How we rank functional medicine practices

Last updated October 2026 · rubric funcmed-2026.10-v2

Every practice is scored out of 10 with the same published rubric. Scores use stored, sourced data only: a criterion we can't verify scores zero and shows as “Not reported”. Live Google ratings are shown on listings but never scored, and partner relationships never change a rank or a score.

The rubric

Scoring rubric, version funcmed-2026.10-v2
Criterion	Weight	How points are earned
Credentials & licensure	25%	10 — at least one clinician matched to an NPI record 10 — a state licence checked against the board's open data: active with no public actions (5 when we can only link to the board's lookup, or the licence is active with public actions) 5 — clinicians named on the practice's own site with their credentials
Transparency on pricing and insurance	25%	10 — publishes a first-visit price 5 — publishes a follow-up or membership price 5 — states its insurance status (in-network, superbill or cash only) 5 — names in-network carriers or states whether HSA/FSA cards are accepted
Access	25%	8 — in-network with insurance for visits (4 for a superbill) 7 — offers telehealth visits 5 — says it's accepting new patients 5 — offers a discovery call to every prospective patient (a consultation only for patients who qualify doesn't count)
Breadth of services	15%	8 — conditions listed on its site (8+ conditions: 8, 4–7: 5, 1–3: 2) 4 — named lab tests offered (3+: 4, 1–2: 2) 3 — services listed (5+: 3, 1–4: 1)
Data completeness	10%	Share of the 12 key profile fields we could verify, × 10

Rubric version funcmed-2026.10-v2. Every score change is kept in a score history.

How we verify a listing

We find practices through Overture Maps and Google Places, and list only those that describe functional medicine on their own website.
Clinicians are matched to NPI records; licences are checked against state open data where it exists (Colorado and Texas today) and linked to the state board elsewhere.
Prices, insurance, telehealth and services come from the practice's own pages. Every value keeps the exact quote and page it came from and is labelled self-reported with its date.
Listings are re-checked at least every 90 days; each page shows when it was last verified.

Partner policy

Parsley Health is a featured partner. We have a business relationship with Parsley Health: the site owner is paid for SEO and marketing work, and this directory is part of that engagement. It is not a per-placement ad fee. Partner cards are always labelled “Featured partner” and never change anyone's score. On telehealth-by-state pages, and on condition guides where the partner's own site lists that condition, Parsley Health is also shown first in the list because of this relationship: that row is labelled “Partner”, isn't scored, and links out as a sponsored link. Every other practice, and every city and state list, is ranked by the rubric alone. Partner facts come from the partner's own published pages and are re-checked monthly.

See how practices publish prices in the cost guide, or browse all guides.

Corrections and claims

Anyone can report a correction from any listing, and practices can claim their listing. An editor checks every change against a source before it appears, and the listing's verification date updates when it does. Use the “Claim or correct this listing” link on any practice's card or profile.

Editorial and medical review

We don't make health claims in our own voice. Condition guides are reviewed by a credentialed medical reviewer before they're indexed; we're appointing that reviewer now, so condition pages stay out of search results until then. The directory is edited by Andrew Ehlert; see about this directory for how page copy is written and checked.

Data sources

Every source a listing or page can draw on, how often we refresh it, and how it's stored.

Source	Refreshed	How it's used
CCHP telehealth policies	Every 180 days	Cited and linked; not stored as data
CDC PLACES 2025 (place eav7-hnsx)	Every 365 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it
Census ACS 5-year	Every 365 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it
Census cartographic boundary files (places, counties)	Every 365 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it
Census Gazetteer files (places)	Every 365 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it
CMS Doctors & Clinicians (mj5m-pzi6)	Every 30 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it
County Health Rankings 2025	Every 365 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it
FSMB interstate telemedicine comparison (Sept 2025)	Every 180 days	Cited and linked; not stored as data
Google Places API (New)	As published	Shown live from Google; never stored or scored
HRSA HPSA files	Every 30 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it
Interstate Medical Licensure Compact	Every 180 days	Cited and linked; not stored as data
IRS Notice 2026-05 (HSA changes under the OBBBA)	Every 365 days	Cited and linked; not stored as data
IRS Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses	Every 365 days	Cited and linked; not stored as data
Listed business (claim form / own website)	Every 90 days	Quoted from the practice's own pages and labelled self-reported
NIMH / NIDDK / NIAID / CDC / OWH reference pages	Every 365 days	Cited and linked; not stored as data
NPPES NPI Registry	Every 30 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it
Overture Maps Places	Every 30 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it
Professional and Occupational Licenses in Colorado (DORA)	Every 30 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it
Semrush keyword data (phrase_fullsearch export)	Every 90 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it
Sponsor's published pages	Every 30 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it
Texas Board of Nursing APRN + RN datasets	Every 30 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it
Texas Medical Board licensee dataset	Every 30 days	Stored with its source link and the date we checked it