15 Years in Mold Care Taught Me This: Why We Need a New Model of Treatment

From Dr. Scott McMahon, MD

After 15 years treating patients with Mold Toxicity, I’ve seen one thing over and over: people suffering for years without answers. Most are misdiagnosed—or worse, dismissed—by their doctors. When they finally do find someone who understands their illness, they’re faced with long waitlists, confusing treatment paths, and costs that are often unaffordable.

That’s why I want to share what I’ve learned, and why we created MoldCo. We’re doing things differently, because the old model isn’t working.

The Hidden Epidemic

Dr. Shoemaker’s research—and my own—shows that about 1 in 4 people have a genetic sensitivity to mold. At the same time, the EPA estimates that over half of U.S. buildings have water damage that can support mold growth. That overlap puts more than 52 million people at risk. And while not all will develop illness, we suspect that 12-15% of the population, or 26 million people in the US, could be experiencing symptoms tied to mold exposure—many without even knowing it.

This isn’t a fringe issue. It’s a national health crisis.

Not Enough Providers

Despite the scale of the problem, Mold Toxicity is still barely taught in medical schools. Currently, to my knowledge, there are only 2 medical schools in the U.S. that teach about Mold Toxicity. Dr. Shoemaker has trained roughly 400 providers in CIRS medicine. Other organizations, such as ILADS, the Institute of Functional Medicine and the AAEM also have training programs. There are likely between 1,000 and 2,000 practitioners in the U.S. that have some training in the field of Mold Toxicity.

Contrasting, there are roughly 1.1 million physicians in the U.S. That’s one doctor for every 330 people. The ratio is lower if we include NPs, PAs, naturopaths etc. In the in which city I reside, there are about 80 total providers for 50,000 people. Our ratio is one provider for 625 patients – yes we are overworked, primarily with primary care.

Now let’s contrast that to the world of Mold Toxicity. Being generous, and assuming 2,000 providers for the conservative 26,000,000 suffering Mold Toxicity patients, there is a ratio of at least 13,000 symptomatic patients for every trained provider! That’s 20 times higher than the providers in my city and ~40 times higher than the national average! (I remember when that ratio was 1 trained provider to 160,000 Mold Toxicity patients!) Who is going to see all these ill persons? Hopefully, this helps people understand why there are 6 month waitlists for new patients to see a provider? It is not possible for the current workforce to care for this number of Mold Toxicity patients.

Why Insurance Doesn’t Help

Many people assume Mold Toxicity care isn’t covered by insurance. That’s not entirely true. Standard visits, Shoemaker labs, and therapies often are covered—but the reimbursement rates are so low that clinics lose money trying to provide this care. I know because I tried. My clinic accepted insurance for over nine years, and even with a waitlist and full calendar, we were going bankrupt. Eventually, I had to stop accepting insurance in order to keep helping patients.

It gets worse. Many functional medicine clinics, trying to help, end up recommending expensive labs and supplement regimens that aren’t evidence-based and aren’t covered by insurance. That’s where the massive costs come in—$20,000, $50,000, sometimes even $150,000 per patient.

What We Built Instead

MoldCo was created to change all of that. We reviewed the literature, studied the clinical models, examined what works and what doesn’t, and built a new kind of care—one that’s faster, more affordable, and rooted in evidence.

Instead of waiting months for an appointment, new patients at MoldCo can often get started in a day or two. Instead of spending thousands on unnecessary tests and supplements, we focus on what’s medically necessary and shown to work. Instead of overwhelmed providers trying to do it all, we’ve built a system where care is coordinated, efficient, and scalable.

Visits look different, too. Most interactions happen through structured online surveys that our providers review carefully to make clinical decisions. If needed, we offer telehealth visits. And our care navigators are here to help guide you, answer questions, and escalate to a provider when appropriate—usually within 24–48 hours.

However, with these innovations, there is an understanding that the delivery of this new healthcare system will be different than the traditional healthcare system. It has to be - because the previous model does not scale, as I outlined above. Patient “visits” will be patient completion of online surveys designed to elicit the information needed for providers to review answers and make appropriate medical decisions. Occasionally, one of those questions will need referral to a provider, or even to me as Medical Director, and a prompt response will be received.

This approach won’t appeal to everyone. That’s OK—the old, broken, traditional model is still out there for you. But for those willing to try something new—we're ready for you!

Welcome to an initial visit in 1–2 days.

Welcome to visit pricing (even with membership) that is 10 times—or even 100 times—more economical.

Welcome to a vast array of educational materials.

Welcome to lower-cost meds delivered to your door.

Welcome to 7-day-a-week care navigators.

Welcome to fewer, and Mold Toxicity-specific, lab tests at a much lower cost to you.

Welcome to a treatment protocol based on medical evidence, offered by people who care for you.

Welcome to MoldCo!

Who We Can Help

Because this model is focused and streamlined, there are some patients we can’t safely treat—at least not yet. If you’re dealing with a severe case of MCAS, active cancer, or other complex illnesses that need in-person specialty care, MoldCo may not be the right fit for you right now. We're actively working on expanding our capacity to care for more complicated cases.

MoldCo wants to partner with you to solve this health care crisis. We’d love to provide you with an initial assessment. Check us out at www.moldco.com. If you like what you see, then join. Please do not be offended if you currently do not meet our patient profile. We are starting up and we cannot see the sickest and more complicated patients as described above. We appreciate your direct feedback. Our goal is to delight you in every aspect of your care. If we don’t meet that standard, let us know why so that we can incorporate your suggestions. Complete your surveys in a timely fashion as this is equivalent to you driving to the doctor’s office for your appointment. If you’re late to the office appointment, you might delay your therapy.

But if you’re ready to get answers and take your first real step toward healing, we are here—and we’re ready.

A Relationship That Works

We want to delight you. We want your care experience to feel easy, thoughtful, and supportive. If something doesn’t meet that standard, we hope you’ll tell us directly. We can’t fix what we don’t know, and we take feedback seriously. We’re building something new, and we’re here to listen, learn, and get it right.

Welcome to Something New

The old system failed too many people. MoldCo is here to be part of the solution. We can’t fix everything overnight, and we can’t help everyone—but we can make a big dent. With the right tools, the right people, and a model that actually works, we’re finally able to reach more of the people who need care.

If that’s you, we’re ready.

Visit www.moldco.com to learn more and see if you’re a fit.

Welcome to MoldCo. Welcome to hope.

- Dr. Scott McMahon

MoldCo Medical Director