April 2014 John Weeks Integrator Round-Up: Integrative Centers

From Google Alerts links to integrative medicine in health systems and communities March 2014This typically monthly Integrator feature reflects a quick capture of highlights from the multitude for links that flow in daily via Google Alerts for "integrative medicine," "complementary

From Google Alerts: links to integrative medicine in health systems and communities -March 2014

This typically monthly Integrator feature reflects a quick capture of highlights from the multitude for links that flow in daily via Google Alerts for "integrative medicine," "complementary and alternative medicine" and "alternative medicine." While my focus is on integrative medicine in health systems, the later search term nets developments from around the world that I began to share for November 2013. Here are 15 selections related to hospitals and medical organization in integrative medicine and 8 from the community, for March 2013.

Chiropractor on integrative practice at the Casey Health Institute's patient-centered medical home

The headline in the Dynamic Chiropractic article is Collaboration for a Cause: Blurring disciplinary lines to benefit the patient: the new model of truly integrative health care. The article is by Sarah Potthoff, DC, the first chiropractor in the ambitious Casey Health Institute, founded in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in 2013. CHI has, besides primary care medical doctors, practitioners of chiropractic, psychology, acupuncture, naturopathic medicine, massage therapy, yoga, meditation, and Reiki “to achieve their vision of truly integrative health care,” as Potthoff writes. She describes how collaboration is fostered at CHI, offers three case studies of interprofessional collaboration, and then gives some guidance to her chiropractic colleagues on qualities that will help them get involved in integrated environments.

Comment: This is a great little insider's view of a rare but emerging environment of an integrative patient-centered medical home. Notably for the chiropractic field, the most "preferred future" in a recent study of the field by the Institute for Alternative Futures, Chiropractic 2025: - Institute for Alternative Futures, is one in which a growing percentage of chiropractors are pro-actively part of PCMH and integrated care teams.

Attorney Michael Cohen offers insights into "fee-splitting" business strategies in integrative centers

Michael Cohen, has published a useful article entitled "Fee-splitting 101 for Medical Doctors, Chiropractors, Acupuncturists and Others." The topic regards the common practice in integrative environments of offering new practitioners a cut or split of any new revenues he or she generates as a portion, or all, of their compensation package. In his thorough accounting, Cohen notes, among other things, that "kickbacks and fee-splitting are related." He clarifies: "A 'kickback' involves the payment to or from a physician in exchange for a referral, while 'fee-splitting' involves splitting the physician's fee to the patient between the physician and a third-party." The posting is particularly valuable with the 7 links to related Cohen posts.

Comment: Michael Cohen, formerly at the Harvard Osher Center, is a practitioner and thought leader in the field, as well as an attorney. If you are engaged in such business practices, especially in California, grab a read!

Guarneri's Pacific Pearl La Jolla officially opens May 10 with top naturopathic doctors in key clinical roles

The website for Pacific Pearl La Jolla greets one with "Guarneri Integrative Health Inc", after clinic founder and former interventional cardiologist Mimi Guarneri, MD. Pacific Pearl features a multidisciplinary team including two other medical doctors, two chiropractors, a massage therapist, and three naturopathic physicians who were formerly leading the Bastyr San Diego campus: Moira Fitzpatrick, PhD, ND, Erica Oberg, ND, MPH and Ryan Bradley, ND, MPH. Guarneri, who founded the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, where she worked for 15 years, also serves, according to her bio, as the founder and director of the Taylor Academy for Integrative Medicine and Research. The official opening is May 10, 2014.