Hospitals Are Implementing Integrative Medicine Programs

Integrative Medicine Hospitals ABOIMAcross the country, hospitals are implementing Integrative Medicine programs in response to an uptick in demand from patients for complementary and alternative treatment options. In fact, Integrative Medicine has become one of the fastest-growing specialties in North American healthcare because it strives to leverage all treatment methods available to deliver the best possible patient outcomes. At the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS), we recognized the growing demand for Integrative Medicine and developed the nation’s first and only Member Board dedicated solely to providing board certification in this field – the American Board of Integrative Medicine® (ABOIM). We work with hospital recruiters, credentialing bodies, and healthcare organizations of all sizes to ensure that our Diplomates have the opportunity to help this specialty continue to evolve and become further integrated in community healthcare systems.

Integrative Medicine Board Certification

The growth of Integrative Medicine programs in American hospitals is particularly notable when you consider the significant legwork that goes into opening a new department in an established hospital organization. Not only does it require significant inter-departmental cooperation to handle the legwork associated with starting a new department, hospital recruiters also must be sure to recruit highly trained physicians who specialize in this emerging field. This is where the ABOIM can be extremely beneficial. Our community of Diplomates have met our rigorous eligibility requirements, passed a standardized, psychometrically validated written examination, and demonstrated verified experience in the field. In other words, this process can help recruiters determine competency in the specialty among physician candidates.

Core Principles of Integrative Medicine

Integrative medicine emphasizes a holistic approach to patient care, evaluating the entire person—mind, body, and spirit—rather than just symptoms or diseases. This comprehensive perspective helps physicians fully understand a patient’s health and collaborate effectively to enhance their overall well-being. As integrative medicine continues to receive wider recognition, its core principles steadfastly guide its practice:

  • To take into account all factors that impact health, wellness, and disease.
  • To integrate both conventional and alternative methods to support the body’s natural healing processes.
  • To prefer less invasive and less harmful interventions when suitable, addressing the whole person in addition to the disease.
  • To ensure that medical practices are grounded in rigorous science, encourage continual inquiry, and remain receptive to new ideas.
  • To foster healthcare as a cooperative partnership between the physician and the patient.

At the ABOIM, we work closely with hospital recruiters, lawmakers, credentialers, and other stakeholders to ensure that our Diplomates are given ample opportunity to help this emerging specialty continue to grow across the country. Today, our Diplomates work in hospitals of all sizes, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and various other leading healthcare providers across North America.

It is our belief that having highly experienced, eminently qualified physicians on staff is of the utmost importance for any healthcare organization, and hospital recruiters can be confident that our Diplomate pool includes physicians who are among the best and brightest in Integrative Medicine.

Integrative Medicine Pioneer Endorses ABOIM

Andrew Weil, MD, the founder of integrative medicine, fully supports the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM), praising its establishment as a crucial advancement for the specialty.

“As a founder of the field of Integrative Medicine, I strongly support the American Board of Integrative Medicine,” Weil said. “The formation of ABOIM marks an important milestone in the development of the field. Finally there’s a way for qualified physicians to present themselves as experts in offering competent integrative care to patients.”

To learn more about the ABOIM or the ABPS, contact us today.

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Medical organizations throughout North America understand that our rigorous certification standards prove that ABPS Diplomates are capable of delivering the best patient care possible.

With declining access for maternity care amid rising maternal mortality, ABPS and their Board Certification in Family Medicine Obstetrics has been essential for me and many of my colleagues in getting privileges and thereby creating local access for mothers and their children.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
John B. Waits, MD
Family Medicine Obstetrics
Board certification through the American Board of Physician Specialties has served to substantiate my interest and additional training in several fields of medicine including Internal Medicine, Disaster Medicine, and Administrative Medicine. As a result, I have been able to serve my community in clinical, disaster response, and administrative medicine roles. Through the ABPS, I have become recognized as a leader in my various fields of interest.

Spencer Price MD, MPH, MBA
Administrative Medicine
In this era, when continuous updated medical knowledge means so much to you, when quality of emergency care matters most to you ,when you need to excel in your medical career to continue providing exceptional service to your critically ill patients, please consider board certification with the Boad of Certification in Emergency Medicine (BCEM). Where your knowledge & expertise translates to credentialing & certification with wider approval & recognition every day at many fronts. We Welcome you to join our team for a brighter future of our emergency healthcare where dedication to profession relies not solely on clinical practice but also on sound academic certification.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Ashraf A. Gerges, MD, FAAEP
Emergency Medicine
Board certification in Orthopedic Surgery through the American Board of Physician Specialties validated my training and surgical experience through a process that was both rigorous and respectful of real-world practice. ABPS recognizes clinical competence, not just credentials, and that sets it apart.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Orthopedic Surgery
The American Board of Physician Specialties is a forward- thinking organization that focuses on where Medicine is going, not just where it has been. Traditional Certification Boards like Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Dermatology are represented as are Integrative Medicine, Disaster Medicine, and Family Medicine-Obstetrics. Physicians appreciate the ability to showcase their skills and knowledge through Board Certification, and this organization allows excellent physicians the ability to bring their skills to patients. The dedication and commitment of this organization and its volunteers will ensure ongoing distinction and commitment for decades to come.

Jeffrey B. Stricker, DO, MBA, FAASD
Jeffrey B. Stricker, DO, MBA, FAASD
Dermatology
Serving as a member on the American board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM) for many years and now serving as a Member at Large of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) has been an enriching and rewarding experience. The board’s commitment to excellence, integrity, and positive impact is truly inspiring. I am grateful to collaborate with such a dedicated and visionary group, and I am proud of the meaningful progress we continue to achieve together.

Arti Prasad, MD, FACP
Arti Prasad, MD, FACP
Integrative Medicine
There are many ways board certification advances a physician career. ABPS Board examination verifies your accuracy, precision, and reflects your mastery of your residency training verifying your expertise. ABPS Board certification demonstrates your level of expertise beyond your practice experience, primary education degrees, and training which are necessary for insurance reimbursement and practice privilege requirements. Attaining your ABPS Board Certification will clarify your purpose, secure your practice growth, and expand into leadership positions. Board certification can serve as an indication of a physician’s commitment to medicine, beyond the minimal standards and competency of training, their measurement to quality of care, and attaining an award for excellence.

Chris Kunis MD
Internal Medicine
When the American Board of Physician Specialties offered to host the American Board of Integrative Medicine, ABPS became a landmark organization working to move medicine into the twenty first century. Certifying physicians who have completed rigorous academic training in Integrative Medicine ensures that the field of Integrative Medicine will continue to develop academically, clinically, and professionally. The leadership of ABPS continues to impress me - they are diligent in constantly innovating to provide certifications for physicians who want to advance their careers and their areas of expertise. I am honored to be a part of this organization.

Ann Marie Chiasson, MD
Integrative Medicine
On October 18, 2007, President George W. Bush released Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21 (HSPD-21), calling on our nation, among other initiatives, to “collectively support and facilitate the establishment of a discipline of disaster health”. It is a great testament to the wisdom and foresight of the American Board of Physician Specialties that it immediately set to work and created, within the short span of only one year, an educational blueprint and set of certification examinations, both written and oral, for a new subspecialty of disaster medicine—and it is why I chose to be part this vital initiative and this wonderful organization. This is but one of the many innovative programs initiated by the American Board of Physician Specialties over the years, and why I am proud to support its work on behalf of our nation’s public health.

Art Cooper, MD
Disaster Medicine
Far too often, medicine is led by less than 5% of non-practicing physicians taking away and replacing the voice of the 95% of physicians practicing and placing patient safety and care first on the front lines every day. The American Board of Physician Specialties has raised the standards in physician board certification not only in the quality of their boards of certification, but in hearing and allowing for the voice of those active physicians caring directly for patients. Having been a part of the ABPS over the last 28 years has allowed me to grow as a woman leader in a field often wrought with challenges. It helped me and others raise the bar of the standards of care in my specialty, Emergency Medicine, through their Board Certification in Emergency Medicine (BCEM). ABPS also helped raise the standards of care for 21st century medicine through their certifications in other specialties, particularly in Integrative Medicine & Disaster Medicine. Having physician voices heard matters to medicine and is essential in the betterment of patient safety and care.

Sarah E. Gilbert, MD, FAAEP
Sarah E. Gilbert, MD, FAAEP
Emergency Medicine