A few years ago, it would have been a pipe dream to suggest that a naturopathic physician might have a hand in shifting the policies of one of the nation’s largest health insurance companies.
But that’s exactly what happened when Donielle Wilson, ND, a NYC-based naturopath, began treating a gentleman named Mark Bertolini. In recent years, Dr. Wilson’s patient panel has expanded to include a number of Fortune 500 executives. Mr. Bertolini so happened to be the CEO of one of the oldest, largest and most profitable health insurance companies in the world: Aetna.
Dr. Wilson’s role in helping the injured executive recover from a skiing accident that left him disabled, drugged, and completely unable to work, proved to be a major factor in Bertolini’s discovery and subsequent advocacy of naturopathic and holistic medicine. The experience was also a catalyst for big changes in Aetna’s insurance plans, including much broader coverage of formerly excluded holistic modalities.
Since his recovery, Mr. Bertolini has spoken publicly about the value of naturopathic medicine, yoga, nutritional interventions and other non-pharma modalities, and he has steadily pushed his company toward a wider embrace of these options for its own employees and for the millions of people covered by Aetna.
Mr. Bertolini is the most outspoken of Dr. Wilson’s “C-suite” patients, but he is not the only one.
“CEOs get it! They get that optimal health means increased efficiency and improved outcomes, and they are willing to implement what it takes – yoga programs, diet changes – for themselves and others in order to benefit from optimal health on a large scale.”
Next week, Dr. Wilson will share her experience working with top-tier corporate executives during the kickoff Functional Forum, a new monthly NYC-area meet-up founded by James Maskell & Revive
Primary Care. The first Forum will be on Wed. Feb 5, at the Helen Mills Theater.
She believes the recent shift in CEO thinking will create big opportunity for many clinicians who’ve struggled to survive in the status quo of standard insurance-based medicine.
“When NDs and other holistic practitioners see that specializing in preventive medicine is in high demand within high-performing companies, we will be better able to fill that role,” she told Holistic Primary Care.
Her session at the Functional Forum, entitled, “Treating the Big Boys,” will focus on the unique opportunities now opening up, as influential and powerful individuals discover the potential of natural medicine.
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