Integrative medicine combines multiple evidence-based therapies to enhance conventional care.
Integrative medicine is the science of combining multiple evidence-based therapies to enhance conventional care. For example, when a patient is experiencing digestive issues, the plan of care might traditionally consist of gastrointestinal medication plus dietary changes. Adding stress management techniques and acupuncture might enhance the treatment a patient is already receiving.
You may not be aware that Beaumont Health has one of the largest Integrative Medicine departments in the country, providing 25,000 patient appointments each year at four different locations. Beaumont is also a member of the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health, advancing the principles and practices of integrative health care.
Many patients are looking for primary care and specialty providers who either incorporate integrative approaches into their care, or are at least open to collaborating with integrative health providers. We know that there are physicians in the network who fit these criteria. We would like to establish a virtual network of integrative (or integrative friendly) providers with the following goals:
- to increase patient referrals for primary and specialty care
- to educate on integrative medicine topics (we currently offer integrative medicine CME case conferences every other month, in addition to our year-long faculty scholar program)
- to connect providers with resources such as the IM Consortium and others
If you have an interest in discussing how your patients can benefit from integrative medicine, email Maureen Anderson, M.D., medical director of Integrative Medicine, at maureen.anderson@beaumont.org.