Imagine seeking care for a complex, chronic medical problem from a chiropractor, naturopath, licensed acupuncturist, and a mainstream medical doctor at one place, at one time. Imagine the possibilities of the four professionals providing individual intake and assessment, then working together to determine the best treatment plan. Imagine, after two appointments, having the information and referrals necessary to tackle an ongoing problem with new vigor, or bring hope in the face of a terminal illness.
The recently opened Integrative Medicine Clinic at Oregon Health and Science University’s Center for Women’s Health, in Portland, is such a place. And it may just pave the way for a new fusion of medical care, resulting in greater collaboration between mainstream practitioners and ‘alternative’ health care providers.
The clinic, a vision of Anne Nedrow, M.D., a recent graduate of Dr. Andrew Weil’s Integrative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Arizona, opened in early January and is already booked through July. “Community response has been tremendous”, she says, “we’re already looking into fall.”
Here’s how the clinic works: a client makes a two-hour consultation appointment and is given a thorough medical questionnaire to complete and return via mail before the consult date. The day of the appointment, the client meets with a chiropractic intern, a naturopathic resident, a licensed acupuncturist (and doctoral student at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine), a fourth-year medical student at OHSU and Dr. Nedrow. The client is interviewed and has the opportunity to ask questions, each practitioner conducts an examination, and the client departs.
The practitioners then meet to discuss possible treatment plans from their respective fields. Ten days later the client returns to receive the finalized plan, as well as resources for follow-up and referrals, if necessary. Because the representatives from each field are students, interns or residents, insurance is billed only for Dr. Nedrow’s time, making the clinic a cost-effective, efficient learning tool for both the practitioners and the patient.
The clinic may well be the only one of its kind in the nation, due in no small part to the fact that Portland is home to a medical school, a college of naturopathic medicine, a chiropractic college, and a college of traditional Chinese medicine. Nedrow’s goal is to bring a patient-oriented team approach to Western medicine. “I’m passionate about helping physicians change the way we think”, she says. Funded through 2007 by a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Nedrow and her colleagues have five years to do just that.
For more information or to book an appointment call, (503) 418-4500 or visit OHSU.
Tanya M. Williams
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