How Supporting the Mind-Body Connection Strengthens — and Grows — Relationships with Patients
// By Lisa D. Ellis //
Sometimes the best marketing opportunities come from just naturally doing the right thing for the people you serve.
That’s certainly been the case for Beaumont Health, headquartered in Southfield, Michigan. Its commitment to caring for the community extends beyond addressing people’s physical health to also supporting their mental and spiritual well-being through an array of integrative medicine offerings. These holistic treatments, offered through Beaumont’s extensive Integrative Medicine Department, have resulted in many benefits for the system, including improved patient outcomes and increased satisfaction. They’ve also proven to be a very effective marketing “tool” to attract new customers.
Understanding the Landscape
To understand the strategy, it helps to be familiar with the setting. Beaumont Health is a large nonprofit system in Michigan, serving people in the southeast part of the state with eight hospitals; 174 outpatient sites; almost 5,000 physicians; and 38,000 employees. The system also serves as a major teaching center, training the next generation of medical professionals.
Gail Patricolo, GradCertCAM, director of integrative medicine at Beaumont
Its journey with incorporating holistic treatment into its offerings really began more than a decade ago, according to Gail Patricolo, GradCertCAM, director of integrative medicine at Beaumont. Beaumont initially hired her specifically to provide important integrative treatments for oncology patients, including massage, acupuncture, reiki, yoga, and guided imagery.
“Initially these services were only for oncology patients, since the oncologists and radiologists were trying to find ways to help them, but I felt strongly that family, caregivers, and oncology staff should also be included,” she says.