Start an Integrative Medicine Program and Move Your Practice into the 21st Century.

Integrative Medicine:
The Best of Conventional Medicine and CAM

Almost half of all patients are already using Complementary and Alternative medicine (CAM.)1-17 Most of them are paying for it themselves. Summary here.

In experienced hands, CAM works. Yet at the same time most patients think it best when their doctors work alongside CAM practitioners, many of them don’t bother to tell their doctors they’re receiving complementary therapies.

Integrative Medicine (IM) is the art of combining CAM with conventional medicine. Doing this well presents a variety of challenges. Duane Law, L.Ac. has helped launch IM programs in several LA area clinics, including Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic and Clinica Medica San Miguel. He and his associates provide three levels of turn-key solutions for doctors who want to join the Integrative Medicine movement.

  • Networking
    Where are the best CAM professionals in your neighborhood? We can help you locate and connect with them, building new relationships and referral sources. This is the simplest solution requiring only a minimal investment.
  • Comprehensive Health Assessments (CHAs)
    These wellness programs first assess the overall level of health and health awareness in an individual in partnership with a CAM professional. Then a healing program is designed as a group effort involving the medical doctor, the CAM professional and the patient themselves.

    If your office still accepts insurance assignments then establishing a CHA program suggests gently to motivated patients that they can access a level of attention and care above and beyond that covered by third-party payors. Since it’s generally understood that many CAM modalities are not covered by insurance, establishing a CHA program can be an important step in moving your practice’s business model away from dependence on third-party payors. Beyond the obvious advantages of improved cash flow and reduced administrative costs, research shows that patients who pay for their care demonstrate much better compliance.

    Another advantage of the CHA approach is that the CAM professional only need be on site a few days/month, reducing start-up and operating costs.
  • Full IM Implementation
    Bringing CAM professionals onboard communicates a clear and unmistakable commitment to making Integrative Medicine work. Incorporating acupuncture, chiropractic, advanced nutrition or hands-on therapies into a practice can improve outcomes and attract new patients while raising your clinic’s profile in the community. It also provides talking points for news articles and community marketing events. Well-designed and launched IM programs also create new revenue streams.

Summary of Research on CAM Utilization

study population n % CAM Utilization % reporting CAM use to physician
Barraco 2005 acute coronary syndrome pts 223 63% in the year prior to hospitalization 11.7%
Bell 2006 adults 65+ 5821 65% N/A
Chong 2007 osteoporosis clinic pts 360 57% in the previous year 44%
Elkins 2005 psychiatric inpatients 82 63% in the year prior to hospitalization "most" do not
Gray 2002 health plan members 4404 42% N/A
Herman 2004 primary care pts w/arthritis 612 90% overall; 69% currently N/A
Hlubocky 2007 advanced cancer pts 212 34% N/A
Jean 2007 general pediatric pts not listed 54% in the previous year 44%
Li 2004 Emergency Department pts 356 55% in the previous year N/A
Lindquist 2003 critical care nurses a national survey 96.4% in the previous year N/A
Liow 2007 epilepsy pts 228 39% N/A
Moolasarn 2005 diabetic pts 159 47.8% 35%
Tindle 2005 US adults 31,044 36% N/A
Wang 2003 surgical pts not listed 57.4% N/A
Welder 2006 research subjects 60 50% N/A
Wells 2007 female lung cancer pts 189 44% N/A
Wolsko 2002 random adults 2055 44% in 1997 N/A

1 Barraco, D., et al. 2005. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use patterns and disclosure to physicians in acute coronary syndromes patients. (Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 13(1):34-40.
2 Bell, R.A., et al. 2006. CAM use among older adults age 65 or older with hypertension in the United States: general use and disease treatment. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 12(9):903-909.
3 Chong, C.A., et al. 2007. Complementary and alternative medicine use by osteoporosis clinic patients. Osteoporosis International. 18(11):1547-1556.
4 Elkins, G., et al. 2005. Complementary and alternative medicine use by psychiatric inpatients. Psychological Reports 96(1):163-166. 5 Gray, C.M., et al. 2002. Complementary and alternative medicine use among health plan members. A cross-sectional survey. Effective Clinical Practice. 5(1):17-22.
6 Herman, C.J., et al. 2004. Use of complementary therapies among primary care clinic patients with arthritis. Preventing Chronic Disease. 1(4):A12.
7 Hlubocky, F.J., et al. 2007. Complementary and alternative medicine among advanced cancer patients enrolled on phase I trials: a study of prognosis, quality of life, and preferences for decision making. Journal of Clinical Oncology 25(5):548-554.
8 Jean, D. 2007. Use of complementary and alternative medicine in a general pediatric clinic. Pediatrics. 120(10;3138-141.
9 Li, J.Z. 2004. Patterns of complementary and alternative medicine use in ED patients and its association with health care utilization. American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 22(3):187-189.
10 Lindquist, R., Tracy, M., Savik, K. 2003. Personal use of complementary and alternative therapies by critical care nurses. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America. 15(3):393-399.
11 Liow, K., et al. 2007. Pattern and frequency of use of complementary and alternative medicine among patients with epilepsy in the midwestern United States. Epilepsy and Behavior. 10(4):576-82.
12 Moolasarn, S., et al. 2005. Usage of and cost of complementary/alternative medicine in diabetic patients. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand. 88(11):1630-1637.
13 Tindle, H.A., et al. 2005. Trends in use of complementary and alternative medicine by US adults: 1997-2002. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 11(1):42-49.
14 Wang, S.M., Caldwell-Andrews, A.A., Kain, Z.N. 2003. The use of complementary and alternative medicines by surgical patients: a follow-up survey study. Anesthesia and Analgesia. 97(4):1010-1015.
15 Welder, G.J., et al. 2006. Complementary and alternative medicine use among individuals participating in research: implications for research and practice. Pharmacotherapy. 26(12):1794-1801.
16 Wells, M., et al. 2007. Use of complementary and alternative medicine therapies to control symptoms in women living with lung cancer. Cancer Nursing. 30(1):45-55.
17 Wolsko, P.M., et al. 2002. Insurance coverage, medical conditions, and visits to alternative medicine providers: results of a national survey. Archives of Internal Medicine. 162(3):281-287.