A few years ago, it would have been a pipe dream to suggest that a naturopathic physician might have a hand in shifting attitudes—and policies–of one of the nation’s largest health insurers.
LONG BEACH, CA — A wealth of new practice models are erupting in the field of integrative medicine, as more physicians and other practitioners seek ways of practicing that are more holistic and embracing of all aspects of their patients’ lives.
Good go-to video resources for patient education can help you make much better use of their limited face-to-face time with patients, says practice development consultant James Maskell.
The long and winding road toward creation of a widely recognized medical specialty in holistic medicine has taken a new turn, one that leaders of the effort believe can take physicians a lot farther toward that goal.
Clinicians think a lot about organ systems, but far fewer think systematically about their own practices. That’s unfortunate, because well-designed practice systems can greatly improve clinical outcomes and fiscal health, say consultants Gail Sophia Edgell & Traci Brosman.
As companies like 23andMe take sophisticated genomic testing directly to the consumer market, a growing number of people are seeking guidance on how to respond to the test results. According to Dr. Deanna Minich, that spells major opportunity for holistically-minded clinicians.
Holistic physicians often start out by trying to cram things like nutrition counseling, stress management or herbal medicine into conventional care frameworks–with limited success. Erin Martin, DO, a physician profiled in the popular film, Escape Fire, took the opposite route. At her new clinic she made lifestyle-based medicine the core and gradually adds conventional primary care services.
Shilpa Saxena, MD, has tailored the basic group visit model–increasingly popular in family practice–to fit the principles of functional medicine. The result is a big win for patients, for the doctor herself, and even for the insurers.
More than anything else, it is fear that keeps many doctors from building the kinds of practices they really want to have. Heal Thy Practice conference chairman Jeff Gladd, MD, who’s built a thriving cash-pay practice in Ft. Wayne, IN, has the remedies for those fears.
A five-step method called the PEACE Process, developed by Heal Thy Practice speaker, Miriam Zacharias, can help clinicians develop thriving integrative practices, “without losing your shirt, your sanity, or your soul!”
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