Welcome to the
The Integrated Healthcare Policy Consortium (IHPC) is a broad coalition of healthcare professionals,
patients and organizations driving public policy to ensure all Americans access to safe, high quality,
integrated health care - and to the building blocks of health, including whole foods, and clean air and water.
IHPC was initiated at the request of legislators who support integrated health care and need an organization
that represents the consensus voice of the integrated healthcare communities. IHPC is that trusted voice on The Hill.
IHPC
C O N G R E S S I O N A L B R I E F I N G
Improving American Health Care by Leveling an Uneven Playing Field: Ending Discrimination against Integrated Health Care
The Integrated Healthcare Policy Consortium is a broad coalition of healthcare professionals, patients, and organizations working to ensure all people have access to the full range of safe and regulated conventional, complementary, and alternative healthcare professionals, therapies, and products, and to the building blocks of health, including clean air and water, and a healthy food supply.
On February 2, 2012, two Congressional Briefings were held in Washington, D.C. where panelists provided the following information on Integrated Health Care:
• intro to integrated healthcare and its relationship to the main drivers of healthcare costs
• forms of discrimination against licensed Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) professions: acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, naturopathic medicine, and professional midwifery
• naturopathic medicine — introduction and impediments to practice, given federal and private practices
• discrimination against federally recognized CAM educational institutions
• description of Washington State’s Every Category of Provider Law— including results of its implementation and national implications
Panel members included:
Janet Kahn, PhD, LMT — Research Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont; former Executive Director of the Integrated Healthcare Policy Consortium (IHPC); member of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion and Integrative and Public Health
Jane Guiltinan, ND — Dean of the School of Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University; Past-President, American Association of Naturopathic Physicians
Deborah Senn, JD — Former Insurance Commissioner, State of Washington; attorney and expert in healthcare insurance matters; international consultant on insurance regulation.
Presentation materials, available here for download, included:
- Naturopathic Medicine - Overview, Opportunities and Challenges
A Message From
Dr. Leonard Wisneski
Dear Colleagues and Friends of IHPC,
It is my pleasure to submit the final report of the Affordable Care Act and Beyond: A Stakeholder Conference on Integrated Health Care.
As many of you know, this conference was held in September 2010. The report documents discussions that occurred within the six conference workgroups, and outlines recommendations proposed by each workgroup. It also provides an update of activities that have occurred since the conference (see p.28). The interactive PDF of the report contains hyperlinks and bookmarks that allow readers to easily navigate the report and associated references. A printed version also will be produced for congressional meetings.
As we begin a new year, we have many opportunities and challenges to further promote integrative health care to legislators, health providers, patients, and to the public. The recommendations outlined at the conference are our roadmap to achieving this goal. I welcome your comments regarding the report, as well as any information regarding your activities in supporting integrative health care.
On behalf of our community, I extend my sincere thanks to our conference sponsors, hosts, IHPC Partners for Health, speakers, participants, and all other stakeholders who have contributed to this collaborative effort. I would like to also thank Dan Redwood DC, Janet Kahn PhD, LMT, Michael Traub ND, Pamela Snider ND ,and Amy Neil MS, MAP for their wonderful efforts to write and edit this document.
Wishing all of you health and happiness throughout the New Year.
Len Wisneski, MD
Chair, IHPC
President Barack Obama Appoints Dr. Janet R. Kahn; an important step towards a fully integrative approach to prevention, health promotion and wellness in health care
(Nov. 1, 2011. Washington DC) Janet R. Kahn, PhD, is an expert and long time advocate for a healthcare system that offers all Americans prevention-oriented, cost-effective and health promoting care through the integration of the full range of safe and regulated conventional, complementary, and alternative approaches. During her years on the founding Steering Committee and for six years as Executive Director of the Integrated Health Policy Consortium (IHPC), her focused efforts helped create the unprecedented opportunities for integrated healthcare written into the Affordable Care Act.
Read the full press release.
IHPC welcomes our newest Partner for Health, Sojourns Community Health Clinic. Located in Westminster VT, Sojourns’ mission is to deliver high-quality, affordable health care and educational programs, in a collaborative, client-centered environment. They do this with a staff of 20 clinicians, offering western and naturopathic medicine, biological medicine, chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, homeopathy, bio-resonance, bodywork, Bach flower therapy, nutritional counseling and psychotherapy. Their daily practitioner meetings ensure truly integrated, collaborative patient care. More information can be found at www.sojourns.org
There has been so much misinformation about this bill we thought we should make it available for those of you who want
to read it all.
For those of you who want to just look at some of the key provisions for our community, a summary of IHPC highlighted
provisions that we, and you, and others, worked hard to get into the bill is also available.
There is more in the bill that will be important to us, and we will be explaining it to you in the coming months. But
right now we are busy because Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services are heading into what is called
Rulemaking. This is where they take the language of a bill including sometimes vague language and decide how it is
going to be implemented. So there is no time to rest on our laurels we are busy making the most of the provisions we
all got into the bill. Follow us on our new Twitter page as we
meet with legislators, their staff and DHHS personnel.
We will be polling you soon to learn what your priorities are for continued health care reform. If you are not already
part of our Online Action Network please sign up now
so that your views will be included.
View the bill, as signed (this is a .pdf file)
View IHPC highlights (this is a .doc file)
View the folks on our Federal Policy Committee
IHPC's Partners for Health program is made up of non-profit educational and advocacy organizations across the CAM / conventional spectrum, working together toward our shared goals.
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