News, Policy & Economics

Naturopathic Medicine, Prescribing Rights & The Hard Road to a Better Health Care System

By Michael Traub, ND, DHANP, FABNO | Contributing Writer - Vol. 11, No. 1. , 2010

Last year, Hawaii naturopaths won a major victory when the state legislature expanded their independent prescribing authority. No sooner had the ink dried then the Hawaii Medical Assocation, with blessings from the AMA, sought to repeal the new law. The opposition is troubling given the dire shortage of primary care MDs in Hawaii and many other states.

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New Survey Shows Physicians Groups Prefer Medicare to Privates

By Erik L. Goldman | Editor-in-Chief - Vol. 10, No. 4. , 2009

Doctors may not exactly love Medicare, but a new survey shows they prefer it to the big private insurance plans when it comes to matters like payer communications, contract negotiation, payment processing, and overall satisfaction.

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Heal Thy Practice 2010: Platforms for Preventive Health Care

By Janet Gulland | Contributing Writer - Vol. 10, No. 4. , 2009

For too many physicians, primary care practice feels like a shoe that just doesn’t fit. Like bewitched sisters in the children’s story, Cinderella, they’re cutting off parts of their feet in order to fit the shoes they believe they must wear.

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Physicians, Techies & Policymakers Try to Close the Primary Care IT Gap

By Erik L. Goldman | Editor-in-Chief - Vol. 9, No. 3. , 2008

If well designed and carefully implemented, electronic medical records (EMRs) can improve patient care, reduce medical errors and save physicians a lot of money. But cost factors and time demands have conspired so that fewer than 10% of all solo and small group practices have EMRs. A growing number of IT-savvy physicians, software designers and policymakers hope to change that.

What to Do – And What Not to Do – If Your State Medical Board Comes A’Calling

By Erik L. Goldman | Editor-in-Chief - Vol. 9, No. 3. , 2008

Disciplinary action from a state medical board is among every physician’s worst nightmares, and in some states, doctors who practice holistic medicine are especially vulnerable. But if you know your state laws, practice scrupulously, obtain informed consent from patients, and you’ve got competent legal backup, you have little to worry about, according to Alan Dumoff, JD, an attorney who specializes in representing integrative physicians.

New Board Offers Nutrition Certification for All Licensed Health Care Professionals

By Arthur A. Fierro, DC | Contributing Writer - Vol. 9, No. 2. , 2008

In an effort to improve nutrition education for all health care professionals, he American Clinical Board of Nutrition (ACBN) has launched the first federally-recognized nutrition science certification program. Certification is open to licensed health professionals from any and all of the healing disciplines.

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Institute of Medicine’s Summit on Integrative Medicine: Revolution! Reform! Reimbursement?

By Erik L. Goldman | Editor-in-Chief - Vol. 10, No. 2. , 2009

Revolution and reform were major themes at the Institute of Medicine’s historic Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Public Health. But it’s another “R” word reimbursement that will determine what a reformed, integrated system will really deliver. IOM delegates called for a radical shift toward prevention and “wellness” but no one is sure how that transformation will be financed.

Natural Medicine & Healthcare Reform: Taking Our Places, Raising Our Voices

By Michael Traub, ND, FABNO - Vol. 10, No. 2. , 2009

Health policy experts are concerned that health care reform efforts could be stymied by a severe lack of primary care doctors. The problem could be attenuated if those presiding over reform would allow the thousands of licensed or license-eligible naturopaths and other holistic non-MD practitioners help to shape and then participate in a reformed health care system.

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