Live CE/CME · Fri, Sep 11, 2026 · 12:00 PM ET
GI Clinical Cases & Functional Testing
You ordered the GI testing. Now what?
Two patient cases. Real test interpretation. A practical path from results to treatment.
1 hr
CME/CE credit
Live
Fri, Sep 11, 2026
∞
Lifetime access
$391 CE/CME · live + recording
No functional medicine background required
Attend live to earn Live CE credit — recording also included
Session outline
5 sections · 60 min
1
Clinical framework & the three questions to ask
2
Case 1: presentation, reasoning & test selection
3
Case 1: results, pitfalls & the 5R plan
4
Case 2: presentation, results & the 5R plan
5
Cross-case synthesis & live Q&A
Taught by Melody Hartzler, PharmD & Lara Zakaria, PharmD
The shift
The value of GI testing depends on what you do with the results
Functional GI testing has expanded what clinicians can measure. A comprehensive panel can uncover dozens of findings, but not every abnormal marker deserves an intervention, and not every finding carries the same clinical weight.
What can go wrong
When testing runs the visit
A broad panel is ordered without a clear clinical question
Every out-of-range marker looks like something that needs treating
A negative or unexpected result prematurely closes the differential
Food reactivity results become a permanent avoid list
The protocol gets built around the report instead of the patient
What you’ll learn to do instead
Let the clinical picture lead
Order against a specific clinical question or recognize when testing can wait
Read findings as patterns across digestion, inflammation, barrier function, and microbial activity
Recognize common false positives, false negatives, and testing limitations
Use results, when appropriate, to inform a structured elimination and reintroduction
Build a sequenced plan around the clinical picture and the findings most likely to matter
The competencies
After 60 minutes, you’ll be able to
Four clinical competencies you can apply immediately.
01
Select the Right Test for the Right Question
Choose functional GI testing based on symptom pattern, what conventional evaluation has already ruled out, and the likelihood that the result will change management.
02
Read Results as Patterns, Not Values
Integrate markers of digestive sufficiency, inflammation, intestinal barrier integrity, and microbial activity with the patient’s history, medications, and diet, rather than reacting to isolated flags.
03
Separate Signal From Noise
Distinguish clinically actionable findings from incidental, diet-driven, or potentially misleading results, including the common sources of false positives and false negatives on stool and breath testing.
04
Build a Sequenced 5R Plan
Translate the clinical picture and the testing data into a staged protocol using Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, Repair, and Rebalance, with realistic monitoring parameters and defined criteria for reassessment.
Why this session was created
“Most GI testing education focuses on the modality. Applying it to a complex patient requires another skill: clinical reasoning.”
Most GI testing education focuses on the modality: what stool testing measures, how breath testing works, and what individual markers mean. That foundation matters, but applying it to a complex patient requires another skill: clinical reasoning. This session was created to show you that reasoning in action. You’ll watch two clinicians work through two different cases — including what they chose to test, what they didn’t, and how those decisions shaped treatment.
Melody Hartzler, PharmD & Lara Zakaria, PharmD
Session faculty
Who this is for
Built for clinicians who order GI testing and want to order it better
No functional medicine background required. Just a caseload of patients whose gut symptoms have not resolved.
Pharmacists
Expanding into functional lab interpretation and gut-directed care.
NPs & PAs
Managing IBS, bloating, and chronic GI complaints in primary care.
Physicians
Family medicine, internal medicine, and gastroenterology looking for a mechanism-based adjunct.
Dietitians & Nutrition Professionals
Supporting elimination, reintroduction, and microbiome-directed nutrition.
Clinicians Who Already Run These Panels
And want a sharper framework for deciding when the results should change the plan.
Anyone Whose GI Patients Keep Coming Back
With the same symptoms, a thicker folder, and a shorter list of foods they can eat.
How it’s different
Not a testing overview. A reasoning walkthrough.
Case-Based
Two complete patient cases from initial presentation through testing, treatment, and follow-up.
Two Perspectives
Two clinicians. Two different presentations. Two different approaches to testing and treatment.
Clinical Judgment in Action
Follow the decisions behind each case, from what to test and what to skip to which findings matter and how they shape the treatment plan.
Complete curriculum · 60 minutes
What you’ll cover in 60 minutes
A structured path from framework to protocol.
1
Setting Up the Clinical Framework
Where functional testing fits, alarm features that require conventional workup and referral, and the three questions to answer before ordering anything.
2
Case 1: Presentation, Reasoning, and Test Selection
History, medications, prior workup, and the differential. What was ordered, what was not, and why.
3
Case 1: Results, Pitfalls, and the 5R Plan
Key findings, potential interpretation pitfalls, and the sequenced protocol.
4
Case 2: Presentation, Reasoning, and Test Selection
A different presentation and a different testing strategy, worked through the same framework.
5
Case 2: Results, Pitfalls, and the 5R Plan
Interpretation in context, the sequencing decision, monitoring parameters, and retest criteria.
6
Cross-Case Synthesis and Live Q&A
Where the two cases converged, where they diverged, three pearls you can use immediately, and open questions.
The takeaway
You’ll walk away with
A repeatable framework for deciding whether a GI test is worth ordering and which test best fits the clinical question
Greater confidence interpreting stool and breath results as patterns rather than isolated abnormalities
A practical understanding of the false positives, false negatives, and incidental findings most likely to complicate interpretation
A sequenced 5R framework for translating relevant findings into treatment, monitoring, and reassessment
Session faculty
Meet your instructors
PharmD, BCACP, BC-ADM, ABAAHP
Session faculty
Dr. Melody Hartzler
Board-Certified Clinical Pharmacist · Founder, PharmToTable & Functional Medicine CE
Melody Hartzler is a board-certified clinical pharmacist specializing in the gut, hormone, and cardiometabolic health of midlife women. She founded PharmToTable, a pharmacist-led functional medicine practice, and Functional Medicine CE, working at the intersection of functional lab interpretation, evidence-based supplementation, and root-cause care. Her clinical work centers on the gut as the entry point to metabolic and hormonal health, and in this session she brings a case that shows exactly how that connection plays out in practice.
PharmD, MS, CNS, CDN, IFMCP
Session faculty
Dr. Lara Zakaria
Clinical Pharmacist & Nutritionist
Lara Zakaria is a functional medicine pharmacist and clinical nutrition expert known for translating complex nutrition science into practical, patient-centered strategies. Her work focuses on bridging pharmacotherapy and nutrition, helping clinicians deliver care that is both evidence-based and realistic enough to implement.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Who is eligible for CE/CME credit?
This 60-minute session offers 1 CE/CME credit for pharmacists, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses, and registered dietitians. Credits are provided through our accredited continuing education partner.
Do I need a functional medicine background?
No. This session is built for clinicians who order GI testing in everyday practice, regardless of functional medicine background. Every concept is explained in practical, clinically actionable terms.
Do I need to have taken the earlier GI sessions?
No. Each session in this GI series stands on its own. This case-based hour is designed to be useful whether or not you’ve attended prior sessions in the series.
Will you show actual lab reports?
Yes. You’ll see de-identified stool and breath test reports as each case unfolds, so you can practice reading results the way you would in your own clinic.
Is this about a specific lab or panel?
No. The framework applies across major GI stool and breath testing platforms. The emphasis is on clinical reasoning and pattern recognition, not one company’s report format.
What if I can’t attend live?
No problem. The live session is recorded and made available on-demand shortly after the live event, with lifetime access included in your enrollment.
Turn GI Test Results Into Clinical Decisions
See how two clinicians move from symptoms to testing to interpretation to a sequenced treatment plan.
1 Hour CE/CME — $39Live Sep 11, 2026 · enduring credit available after the live session
AMA PRA Category 1 · ACPE · AAPA · AANP · ANCC · accredited via AKH & Joint Accreditation