21B. A Horizontal Integration Business Model for Integrative Medicine: Sustainability through Integration

Abstract

Focus Area: Sustainable Business ModelsIn 2012, with solely institutional support, the University of Cincinnati officially launched its Center for Integrative Health and Wellness, focused on developing integrative medicine clinical, research, and education initiatives horizontally across the academic health center. Given that Integrative Medicine (IM) is intrinsically interdisciplinary, the UC Center purposively functions according to a horizontal integration business and clinical model, rather than as a siloed vertical structure within one specific clinical or academic area. As opposed to building a separate freestanding physical clinical site, the clinical services are co-located within existing Centers for Excellence and established clinical programs including, for example, a new 25 000–squarefoot Women's Health Center, our Cancer Center, and a Neuroscience Center in development. With its own cost center, IM maintains financial independence while capitalizing on cross-programmatic marketing, development, and infrastructure. Faculty members across the academic health center were engaged early on in the development and planning of the Center in order to inform clinical services tailored to their specific patient populations. The Director of the IM program systematically delivered Grand Rounds across Departments in the College of Medicine in order to market, promote, and plan the IM expansion across the medical school. With an embedded horizontal model of clinical integration, both the financial risks and the successes of the IM program are collaborative and intrinsically shared for optimal sustainability. The Center's future plan for sustainability involves: (1) revenue-generating IM consults and shared medical visits billable through insurance; (2) trainings and wellness educational events; (3) philanthropic support and endowments; (4) federally funded research and education grants; (5) close partnering with the established Integrative Care Department at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; and (6) continuing to build strategic horizontal partnerships.