Starting an independent practice is a big decision — and there is no single “right” kind of help. Some programs teach clinical functional medicine. Some provide business coaching. Some sell lead-generation or marketing systems. A few combine all three.
The question is not “Which program is best?” It is, “What do I actually need next?”
StartMyPractice is built for ARNPs, physicians, and other providers who want a practical roadmap to owning an independent practice. It focuses on the real decisions between employment and opening day: your model, market, legal and licensing sequence, credentialing, operations, pricing, staffing, and patient acquisition.
The categories get used interchangeably in sales conversations. They are not the same thing, and buying the wrong one is how providers spend money without getting closer to opening day.
| Type of support | What it does | What it does not necessarily provide |
|---|---|---|
| Coaching | Helps you make decisions, stay accountable, build a strategy, and work through obstacles | Done-for-you marketing, clinical certification, legal advice, or patients |
| Practice-launch training | Teaches the steps to form and open a practice | Personalized ongoing coaching or a built-in marketing system |
| Functional-medicine training | Builds clinical knowledge, protocols, lab interpretation, and sometimes certification or CE | A complete plan for opening a general medical practice |
| Marketing and lead-generation services | Helps attract, nurture, and convert prospective patients through websites, CRM, advertising, email, text, or funnels | Practice ownership guidance, compliance planning, or clinical training |
| Combined programs | May include training, coaching, software, and marketing together | A lower price or a simple, self-paced experience |
An educational side-by-side of the programs providers most often compare, with publicly listed pricing where a provider publishes it.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column →
| Provider / program | Main focus | Coaching | Functional-medicine training | Marketing / lead support | Publicly listed price* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| StartMyPractice This site | Independent-practice launch roadmap for providers | ✓ Framework-based | — No | Practical patient-acquisition planning | Coming soon |
| Freedom Practice Coaching | Business coaching for established health and wellness practices, often emphasizing cash-pay or hybrid models | ✓ Yes | — No | Marketing and sales coaching | Reported sales quote: $3,500/month for 36 months, approximately $126,000 total.Public website pricing not listed. |
| Dr. Z Functional Medicine Academy — Mentorship 3.0 | Functional-medicine clinical training, business support, coaching, and software | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | $12,800With discount sales events. |
| Dr. Z — Patients Right Now | HIPAA-oriented CRM and marketing platform for functional-medicine practices | Limited within membership | — No | CRM, texting, phone, website, chatbot, webinars, landing pages, social media, and funnels | Free for the first 4 months with Mentorship; then $75/month |
| PracticeRx Consulting | DPC and concierge-practice launch | ✓ Yes | — No | Patient-acquisition support | Strategy session from $250; 12-week launch from $3,500; advisory from $750/month |
| CPAC Practice Launch Lab | Early-stage private-practice readiness for NPs and PAs | Live Q&A | — No | — No | $250 one time |
| Vagina NP — NP Practice Launchpad | Four-week NP private-practice mentorship | ✓ Yes | — No | Basic marketing education | $999 total |
| NP Blueprint Academy — 6-Month Practice Launch Mentorship | NP practice launch and growth, including medical, mental-health, and aesthetic practices | ✓ Yes | — No | Branding and patient acquisition | $1,750/month for 6 months$10,500 total. |
| Functional Medicine Coaching Academy | Functional-medicine health-coach certification | Coaching skills training | ✓ Yes — health coaching, not clinician practice training | Career and basic business education | $9,999 |
| Functional Medicine University | Functional-medicine clinical education and certification | Varies | ✓ Yes | Limited practice-building education | Confirm current pricing directly with provider |
| Institute for Functional Medicine | Functional-medicine clinician education and certification | Varies | ✓ Yes | Limited practice-building education | Confirm current pricing directly with provider |
Where you are right now decides which of these is worth paying for — and which is worth paying for later.
You need to decide whether to leave employment, select a business model, understand your state's ownership rules, build a budget, choose systems, or create an opening plan.
You already know how to run — or plan to run — a practice, and you want stronger clinical knowledge in functional medicine.
Your practice is already operational and your primary challenge is visibility, lead follow-up, appointment booking, or converting interested patients into paying patients.
You want clinical training, business coaching, and marketing tools together — and you're comfortable with the commitment and the cost that comes with it.
Ask every one of these in writing. A program that answers them plainly is a program worth considering.
* Prices and program features change. This table is an educational comparison, not an endorsement, legal advice, or a guarantee of results. Verify current pricing, contract terms, cancellation policies, and state-specific practice requirements directly with each provider before purchasing.
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