| Abstract/Notes |
With passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, federal law for the first time mentions “integrative health care,” endorsing it as a key component of America’s future health care system, while also recognizing a new designation of provider, the “integrative health care practitioner.” However, the law defines neither of these terms. Their ultimate definitions, and the extent to which these may foreshadow a revitalized system of health care delivery, remain very much in play. Discussions exploring the nature of integrative health care have matured in recent years. But no matter how brilliantly conceived, integrative delivery systems cannot be sufficiently functional and sustainable unless the people working within them substantially embody the core values and skills of integrative practice. Integrative structures require integrated individuals, and to the extent that these values and skills are absent or deemphasized in health professions training programs and in the personal beliefs and behaviors of practitioners, the broader reform mission is in jeopardy. A sustainable integrative health care system must identify and nurture beliefs and behaviors that model health-affirming ideals, including patient-centeredness, openness, pluralism, holism, preventive self-care, harmony of action and belief, and minimalism. This abstract is reproduced with the permission of the publisher. Click on the above link for free full text. Link to PDF version.
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