There’s a pattern you notice after years in emergency medicine. The same patients are coming back. The same symptoms are not fully resolved. The same sense that something important is still being missed. For Brandy Manetta, FNP-C, IFM-C, Founder of Health Is Wealth Family Care, that pattern became hard to ignore.
After working in trauma, emergency, and hospital-based care across Indianapolis – including Methodist Trauma Center, St. Francis ER, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield hospital, and later IU Health West Emergency Department – she began to see a gap that was not about effort or skill. It was about time. That gap eventually changed the direction of her career.
Why This Matters
Most people do not struggle because they are not being seen by healthcare providers. They struggle because the system itself is rushed! Appointments are short. Follow-ups are fragmented. And the focus is often on managing symptoms rather than understanding what is driving them. Over time, that approach can leave patients cycling through medications, referrals, and temporary fixes, without ever really feeling better. That experience is what led Brandy to functional, direct-patient medicine, and eventually to build something different in Indianapolis: Health Is Wealth Family Care.
The Shift: From Symptoms to Root Cause Care
Functional medicine changed the way she was able to approach health as connected systems instead of isolated symptoms. Gut health, hormones, inflammation, nutrition, sleep, stress, and environment all play a role in how a person feels day to day.
In 2019, Brandy completed advanced certification through the Institute for Functional Medicine after several years of training and case-based study. It became clear that many patients weren’t “complicated cases.” They were simply never given enough time for the full picture to be understood. That realization became the foundation for Health Is Wealth Family Care.
What Direct Patient Care Actually Looks Like
Health Is Wealth Family Care is a Direct Patient Care practice in Indianapolis, which means care is structured differently than traditional insurance-based medicine. Instead of billing insurance per visit, patients pay a membership fee that allows for longer appointments, more consistent access, and a more personal relationship with their provider.
The goal is to expand what care can look like when time is no longer the limiting factor. Patients still receive prescriptions when needed, diagnostic testing, referrals to specialists, and management of both acute and chronic conditions. Care no longer stops at what is immediately urgent. It continues into prevention, lifestyle, and long-term health planning.
What Patients Actually Receive
Within the membership model, care is designed to feel more accessible, responsive, and connected.
That includes:
- Longer, more in-depth visits that allow time to understand symptoms and history
- Same-day or urgent acute visits when needed
- Direct communication through portal messaging
- Coordination of care and referrals when specialists are needed
- Preventive care and annual comprehensive physicals
- A focus on root-cause evaluation rather than symptom-only treatment
- Ongoing support for nutrition, lifestyle, and wellness goals
The intention is simple: patients should feel like they have a provider who knows them, not just their chart.
Care That Looks at the Whole Person
Health Is Wealth Family Care also integrates functional and lifestyle-based support into traditional medical care.
That means looking at areas like:
- Gut health and digestion
- Hormonal balance
- Thyroid and metabolic health
- Chronic fatigue and inflammation
- Weight and insulin resistance
- Food sensitivities and allergies
- Headaches and chronic pain patterns
- Preventive health and long-term risk reduction
The focus is not just on treating what is already happening, but understanding why it is happening in the first place. And just as importantly, it is about simplifying care when possible – reducing unnecessary medications or supplements rather than continually adding more.
A Different Kind of Patient Experience
One of the most consistent things patients say after joining a Direct Patient Care practice is that the experience feels different. There is more time to ask questions. More time to connect symptoms. More time to understand what is going on. That kind of relationship can change how healthcare feels, especially for people who have spent years feeling unheard or rushed through visits.
The practice was also designed with families in mind. Care happens in the middle of work schedules, school pickups, childcare challenges, and everything else life brings. That’s why accessibility and flexibility are built into the model, along with a welcoming environment for both adults and children.
Why This Model Matters Now
More people are starting to question whether the traditional healthcare system is meeting their needs. Not because medicine is not advanced, but because access, time, and continuity are often missing pieces. Direct Patient Care is one response to that gap. It creates space for prevention, relationship building, and long-term thinking to optimize health outcomes.
Closing
At the center of Health Is Wealth Family Care is a simple belief: healthcare should feel like a partnership. It should not be something where patients are left trying to connect the dots on their own after the visit ends. Instead, it works best when there’s time to step back, look at the full picture, and actually understand what’s going on.
If someone is ready to take a first step toward a different kind of healthcare experience, the process usually starts with a simple conversation. At Health Is Wealth Family Care, that often looks like a phone call or a consultation to see whether the model is a good fit – and whether it feels aligned with what someone is looking for in their care.
As the practice continues to grow, the team remains focused on evolving alongside patients’ needs and creating care that feels both accessible and personal. That includes exploring future opportunities to offer additional in-network insurance options while maintaining the thoughtful, relationship-centered approach patients value most.
Initial consultations are complimentary, offering patients the opportunity to ask questions, learn more about the practice, and determine whether it feels like the right fit for their healthcare journey. And for those referred through IndyMaven, Health Is Wealth Family Care is currently offering $25 off enrollment.
Brandy Manetta, FNP-C, IFM-C, is the founder of Health Is Wealth Family Care in Indianapolis. After years in trauma and emergency medicine, she now focuses on combining traditional and functional medicine through a direct patient care model centered on time, access, and root-cause healing.
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