Patients are correct.

It IS reasonable to make a collaborative decision about their health with a doctor who knows them well and has the time to discuss what is happening alongside various approaches to improving their health.

In order to deliver availability, time, education and integrative primary and naturopathic specialty care to patients, we made a radical change in how our practice does business.

We no longer participate in the typical insurance-based fee for service payment model for care. We limit our entire practice to 400 patients and we know each of them well.

We are a membership-based primary care and naturopathic specialty care practice. Each Executive Member of Bowers Integrative Medicine receives at least the following:

1. Visits as frequently as you and your doctor see fit, not defined by insurance’s definition of “medical necessity.”
2. Extensive annual screening labs once per membership year (12 mo period) at no cost to you.
3. Direct access to Dr. Bowers or her on-call physician for urgent medical matters.
4. Direct access to Dr. Bowers’ office supervisor and medical assistant during business hours for time sensitive issues.
5. Direct access via the practice’s patient portal to view visit plans and results, to update one’s own medications/supplements/family history and medical history, and to securely message questions/clarifications to Dr. Bowers and her team.
6. Low cost cash laboratory evaluation to follow a specific condition (available at doctor's office/wholesale price).
7. Access to specialty lab evaluation as necessary (at doctor's office price).
8. Labs ordered to preferred hospital or quest laboratories or billed to insurance, if desired.
9. On site blood draws for appropriate labs. 
10. Free group classes and programs (areas of interest may include menopausal support, PCOS, intermittent fasting, meal planning & whole foods cooking, sleep support); start dates/types based on interest in summer 2024.
11. Supplement discounts on all purchases from our online Fullscript.com dispensary.
12. Visits in-person at our Burlington office or via telemedicine (when appropriate).

As the price of insurance continues to skyrocket and less is well-covered, we were regularly hearing that patients were charged huge bills for basic labs or were shying away from seeking care to avoid the expense. After 24 months of membership, we and our patients can confirm, we are rewriting that story.

We believe that seeing you more than once or twice a year is almost always necessary to ensure your optimal health and to truly engage in preventative and functional medicine. With this in mind, we have worked within the conventional insurance system for many years and do send your referrals, medications, imaging and labs orders to insurance-based institutions/providers as a part of your care coordination as you desire.

Ashley is a Vermont native who attended both the University of Vermont and Champlain College for Business Management. Her educational and personal journey has equipped her with valuable insights and skills for today’s workforce. As the Office Supervisor at Bowers Integrative Medicine, she contributes a unique combination of local knowledge, academic foundation, and practical experience to the success of our integrative healthcare practice.

Ashley is an experienced healthcare professional with a strong background in customer service. Having collaborated closely with Dr. Courtney Bowers for more than 6 years at VNFM, she is an integral part of Bowers Integrative Medicine. Ashley's expertise lies in ensuring smooth office operations, fostering a positive work environment, and solving the challenges faced by primary care practices. Most importantly, Ashley is best known for her unyielding commitment to excellent patient care.

Danah graduated from the University of Vermont in 2022 with a degree in Neuroscience and Microbiology and has worked in patient care since. Her long-term goal is to become a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine specializing in Primary Care. Working as a Medical Assistant with Bowers Integrative Medicine is helping her obtain necessary experience in serving primary care patients in an integrative setting. Danah's duties include assisting Dr. Bowers in seeing patients for acute concerns, taking vital signs and patient history, charting, performing blood draws, and administrative work. In other words, Danah is here to help ensure that patient care and coordination is running smoothly on the clinical level.

In her future work, Danah hopes to focus on integrative medicine, combining her current and future knowledge of how the environment, nutrition, stress management, movement, and preventative care shape our well-being. When Danah isn't at the office or working hard from home, she enjoys reading, doing yoga and pilates, crafting, and spending time with her cat.