Model

New models of care are being designed to improve value and access and reduce cost in the United States. The practitioners of integrative medicine will be leaders in this movement because its philosophy places health creation as its highest priority. Both integrative and conventional medicine will require the assembly of teams of professionals based on the health needs of the community they serve. However, these teams are not simply a potpourri of professionals working independently in proximity. For example, if 30% of a community suffers from obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes, the strategic medical home base will recruit professionals best suited to address this need. This team may include nutritionists, exercise physiologists, spiritual guides, psychologists, health coaches, and physicians. These team members need adequate communication so that the services of each are used to maximize the benefit to the patient. When professionals from varied disciplines come together, shared knowledge allows for insight from different perspectives that can stimulate an “ah ha!” moment in which new ideas allow them to transcend old models of care. When this happens, an interdisciplinary team becomes a transdisciplinary team, and new models of delivery are defined.38 Multifaceted team-based interventions in primary care are more effective in influencing positive lifestyle behaviors than is isolated specialty care