Most families tell us the same thing after their first visit: “I didn’t know appointments could be like this.”

If you’ve been in the pediatric healthcare system for a while, you know the rhythm of a standard visit. You wait. You get 10–15 minutes with a provider. Your concerns are addressed — or at least acknowledged — and you leave with a prescription or a “let’s watch it.” You leave feeling like you didn’t quite get to say everything you needed to say.

GAIP is built differently. And we think it’s worth explaining what that actually means in practice.

Before the Appointment: The Intake Process

For new patients, we send comprehensive intake paperwork that we ask you to complete at least 3 days before your visit. This is not just insurance forms. It is a detailed picture of your child’s health history, developmental timeline, family history, dietary habits, sleep patterns, current symptoms, and the concerns you most want to address.

We read this before we see you. Your provider comes into the room having already spent time thinking about your child’s case.

The Appointment Itself

New patient functional medicine appointments are typically 60–90 minutes. Well-child visits are extended beyond standard time to ensure all your questions are answered.

Here’s what you can expect:

• A thorough history — we will ask about things that may not seem obviously related to your chief concern, because they often are
• Time to tell your story — we listen to parent intuition because parents know their children
• A complete physical exam
• Open discussion of what we’re thinking, what tests might be helpful, and what our initial impressions are
• A clear next-step plan before you leave

We don’t use “wait and see” as a default. We use it intentionally, when it is genuinely the right clinical recommendation — and we explain why.

If We Order Lab Work

For many new functional medicine patients, we will recommend some baseline lab testing. This may include a standard CBC and metabolic panel, but it often goes deeper: micronutrient levels, inflammatory markers, gut health testing, immune function, and more.

We will always explain what we are testing and why. Lab results are reviewed with you in a follow-up appointment — not sent as a portal message with no context. You will understand what your child’s results mean and what we recommend doing about them.

Our Philosophy: You Are the Expert on Your Child

We believe firmly that parents know their children. When you tell us something is wrong — even if previous providers have dismissed it — we take that seriously. When you’ve done research and have questions, we engage with those questions. When you have strong feelings about treatment approaches, we incorporate your values into the plan.

We don’t believe in predetermined protocols. We believe in individualized care that respects your family’s values, your child’s unique biology, and your goals.

What We Ask of Families

GAIP is a self-pay practice. This means we are able to spend the time with you that a standard insurance-based model doesn’t allow. It also means families are investing meaningfully in this care, and we want that investment to count.

We ask families to complete intake paperwork on time, keep appointments and communicate early if plans need to change, and be open to a comprehensive approach — which sometimes means patience as we build a full picture before drawing conclusions.

Ready to experience a different kind of pediatric care? Call us at 404-751-3693 or visit gaipinc.com to schedule your first visit. We can’t wait to meet your family.