title: Relevance of Quality Measurement to Integrative Healthcare in the United States.
abstract: With the advent of new models for payment and delivery of healthcare services, the use of quality measures for continual improvement of clinical healthcare is now an integral feature of medical practice in the United States. However, quality measurement and quality improvement activities are not common practice among integrative health providers. This article discusses the import and application of quality measurement to the practice of integrative healthcare. It reviews developments in the healthcare quality improvement movement, explores the relevance of quality measures to integrative healthcare, describes examples of the current use of quality measures in integrative health practice, discusses discriminatory policies that may prevent participation in quality improvement by integrative health practitioners, and makes recommendations for practice and policy.
authors.affiliation: 1 SCU Health System, Southern California University of Health Sciences , Whittier, CA.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Whedon
authors.affiliation: 2 Maine Medical Center , Portland, ME.
authors.forename: Molly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Punzo
authors.affiliation: 3 National College of Natural Medicine , Portland, OR.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dehen
authors.affiliation: 4 Saybrook University , College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences, Oakland, CA.|5 Crocker Institute , Kiawah Island, SC.
authors.forename: Martha Brown
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Menard
authors.affiliation: 6 Casey Health Institute , Gaithersburg, MD.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fogel
authors.affiliation: 7 Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health , Mercer Island, WA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olejownik
mesh_terms: D000529:Complementary Therapies; D006801:Humans; D055048:Integrative Medicine; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States
keywords: integrative medicine; quality improvement; quality indicators