Revival Strategy 6 BRIEF: Providing Incentives for Reinventing Traditional Medical Practices

What if we rewarded clinicians not for
how many prescriptions they write,
but for how many chronic diseases they’ve prevented?

The U.S. medical system is overdue for reinvention. Chronic diseases now drive over 80% of healthcare costs—yet most clinics still follow a broken acute care model: diagnose, code, prescribe. Patients expect better. Providers are ready to lead the change.

There may never be a better moment in time to spark a bold shift in how healthcare is delivered. We’re proposing the use of use smart incentives and AI to help clinics rebuild around what truly works: outcomes-based, whole-person, lifestyle-centered care.

Core Goal

Convert 50% of standard of care traditional clinics by 2035 into health restoration centers that prevent, slow, or reverse chronic disease—backed by evidence, powered by AI, and aligned with what today’s patients value most: a healthy quality of life.

Key Tactics

Experiential healing momentum, AI technology and public support are in place for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ignite this transition through incentives for clinics to transform into Health Restoration Medical Practices described in Health Revival Strategy 5. Key tactics for this conversion are to:

• Create a Federal Certification Pathway: Clinics that integrate functional, integrative, and lifestyle medicine qualify for a new HHS-backed standard.
• Launch Tiered Incentive Programs: Up to $500,000 in grants and outcome-based tax credits reward practices that achieve measurable improvements.
• Develop Turnkey Toolkits: From AI-enabled EMR upgrades to training blueprints, help practices shift without starting from scratch.
• Recruit Strategic Partners: Collaborate with ACLM, IFM, IHPC, ACIH, and others to build and scale this transformation.
• Highlight Success Stories: Share replicable models like Cleveland Clinic’s Functional Medicine program and VA’s Whole Health System.

Replicate and Scale Using Success Models

• Cleveland Clinic’s Functional Medicine Department
• Kaiser Permanente’s Lifestyle Medicine Clinics
• The Bredesen Protocol®
• Plantrician Project
• Heartland Whole Health Institute
• American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM)
• The Evolution of Medicine
• Lifestyle Matrix Resource Center
• Academic leaders at Georgetown, Duke, UCSF, and University of Arizona
• Veterans Affairs Whole Health System

Success Looks Like This

By 2035, over 150,000 clinics have earned conversion certification, reshaped their care models, and are being rewarded for improved health patient outcomes across A1C, weight, blood pressure, and medication reduction. For millions of Americans, chronic disease is successfully avoided, slowed or reversed.

Let’s incentivize what already works.

The conversion of traditional medicine practices into Certified Health Restoration Practices is no longer radical. It’s a rational, necessary path forward. Let’s reward that shift by presenting the world a healthy U.S. population.

This isn’t a fringe idea—it’s a future-ready solution whose time has come.

For half the clinicians in the nation, this becomes their opportunity to move beyond the limitations of “sick care” and align with a mission that truly heals. Let’s build a unified movement where practitioners practice what works—and Americans can finally get on with their healthy lives.

Are you in?

Truth, Clarity, & the Fine Print

Are You Interested in Making a Difference? Click here to get involved with the LBNC Ten Year Health Transformation Challenge. Let’s work together to make the U.S. the 4th healthiest nation in the world by 2035.

🔗

Life by Natural Causes (LBNC) is a Knowledge-to-Health Outcomes Learning System designed to engage users in behavior changes that will result in positive health outcomes, all under the guidance of their own health team. LBNC, currently in Beta development, has a launch target of 3QCY25.

Medical Disclaimer: Only licensed MDs are authorized to make medical claims. We connect you with professionals trained to support and optimize your health outcomes. Always consult your physician — ideally one trained in functional medicine — or another qualified provider regarding any medical concerns.

Editorial Disclaimer: Our Take is an opinion series from the Life by Natural Causes (LBNC) team, offering our perspective on health, wellness, and the systems that shape them. Grounded in research and real-world experience, these views reflect our mission to inspire healthier outcomes. We invite you to reflect—and share your take with us.