of functional medicine interventions and highlights the need for more research in this field.

This challenge can make it difficult for practitioners to demonstrate the value of functional medicine to skeptical or disbelieving colleagues and to secure funding for research. It can also create barriers to the integration of functional medicine into mainstream healthcare practices, as traditional medical practitioners may be hesitant to incorporate functional medicine approaches without robust evidence of their effectiveness.

Overcoming The Challenge of Limited Research and Evidence on the Effectiveness of Functional Medicine

Other medical specialties have faced this same challenge, so this is not new. Fortunately, there are a number of steps that functional medicine providers and practitioners can take to address and overcome this challenge:

• Conducting research studies. One of the most effective ways to address the challenge of limited research and evidence on functional medicine is to participate in or lead research studies to evaluate the effectiveness of functional medicine interventions. This can involve designing and conducting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or other research studies to assess the efficacy of functional medicine approaches.
• Collect research data. Your own case and treatment files can form the foundation for research studies to support functional medicine. For example, the Calcium smart app and integrated dashboard continuously gathers and organizes tracking data on your functional medicine patients. With their permission, this data is shared with you. You can then use Calcium to create aggregated and anonymized analytics to spot trends and develop hypotheses for further testing.
• Sharing case studies and patient outcomes. Another way to address the challenge of limited research and evidence on functional medicine is to share case studies and patient outcomes with colleagues and other healthcare professionals. This can help to demonstrate the value of functional medicine interventions and build support for this approach to healthcare.
• Highlighting existing research and evidence. Functional medicine practitioners can also address the challenge of limited research and evidence by highlighting the existing research and evidence on functional medicine interventions. This can involve sharing research articles and other resources with colleagues and other healthcare professionals to help them understand the value of functional medicine.
• Partnering with research institutions. Functional medicine practitioners can also work with research institutions to conduct research studies and build a stronger evidence base for functional medicine interventions. This can involve seeking out funding opportunities and collaborating with researchers to design and conduct research studies.
• Advocacy and education. Finally, functional medicine practitioners can also advocate for the inclusion of functional medicine in mainstream healthcare practices and educate colleagues and other healthcare professionals about the benefits of functional medicine. This can involve working with professional organizations, such as the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), to advocate for the recognition of functional medicine as a valid medical specialty and to build greater acceptance.

Challenge #4: Misconceptions and Skepticism from Traditional Medical Practitioners

One of the biggest challenges faced by functional medicine practitioners is the misconceptions and skepticism that often exist among traditional medical practitioners. This has created difficulty with gaining respect and acceptance from mainstream healthcare providers – as well as the general public.

Many traditional medical practitioners may be unfamiliar with functional medicine or may not understand how it differs from traditional medical approaches. As a result, they may be skeptical or dismissive of functional medicine interventions, which can create barriers to the integration of functional medicine into mainstream healthcare practices.

One of the main sources of skepticism among traditional medical practitioners is the lack of robust evidence on the effectiveness of functional medicine interventions. As mentioned previously, there is still a lack of robust research and evidence on the effectiveness of functional medicine, which can make it difficult for practitioners to demonstrate the value of this approach to healthcare. This lack of evidence may make traditional medical practitioners skeptical or resistant to incorporating functional medicine approaches into their practices.

Another source of skepticism among traditional medical practitioners is the perceived complexity of functional medicine interventions.

Many functional medicine practitioners take a holistic, systems-based approach to healthcare that involves multiple modalities and interventions. This complexity may make it difficult for traditional medical practitioners to understand or appreciate the value of functional medicine interventions and may contribute to skepticism or resistance to incorporating these approaches into mainstream healthcare practices.

Some traditional medical practitioners may also believe that functional medicine is not supported by scientific evidence or that it is not a legitimate medical specialty. These misconceptions can make it difficult for functional medicine practitioners to build relationships and partnerships with traditional medical practitioners. It may also create barriers to the integration of functional medicine into mainstream healthcare practices.

Overall, the misconceptions and skepticism of traditional medical practitioners is a significant challenge faced by functional medicine practitioners. This challenge can create barriers to the integration of functional medicine into mainstream healthcare practices and make it difficult for practitioners to establish a successful career in this field.

Overcoming The Challenge of Misconceptions and Skepticism from Traditional Medical Practitioners

There are a number of steps that functional medicine practitioners can take to overcome the challenge of misconceptions and skepticism from traditional medical practitioners. Some potential strategies include:

• Providing education and training. One of the key ways that functional medicine practitioners can overcome misconceptions and skepticism among traditional medical practitioners is by providing education and training on functional medicine. This can involve sharing research articles, case studies, and other resources with traditional medical practitioners to help them understand the value of functional medicine interventions. Practitioners can also offer training and continuing education opportunities to help traditional medical practitioners learn more about functional medicine and how to integrate these approaches into their practices.
• Building relationships and partnerships. Another way to overcome misconceptions and skepticism among traditional medical practitioners is to build relationships and partnerships with these professionals. This can involve working with traditional medical practitioners to develop collaborative care models or seeking out opportunities to co-manage patients with functional medicine interventions. Building relationships and partnerships can help to build trust and understanding between functional medicine practitioners and traditional medical practitioners, as well as facilitate the integration of functional medicine into mainstream healthcare practices.
• Advocating for the recognition of functional medicine as a valid medical specialty. Functional medicine practitioners can also advocate for the recognition of functional medicine as a valid medical specialty by traditional medical institutions. This can involve working with professional organizations, such as the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), to advocate for the recognition of functional medicine as a medical specialty in regulatory bodies and medical schools.
• Providing evidence of the effectiveness of functional medicine interventions. Finally, functional medicine practitioners can overcome misconceptions and skepticism among traditional medical practitioners by providing evidence of the effectiveness of their interventions. This can involve conducting research studies, sharing case studies and patient outcomes, and highlighting the research and evidence supporting functional medicine treatments and methods.

Challenge #5: Time and Resource Constraints for Functional Medicine Practitioners

One of the biggest challenges faced by functional medicine practitioners is the time and resource constraints that can limit their ability to effectively integrate functional medicine into their practices.

Functional medicine is an approach to healthcare that involves taking a holistic, systems-based approach to patient care, which can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. This can make it difficult for practitioners to provide the level of care and support that functional medicine patients may require and may limit the reach and impact of functional medicine in the healthcare system.

One of the main factors contributing to time and resource constraints for functional medicine practitioners is the complexity of functional medicine interventions. As mentioned previously, functional medicine involves a systems-based approach to healthcare that may involve multiple modalities and interventions, which can be time-consuming to implement and manage.

Additionally, functional medicine practitioners may need to spend more time with patients than traditional medical practitioners to fully understand their needs and develop personalized treatment plans, which can be a challenge in an era of increasing time pressure and productivity demands.

Another factor contributing to time and resource constraints for functional medicine practitioners is the lack of recognition of functional medicine as a valid medical specialty by traditional medical institutions. This lack of recognition may limit the opportunities available to practitioners, as they may not be able to secure positions or recognition within mainstream healthcare organizations.

Additionally, the lack of recognition of functional medicine as a valid medical specialty may make it more difficult for functional medicine practitioners to secure funding and resources to support their practices, which can be a barrier to providing functional medicine care to a larger patient population.

The limited insurance coverage for functional medicine services, which was discussed in a previous section, is another factor that can contribute to time and resource constraints for functional medicine practitioners. The lack of insurance coverage may make it difficult for practitioners to recoup the costs of their care, which can be a barrier to offering functional medicine services. Additionally, the lack of insurance coverage may create barriers to access for patients, who may be unable to afford the out-of-pocket costs of functional medicine care.

Overcoming The Challenge of Time and Resource Constraints for Functional Medicine Practitioners

This is a challenge shared by functional medicine providers with other consumer- and service-focused businesses. The good news is that there are solutions available to mitigate the impact of these challenges:

• Technology. Software and online tools are proven methods for improving the efficiency and quality of a functional medicine provider’s efforts. For example, functional medicine providers using the Calcium platform allows them to configure pathways that continuously guide, educate and motivate their patients automatically. Its integrated dashboard also monitors patient vitals and progress – and then prioritizes between-session attention to those patients that are in most need of outreach.
• Fractional support. Functional medicine providers don’t have to hire huge staff to run efficiently. Many online and fractional services are now available for operational needs from marketing and IT to accounting and HR. For example, a fractional CFO or accountant could provide financial or bookkeeping support as needed – without having to hire someone full time.

Building a Positive Future for Functional Medicine

The future outlook for functional medicine in the healthcare system is somewhat uncertain, as it faces a number of challenges as a professional medical specialty. Despite the growing recognition and popularity of functional medicine, it still faces challenges such as limited access to education and training, limited insurance coverage, limited research and evidence on its effectiveness, and misconceptions and skepticism from traditional medical practitioners.

However, there are also a number of trends and developments that suggest that functional medicine may have a more prominent role in the healthcare system in the future. One trend is the increasing recognition and acceptance of functional medicine by traditional medical institutions.

While functional medicine is still not widely recognized as a valid medical specialty by traditional medical institutions, there has been a growing trend towards the integration of functional medicine into mainstream healthcare practices. This trend is being driven by increasing demand from patients for more personalized and holistic care, as well as growing recognition of the value of functional medicine in addressing chronic conditions.

Another trend is the increasing availability of functional medicine training and education programs. Professional organizations, such as the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and the Functional Medicine University (FMU), have been working to develop and expand their training programs to meet the growing demand for functional medicine education. This trend suggests that more practitioners may be able to enter the field of functional medicine in the future.

Overall, the future outlook for functional medicine in the healthcare system is somewhat uncertain, as it faces a number of challenges as a professional medical specialty. However, there are also a number of trends and developments that suggest that functional medicine may have a more prominent role in the healthcare system in the future

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