Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care
ACCAHC Update: Project for Integrative Health and the Triple Aim
The Center for Optimal Integration: Creating Health of the Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care (ACCAHC) has launched 2 key projects. These are meant to fulfill the organization's mission to support diverse communities of learning by sharing useful and timely information to support the values, practices, and disciplines of integrative health and medicine. In March, Global Advances in Health and Medicine featured an overview of the Project to Enhance Research Literacy (PERL). This month, the spotlight turns to the Project for Integrative Health and the Triple Aim (PIHTA).
The PIHTA initiative promotes the intersection between the values of integrative health and medicine (treating the whole person, using least invasive methods first, partnering with others, supporting self-care, and creating health) and the goals of the Triple Aim, which are reducing costs, enhancing the patient experience, and improving population health. To support engagement and implementation decisions, the project features a growing body of high-quality research and gray literature evidence showing how the Triple Aim is advanced through integrative practices and professions. The project showcases applied aspects of this intersection. As an example, the PIHTA repository includes a descriptive listing of integrative patient-centered medical homes. In addition, given the growing number of employer-led worksite health clinics, the “examples in practice” section will expand to include profiles on these unique environments that are including integrative professions to increase productivity and to contain costs.
PIHTA is being developed to serve a diverse group of stakeholders including employers, patient-centered medical homes, accountable care organizations (ACOs), insurers, governmental payers, hospitals and health systems, practitioners, administrators, and educators—groups and individuals interested in how the integrative professions can support the changing healthcare landscape. To promote ongoing dialogue, PIHTA launched the webinar series “A Short Course on Understanding the Triple Aim Landscape.” One session features a former deputy director for strategic planning at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on ACOs and the potential for integrative health. Another, from the chief executive officer of The Beryl Institute (Bedford, Texas), examines integrative health in patient experience improvement. The series will conclude with a 4-person panel of experts exploring how the integrative professions are concordant and discordant with existing quality measures. Each is or will be available through this link.
In 2015, PIHTA plans a second webinar series, “Voices from the Field: Examples in Practice” with a more granular understanding about how integrative health operates against the backdrop of the changing health-care landscape. In partnership with the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), PIHTA is also assisting in the development of a tool kit about credentialing and privileging mechanisms for the integrative professions. PIHTA has received grant support from Visual Outcomes, The CHP Group, the Leo S. Guthman Fund, and Life University.
Submitted by: Jennifer Olejownik, PhD, project manager, ACCAHC
Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health
The Consortium, an organization devoted to advancing the principles of integrative medicine and health within academic institutions, has recently changed its name from the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine to the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health. In addition to providing its 61 institutional members with a community of support for the academic missions, the Consortium is interested in strengthening its partnerships with other organizations to advance integrative healthcare.
The Consortium held its annual meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from May 3-5, 2015. The meeting was filled with great programming and networking. Karen Feinstein, PhD, the president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, gave the Bravewell Lecture and urged members of the Consortium to continue to move integrative medicine forward. The Bravewell Service Award was presented to James Dalen, MD, MPH, for his tireless contribution to the Consortium's mission. Bill George, professor of management practice at Harvard Business School, led the meeting attendees through a day of “Discovering Your True North.” The Consortium's Working Groups met and presented their goals and strategies for helping to meet the Consortium's 2015 strategic priorities. And, of course, it would not have been a Consortium annual meeting without networking and socializing at the women's and men's gatherings and dinner at Pittsburgh's famed LeMont restaurant.
For the past 6 months, a task force led by Ather Ali of Yale Medical School worked on the redesign of the Consortium's website (www.imconsortium.org). The fruits of their labors were unveiled during the annual meeting. Take a look at the new design, and let us know what you think.
The Consortium is very happy to again offer the Leadership and Education Program for Students in Integrative Medicine (LEAPS into IM) this year with the assistance of the American Medical Student Association. For the first time, recognizing the interprofessional nature of integrative medicine, the program was open to students from other professional schools in addition to medical schools. This June, 30 students will attend LEAPS at the Old Mission San Luis Rey Retreat Center in Oceanside, California, and focus on IM education, leadership skills, and developing projects to implement at their home schools.
Submitted by: Margaret Chesney, PhD, chair, Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health
Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine
More than 70 renowned speakers—including Deepak Chopra, Harriet Beinfeld, Tieraona Low Dog, Gail Christopher, Mimi Guarneri, Joe Pizzorno, Jean Watson, Jeffrey Bland, Lise Alschuler, Efrem Korngold, Scott Haldeman, Ilarion Merculieff, Michael Pritchard, Charlotte Brody, and Dean Ornish—will speak at the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine's 2nd Annual Conference, “People, Planet, Purpose: Global Practitioners United in Health & Healing,” October 25-29, 2015, in San Diego, California.
The conference is an interdisciplinary evolution. Attendees will choose between multiple tracks: energy medicine, detoxification, advocacy and health policy, pain management, environmental medicine, and more. Two full days of plenary sessions will bookend the event on days 1 and 5. AIHM members receive a 10% discount for attendance to the conference.
The 5-day experience features Crone & Sage School and an evening relaxation event with labyrinth and self-care stations. The member meeting & reception, poster reception, gala dinner (with special guest speaker), and dance will be popular.
The Integrative Medicine Board Review Course, a 3-day concurrent track, has been specially designed for physicians preparing for the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM) exam and practitioners seeking a deep dive into integrative medicine.
Three full-day pre-conference workshops are offered on October 24th: The Business of Integrative Health and Medicine; Integrative Cancer Care Strategies; and Embracing Change, Practices for Resiliency will offer participants 3 unique ways learn from AIHM luminaries.
The emerging partnership between AIHM and the Integrative Health Policy Consortium (IHPC) highlights how collaboration is at the forefront of AIHM's work. Our work together expands AIHM's advocacy reach and amplifies IHPC's voice.
AIHM announces its plans for a multidisciplinary fellowship program under the direction of Dr Low Dog. The fellowship, a 2-year program of online content and 4 residential weeks, will include a unique clinical component. Steeped in the values of AIHM, this first truly integrative fellowship is rooted in deep respect; professionals will learn with and from each other. Participants will include advanced practitioners with diagnostic capabilities: medical doctors, doctors of osteopath, naturopathic doctors, and doctors of chiropractic; certified nurse midwives; physicians' assistants and nurse practitioners; dentists; and licensed acupuncturists, nutritionists, dieticians, and others as the program evolves. We anticipate rapid filling of our first class in February 2015. For more information, visit www.aihm.org.
A membership to AIHM means commitment to bringing integrative health to the mainstream and joining a community of like-hearted peers with varying backgrounds but a similar mission: to be the change we wish to see in the world.
Submitted by: Nan Sudak, executive director, AIHM
American Public Health Association
The American Public Health Association sponsored the annual National Public Health Week (NPHW) April 6-12, 2015. President Barack Obama marked the occasion by issuing a proclamation underscoring the value of public health workers and their contribution to the health of the nation. An excerpt of his proclamation reads as follows:
“America's public health is deeply tied to the health of our environment. As our planet becomes more interconnected and our climate continues to warm, we face new threats to our safety and wellbeing. In the past 3 decades, the percentage of Americans with asthma has more than doubled, and climate change is putting these individuals and many other vulnerable populations at greater risk of landing in the hospital. Rising temperatures can lead to more smog, longer allergy seasons, and an increased incidence of extreme weather–related injuries and illnesses.
“My administration is dedicated to combating the health impacts of climate change. As part of my Climate Action Plan, we have proposed the first-ever carbon pollution limits for existing power plants—standards that would help Americans live longer, healthier lives. And as we continue to ensure the resilience of our healthcare system, we are working to prepare our healthcare facilities to handle the effects of a changing planet. Climate change is no longer a distant threat. Its effects are felt today, and its costs can be measured in human lives. Every person, every community, and every nation has a duty to protect the health of all our children and grandchildren, and my Administration is committed to leading this effort.
“We are shifting the focus of our country's healthcare system from sickness and disease to wellness and prevention. First Lady Michelle Obama's “Let's Move!” Initiative is working to make it easier for parents and children to make healthy choices about the food they eat and the exercise they get every day. With partners around the world, the United States launched the Global Health Security Agenda to help prevent, detect, and respond to outbreaks before they become epidemics. And my administration is taking aggressive, coordinated actions to slow the emergence and prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”
NPHW provides an opportunity for highlighting the myriad of activities that constitute public health. Encompassing all stages of life—from prenatal care throughout the life cycle—NPHW is a time to appreciate the many contributions of health workers to community health, wellness, and prevention.
More information can be accessed at http://apha.org/events-and-meetings/national-public-health-week.
Submitted by: Beth Sommers, PhD, MPH, LAc
Integrative Healthcare Policy Consortium
Homeopathic Stakeholders Speak Volumes to the FDA
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called for a Part 15 Public Hearing on April 20-21, 2015. The hearing, titled “Homeopathic Product Regulation: Evaluating the Food and Drug Administration's Regulatory Framework After a Quarter Century” was held at the FDA White Oak Campus in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The agenda consisted of 37 speakers, each allotted 5 to 10 minutes with the triumvirate of homeopathic pharmacists from the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists (AAHP) given 25 minutes. The panel was made up of FDA regulators.
Homeopathic stakeholders from provider and consumer groups to poison control centers, university professors, and policy advocates presented a united voice that spoke volumes about the safety, efficacy, and choice that homeopathic products represent.
Industry messaging was clear. The regulatory processes that are in place are working. The Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) 400.400 has been very successful in promoting the FDA's public health mission. The majority of homeopathic drug products in the market are manufactured and labeled in substantial compliance with the CPG and the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, ensuring that consumers have safe and clearly identified homeopathic products to choose for their health needs. The CPG has contributed significantly to improving cost, quality, and access to safe homeopathic drug products that provide consumer choice for the American population. Overwhelmingly, the stake-holders agreed that the current regulatory structure is adequate to meet the needs and consumer access and standards of quality by homeopathic drug manufacturers.
Alyssa Wostrel, executive director of the Integrative Health Policy Consortium (IHPC), requested the need for a working alliance between the FDA and the homeopathic industry in the form of an expert liaison. Ms Wostrel additionally highlighted the need for clear consumer education to facilitate responsible choices while accessing the healthcare products of their choice.
IHPC was formed in 2002 at the behest of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions to be the unified voice for integrative health on Capitol Hill. IHPC was instrumental in crafting language for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) identifying integrative healthcare practitioners and for lobbying for, along with others, the inclusion of 7 points of legislation in support of integrative care in the ACA. Since the passage of the ACA, IHPC has been in the vanguard of implementing consumer choice and access to integrative health via its CoverMyCare Campaign, www.covermycare.org.
Homeopathic products accounted for an estimated $1 billion in out-of-pocket expenditures in the United States in 2012, according to research by Mintel Market Research. A Stanford University study of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among seniors, our fastest growing population segment, found that 5.8% of seniors surveyed use homeopathy and experienced greater symptom relief compared to other CAM options.
The FDA panel's questions demonstrated a sincere interest in ensuring that the public/consumers understand homeopathy and the products they were purchasing.
As of June 5, a transcript of the hearing is available.
Submitted by: Nancy Gahles, DC, CCH, at-large board member, IHPC