A COVENANT
OF Care

The membership fee covers exclusive amenities and services not typically reimbursed by insurance, including enhanced physician access (24/7 via text/call), personalized care coordination, and unhurried appointments. Depending on your tier (Insight or Pinnacle), it may also include advanced diagnostics, CGMs, and metabolic analysis.

Yes. VALIA's concierge practice complements, but does not replace, health insurance. We encourage you to maintain coverage (PPO, Medicare, etc.) for services outside our membership offerings, such as hospitalizations, specialist visits, and standard labs.

Generally, yes. VALIA's membership fees may qualify as eligible medical expenses under IRS guidelines. With recent changes, direct primary care arrangements are increasingly eligible. We recommend consulting your tax advisor to confirm eligibility based on your specific situation.

Absolutely. We offer a complimentary initial consultation where you can meet Dr. Petersen, ask questions about our methodology, and learn about the practice to ensure it is the right fit for your health goals. Schedule at health@valia.health or call 281.241.8681.

Concierge metabolic medicine combines the personalized, unlimited-access model of concierge care with a clinical focus on metabolic health — including insulin sensitivity, inflammation profiling, body composition, biological aging, and nutritional biochemistry. At VALIA, your entire care plan is built around optimizing metabolic function and preventing chronic disease, not waiting for symptoms to appear.

Standard primary care physicians see 20-30 patients per day with 7-15 minute appointments. VALIA limits enrollment to ensure deeply personalized care. Every member receives 24/7 physician access, advanced diagnostics not available in standard practice (Caristo AI cardiac imaging, Grail Galleri cancer screening, TruAge epigenetic testing), continuous glucose monitoring, and a proactive longevity strategy built on your unique biology.

VALIA employs Caristo for AI-driven coronary plaque analysis, Grail Galleri and Cancerguard for multi-cancer early detection via liquid biopsy, TruAge for epigenetic biological age testing, Cleveland Heart Lab for advanced inflammation profiling, continuous glucose monitoring via Stelo and Dexcom, InBody for body composition analysis, Cologuard for colorectal screening, and VO2 Max testing for aerobic capacity measurement.

Caristo uses AI-driven analysis of coronary CT angiography to detect inflammation in the fat surrounding your coronary arteries — a biomarker called pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT). This reveals cardiovascular risk that traditional stress tests and standard CT scans miss entirely, often detecting plaque instability 15-20 years before a cardiac event would occur.

Grail Galleri is a multi-cancer early detection test that analyzes cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragments in your bloodstream. A single blood draw screens for over 50 cancer types — including many with no other recommended screening test — by detecting methylation patterns associated with cancer. It identifies both the presence of cancer and the tissue of origin.

TruAge measures your epigenetic biological age by analyzing DNA methylation patterns. Unlike your chronological age (your birthday), your biological age reflects the actual pace at which your cells are aging. This test reveals whether your lifestyle, nutrition, and health interventions are accelerating or decelerating the aging process — and provides a measurable target for longevity optimization.

A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a small sensor worn on your arm that measures interstitial glucose levels every few minutes, 24 hours a day. At VALIA, we use Stelo and Dexcom CGM devices to show you exactly how your body responds to specific foods, exercise, sleep, and stress in real-time — not as an average, but as your personal glycemic fingerprint.

CGM coverage varies by insurance plan and is typically covered only for diagnosed diabetics. For non-diabetic patients using CGM as a metabolic optimization tool (which is the VALIA approach), it is generally an out-of-pocket expense included in the Insight and Pinnacle membership tiers. The clinical value of seeing your real-time glucose response far exceeds what any annual fasting glucose test reveals.

Standard annual bloodwork misses most of what matters for longevity. A comprehensive panel should include advanced lipid testing (ApoB, Lp(a), LDL particle count), inflammatory markers (hsCRP, MPO, Lp-PLA2 via Cleveland Heart Lab), metabolic markers (fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, HbA1c), hormones (thyroid panel, testosterone, DHEA-S, cortisol), and nutrient levels (vitamin D, B12, magnesium, omega-3 index). VALIA includes these in the Insight and Pinnacle tiers.

Chronological age is the number of years since you were born — it only moves in one direction. Biological age is a measure of how old your cells actually are based on epigenetic markers, DNA methylation patterns, and cellular function. Two 50-year-olds can have biological ages of 42 and 58, depending on their metabolic health, nutrition, sleep, exercise, and stress. VALIA uses TruAge testing to measure this gap and build strategies to close it.

The VALIA Executive Physical — "The Book About You" — is a comprehensive one-day health assessment that includes AI cardiac imaging (Caristo), multi-cancer screening (Grail Galleri), epigenetic age analysis (TruAge), cardiovascular inflammation profiling (Cleveland Heart Lab), continuous glucose monitoring setup, VO2 Max testing, and InBody body composition analysis. It is available as a standalone service without membership.

VALIA Health is located in the Galleria and Uptown district of Houston, Texas (ZIP 77056). The practice serves patients throughout the Greater Houston metropolitan area including River Oaks, Memorial, Tanglewood, West University, Bellaire, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Katy, and Pearland.

Yes. VALIA Health opens June 1, 2026 in Houston, Texas and is currently accepting membership inquiries and Executive Physical bookings. Contact health@valia.health or call 281.241.8681 to schedule a consultation.

Foundation ($6,000/year) is ideal if you want 24/7 physician access and a personal medical relationship without diagnostic testing. Insight ($9,000/year) is right for you if you want baseline diagnostics, continuous glucose monitoring, and a proactive prevention plan. Pinnacle ($15,000/year) is for those who want the full stack — advanced genetics, AI analysis, wearable integration, and personalized nutrition optimization. Dr. Petersen will help you choose during your initial consultation.

Yes. VALIA welcomes family memberships. Each family member receives their own individual membership and care plan. Contact us to discuss family enrollment options and whether a shared consultation makes sense for your household.

As long as they need to be. Unlike traditional practices that schedule 15-minute slots, VALIA does not time-box appointments. Dr. Petersen spends whatever time is clinically appropriate for each visit. Initial consultations typically run 60-90 minutes. Follow-ups may be 30 minutes or 90 minutes — the conversation drives the duration, not the schedule.

Yes. VALIA provides secure telemedicine consultations via Spruce Health for follow-up visits, medication reviews, lab result discussions, and urgent questions that do not require an in-person examination. Telemedicine is included in all membership tiers at no additional cost.

Absolutely. Dr. Petersen maintains a curated referral network of specialists across Houston and nationally. When a specialist is needed, VALIA coordinates the referral, shares relevant records, and follows up to ensure continuity of care. Your membership ensures you are never navigating the specialist landscape alone.