As I was creating content for my new nonprofit organization, Health Care That Matters, Inc. (check it out at www.healthcarethatmatters.com), I stumbled across the Bravewell Collaborative, a community of leading philanthropists who work together to transform our health care system and improve the health of the American public through the advancement of integrative medicine.
What is integrative medicine? According to the Bravewell Collaborative website, www.bravewell.org:
"Integrative medicine is an approach to care that seeks to integrate the best of Western scientific medicine with a broader understanding of the nature of illness, healing and wellness."
As noted by Bravewell, integrated medicine can be incorporated by all health care professions and systems, and it not only improves care for patients, but also enhances the cost-effectiveness of health care delivery for providers and payors.
That last point about enhancing the cost-effectiveness of health care delivery for "payors" is important. Right now, insurance reimbursement for wellness is sparse to nonexistent. Insurance pays for curing an ailment, but it does not pay for maintaining health. Thus, for many, access to wellness services such as fitness and nutrition classes or consultations, massage or relaxation techniques, meditation or yoga therapy, or numerous other activities that help create a sense of well-being, is out of reach.
Interestingly, the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona is experimenting with a payment scheme for wellness services: the Center seeks insurance reimbursement for services covered by insurance, but charges patients a separate membership fee that covers access to preventive and wellness services. See http://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/integrative-care-promises-to-be-more-effective-cost-efficient-4004.aspx.
The concept is admirable, but I hope to one day see insurers covering preventive and wellness services in parity with curative care.
