Why integrate? From the website of Port Moody Integrated Health: “Integrated medicine is not simply a synonym for complemen -tary medicine. Complementary medicine refers to treatments that may be used as adjuncts to conventional treatment and are not usually taught in medical schools. Integrated medicine has a larger meaning and mission, its focus being on health and healing rather than disease and treatment. It views patients as whole people with minds and spirits as well as bodies and includes these dimensions into diagnosis and treatment. It also involves patients and doctors working to maintain health by paying attention to lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, quality of rest and sleep, and the nature of relationships.” – Dr. David Wang, ND ® “The role of the doctor is to assess, treat, plan and mon-itor the care while overseeing the team,” says Dr. Bair-Patel. “For example, if a client comes in with a disc herniation, they will receive chiropractic care for associated injuries, laser therapy for the disc herniation, nutrition counselling to speed healing, and eventually, once the pain is under control, they will be placed on an active rehabilitation pro-gram and given ergonomic modifications in order to mini-mize the risk of recurrence.” Integrating the four businesses under one roof, however, was not an easy task. “Integration doesn’t just happen be-cause you move in together,” says Rebecca, the clinic direc-tor. “It takes work. At the start, we hashed out the vision, mission and values, why we’re here – to create a culture of health. It took some time for our care providers and em-ployees (about 20) to build consensus and a sense of team.” It’s taken about two years to get out of silos, she says, “but we are now where we want to be, and feel true to our name.” They have ongoing quarterly meetings with all staff. The first three were all about developing the mission and vision, and nowadays, they are focused on team building, education and improvements. “All the staff are knowledgeable about all areas,” says Rebecca. “Staff is everything, and we are very happy with our team. We encourage staff to take advantage of all that the centre has to offer.” More and more patients are presenting to the centre, attracted to the broad-based approach and the ability to receive many services under one roof. “We continue to work on how to stay true to our values and grow at the same time,” she says. “We are looking for a physiotherapist, but we are figuring out how that role will integrate.” Another area of ongoing growth is the footwear division. “So many people in the area still don’t know it’s there,” she notes. Strong on inflammation, gentle on patients Effective relief of muscle and joint pain, as well as inflammation associated with injuries. Supported by over two dozen scientific studies, Traumeel S is a clinically proven preparation formulated to help regulate inflammation. ® Traumeel S relieves muscle pain, bruising and inflammation associated with injuries such as sprains and contusions, as well as joint pain. ® www.heel.ca www.traumeel.ca For more on practice management, visit www.canadianchiropractor.ca. www.canadianchiropractor.ca December 2013 Canadian Chiropractor 37
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