Access
1 view
Skip to first unread message
Della
Oct 31, 2008, 10:47:50 AM10/31/08
to MA Acupuncture Insurance
I want to speak to the last point in Lonny's posting: access.
Access to health and healthcare are obviously not the same thing.
Knowledge, language, physical wellbeing, cognitive abilities, family
dynamics, gender, poverty and race at various times and places impact
an individual's access to both health and healthcare. In fact,
"healthcare" and particularly the "healthcare system" are clearly not
accurate terms to describe what is operating in American society
today. In the words of Rhode Island family physician Michael Fine
(author of The Nature of Health: How America Lost, and Can Regain, a
Basic Human Value), it is more accurate to call the "healthcare
system" the "medical industry".
If providing access to Chinese / Asian medicine is important to you,
do not wait! Begin today to think and work toward applying your
skills, education, and heart to a way of practicing that allows you to
align your values with your work. The best way I know to burn out as
a professional, or in any endeavor, is to have my values not in
agreement with my work!
You do not have to be particularly generous to make acupuncture
accessible to the vast majority of individuals in your community. You
may need to change the way you deliver care, but you CAN make it
affordable and accessible to all types of people.
I make a good living treating 50-60 patients each week. I practice
Chinese herbal medicine, and in addition to acupuncture, many of my
patients are taking custom herbal formulas which I prepare. My
intention is to continue to grow, treat more patients, and hire
acupuncturists to work with me. My patients love our fees and there
is a spirit of generosity in my clinic that comes from my patients.
How am I doing this? I operate a community acupuncture clinic in the
outer suburbs of Boston. It is not public health work and it is not
charity. Many of my patients are wealthy, many are not. They all
have access and feel cared for. I am practicing in the most
traditional practice style I know of: in a community setting.
Access can be *very* important to you and you can make a very good
living: generosity isn't the operative word. An accessible clinic
isn't based on generosity or charity: accessibility doesn't have to
come out of the acupuncturist's pocket. It's based on a good business
plan, good pricing, and a practice style that meshes your setting with
great clinical outcomes.
There are many styles of acupuncture that will work in a sliding
scale / community setting. And you can do this now, all without
insurance coverage.
Wishing you each a successful practice,
Della
Della Lawhon, LAc
MetroWest Whole Health
89 Main Street., #211
Medway, MA 02053
508.533.0808
de...@metrowestwholehealth.com
Access to health and healthcare are obviously not the same thing.
Knowledge, language, physical wellbeing, cognitive abilities, family
dynamics, gender, poverty and race at various times and places impact
an individual's access to both health and healthcare. In fact,
"healthcare" and particularly the "healthcare system" are clearly not
accurate terms to describe what is operating in American society
today. In the words of Rhode Island family physician Michael Fine
(author of The Nature of Health: How America Lost, and Can Regain, a
Basic Human Value), it is more accurate to call the "healthcare
system" the "medical industry".
If providing access to Chinese / Asian medicine is important to you,
do not wait! Begin today to think and work toward applying your
skills, education, and heart to a way of practicing that allows you to
align your values with your work. The best way I know to burn out as
a professional, or in any endeavor, is to have my values not in
agreement with my work!
You do not have to be particularly generous to make acupuncture
accessible to the vast majority of individuals in your community. You
may need to change the way you deliver care, but you CAN make it
affordable and accessible to all types of people.
I make a good living treating 50-60 patients each week. I practice
Chinese herbal medicine, and in addition to acupuncture, many of my
patients are taking custom herbal formulas which I prepare. My
intention is to continue to grow, treat more patients, and hire
acupuncturists to work with me. My patients love our fees and there
is a spirit of generosity in my clinic that comes from my patients.
How am I doing this? I operate a community acupuncture clinic in the
outer suburbs of Boston. It is not public health work and it is not
charity. Many of my patients are wealthy, many are not. They all
have access and feel cared for. I am practicing in the most
traditional practice style I know of: in a community setting.
Access can be *very* important to you and you can make a very good
living: generosity isn't the operative word. An accessible clinic
isn't based on generosity or charity: accessibility doesn't have to
come out of the acupuncturist's pocket. It's based on a good business
plan, good pricing, and a practice style that meshes your setting with
great clinical outcomes.
There are many styles of acupuncture that will work in a sliding
scale / community setting. And you can do this now, all without
insurance coverage.
Wishing you each a successful practice,
Della
Della Lawhon, LAc
MetroWest Whole Health
89 Main Street., #211
Medway, MA 02053
508.533.0808
de...@metrowestwholehealth.com
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages