Can Alternative Care Be Both Medically And Cost Effective?

Two disparate health studies have one thing in common: they aim to evaluate the effect of combining conventional and alternative care on health quality and cost. In the first study, researchers evaluated the use of an integrative medicine approach (treating the person as a whole rather than a specific disease) in an Eating Disorders Program. The study focused on insomnia and constipation (two large problems in this population) and found that as compared to the previous program, the integrative medicine program reduced the need for sleep medications from 55 percent to 11 percent. The second study, getting underway in Los Angeles, will, over the next 18 months, offer acupuncture services to a large sample of acute care patients facing a number of diagnoses. Studies have found that acupuncture can be cost effective.

Study 1: An Integrative Approach to Treating Eating Disorders
 
Herman designed the study and conducted the analysis of the integrative medicine eating disorders program at Sierra Tucson www.SierraTucson.com, a widely regarded inpatient behavioral disorder and addiction treatment center in Tucson, AZ. The study compared reported insomnia and constipation and recorded sleep and constipation medication use between patients on the previous eating disorders program and patients on the new integrative medicine program. The integrative medicine protocol consists of a combination of dietary supplements, and alternative therapies such as acupuncture, Shiatsu, and massage. This integrative approach was used in concert with conventional treatments and medications prescribed for those in treatment for eating disorders. The study compared data from patients admitted during two six-month periods—one before and one after the implementation of the integrative medicine program.

After the study review board approval, the researcher reviewed charts to see if an integrated approach had any effect on patient’s reported symptoms and use of conventional medications. Sleep quality remained consistently high on the new program and the requests for prescription sleep medications dropped from 55 percent to 11 percent. In addition, reports of constipation and the use of conventional constipation medication both dropped significantly. According to Dr. Ross, the Chief of the Eating Disorders Program at Sierra Tucson “we are excited by these results, but even more by the benefits to our patients in terms of reduced barriers to refeeding and increased energy and attention on the work needed for recovery.”

Study 2: Acupuncture for Hospitalized Patients: Patient and Cost Effectiveness

The second is being rolled out at LA’s Good Samaritan Hospital (GSH), an affiliate of the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. Herman, who helped design the study and will evaluate the data after the 18-month pilot project is complete, said the team anticipates providing acupuncture treatments to 500 patients with a variety of diagnoses. These include heart attack, congestive heart failure, stroke, coronary artery bypass surgery, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, laminectomy, and hip and knee replacements. Herman will lead the analysis of the cost, quality, and patient satisfaction assessment of the study, which will include a review of patients who were hospitalized in the previous year with similar diagnoses before acupuncture was available.

The study is unique in that (1) it occurs in a hospital setting, (2) it is available to patients with a wide variety of diagnoses, and (3) it tests the effects of offering acupuncture, and so will capture patient acceptance as well as the effects of acupuncture itself. According to Dr. Painovich, “I am pleased that Good Samaritan hospital was willing to be part of a project that is one of the deepest integrations of complementary and conventional medicine in the nation. I believe there is a wealth of knowledge to be gained from this study, and most importantly, the opportunity to achieve a better understanding of how to provide the best of collaborative care for the patient and the healthcare system as a whole."