FON: THE BUSINESS OF INTEGRATIVE HEALTH & MEDICINE

Integrative Healthcare: Same Camp, Many Tents

It never fails to amaze how this growing but still fragmented subset of medicine that is integrative healthcare is comprised of so many loosely affiliated groups and monikers.  Here’s a partial list: Integrative Medicine, Functional Medicine, Holistic Medicine, Preventive Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, Longevity Medicine, Naturopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Chiropractic Medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine. While clearly differing in their unique approach and purview, these groups espouse many

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How to Get Paid Delivering Integrative Medicine

The future of evidence-based integrative healthcare delivery is limited to its economic feasibility, at both the consumer and practitioner level. This post focuses on the latter. Whether you are an MD, DO, ND, DC, LAc, LMT, dietician, nutritionist or practice one of a score of other integrative health disciplines, you need to get paid. It doesn’t matter if you run a small clinic as a solo practitioner or head up

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Integrative Medicine as Standard of Care

Over 50 U.S. academic medical centers now feature some form of a CAM (complementary or alternative medicine) program. This evolution in academic healthcare delivery is better defined as Integrative Medicine in America. The sheer number of privately owned integrative clinics, centers and solo practices being launched each month is also staggering. These practices are being led by a wide range of providers—i.e., MDs, DOs, naturopaths, acupuncturists, massage therapists, chiropractors. The

Affordable Care Act and Access to Integrative Medicine–What Does it Really Mean?

Well, that depends on who you ask. Those within the integrative healthcare field and the disbelieving skeptics alike, offer quite divergent views. This post focuses on the Affordable Care Act’s impact on health consumers currently using or hoping to incorporate integrative medicine practitioners and services into their care.  It does not attempt to decipher the short- or long-term economic impact of the Affordable Care Act on this country.  Nor does

The Evolution of Integrative Medicine Law and what the Future Portends

By Glenn Sabin Michael H. Cohen Attorney Michael H. Cohen, a thought leader in healthcare law, has a special affinity for and significant legal expertise in the field of integrative medicine. In his lecture (see video below) at Harvard Medical School 13 years ago, Cohen discussed the historical regulatory evolution of integrative practice, risk management strategies and key issues confronting providers at that time. I recently caught up with Cohen to

Social Media: Opportunity or Risk for Growing Integrative Medicine Practices?

By Glenn Sabin Today more integrative medicine professionals than ever are using social media sites like LinkedIn for peer-to-peer connections that span the globe and allow for the sharing of ideas. Facebook has over 2 billion monthly users. Twitter has over 300 million monthly users. While it’s hard to ignore this explosive growth, many integrative medicine clinics have not jumped on the social media train to engage current and prospective patients

The Role of Philanthropy in the Evolution of Integrative Medicine

By Glenn Sabin Over time philanthropy has contributed greatly to the maturation of integrative medicine/oncology clinical programs. This is especially true within the academic medical center setting, and has had a profound effect on the growing consumer base of integrative medical services and natural products–an industry now estimated at over $50 billion annually. Philanthropic leaders with a passion for integrative care have helped give these services a formal presence in some

How to maximize readership of your blog content

By Glenn Sabin This is the third post in a series of three.Why Your Blog Strategy is So ImportantCreating a Sustainable Blog Strategy for Your Integrative Center Once your new blog strategy is up and running, you are on your way to creating interesting, relevant content around your center’s (brand’s) integrative medicine mission.  Creating great content is an important start, but now you’re ready for your content to be read more

Creating a Sustainable Blog Strategy for Your Integrative Center

By Glenn Sabin This is the second post in a series of three.Why Your Blog Strategy is So ImportantHow to maximize readership of your blog content In my last post I discussed why it’s so important for providers of integrative medicine services to create a smart, sustainable blog strategy. Surprisingly, the majority of integrative centers today do not maintain a blog. And those who do rarely have a proper, long term plan to