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Hospital Systems Ignore Integrative Medicine at their Peril

The majority of hospital systems and cancer centers in major U.S. markets now offer an integrative medicine program of some shape or form. Many regional medical centers and hospital systems also feature such programs, while others are in the research and development stage. Organizations that ignore the growing consumer demand for integrative healthcare—and those shuttering existing programs as an austerity measure—do so at their long-term economic peril. About 38% of

16 Blogging Basics for Your Integrative Medicine Brand

Not long ago I wrote a popular three-part series on why a blog is so important for your center, how to go about setting one up and how to more fully distribute and re-purpose the core foundational content that is (or should be!) your blog. This missive is a how-to for writing effective blog posts. Basic Blog Writing Rules Worth Following: When writing, turn off email client and all social media windows so you

My Story and Healing Journeys

On this blog I write almost entirely about the business of integrative medicine for FON, so you may not know that I am a longtime cancer survivor. In fact, my journey with malignant disease, which began 21 years ago, has shaped my life and career in the field of integrative healthcare. (So … if you are expecting a business-oriented post, then please skip the rest of this piece.) My long

Integrative Medicine Thought Leadership

Thought leadership in any industry is important, but in the medical world it is essential for success. If you aspire to influence colleagues, peers, administrative decision-makers or the public, you need to become a thought leader. If you aim to influence those in your field and beyond—and the consumer public at the national or international level—there is simply no other practical route to get there. The powerful content creation and

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

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

Yoga Milestone—First CME-Approved Conference Supports Therapeutic Value

The Mountain Pose Medicine & Yoga Symposium took place in gorgeous Copper Mountain, Colorado August 22—26, 2012. The seminal gathering marked the first CME (continuing medical education) accredited program for yoga in the United States. The annual Mountain Pose Medicine & Yoga Symposium is the brainchild of Satkirin Khalsa, MD, a longtime yoga instructor, integrative medicine physician and scientific program chair of the conference. Khalsa is deeply concerned about the

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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

FON: THE BUSINESS OF INTEGRATIVE HEALTH & MEDICINE

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