This approach encourages employees to be proactive and savvy about their healthcare, often for monetary incentives. If you have some free time visit this

Katz tells the story of a man who underwent abdominal surgery, and, for several months afterward, had painful adhesions that were keeping him up all night. He had sought treatment from many different physicians, but it wasn't until he came to the Griffin Center for Integrative Medicine that he found relief. Allopathic and naturopathic physicians worked together to come up with a plan to make him pain-free, Katz says. First, the man was given medication that would allow him to sleep through the night. Doing so allowed his body to begin the healing process.

At Hartford, offering the services is about pleasing the patient, which can lead to more business down the road for the 867-bed hospital. Although it would be nice to be able to show the program is a success financially, Rothwell says integrative medicine won't be a big moneymaker for most hospitals.

As all marketers know, when a patient leaves the hospital feeling good and well cared for, it is likely he or she will tell their family, friends, and neighbors about the high-quality care that they've experienced. That kind of marketing is invaluable to programs like this, Fassino says.

Woodwinds is not alone. According to the AMA, one in four U.S. hospitals now offers integrative or complementary medicine to its patients. No longer "alternative," more and more physicians are realizing the benefits of combining traditional medicine with healing therapies, as evidenced by the National Institutes of Health's Web site, buy viagra, which now includes a whole section on these therapies.

St. John Health planned to open a $23 million medical campus in Macomb County in July.

The 51-acre campus offers an emergency department (ED), same-day surgeries, cancer radiation and chemotherapy services, and a range of testing.

Henry Ford Health System was expected to finalize the purchase of the St. Joseph Healthcare System, a 435-bed hospital, the same month.

The St. Joseph System has medical facilities in central and northern Macomb County. With 3,000 staffers and more than 700 doctors, it is the largest system in the county, the Free Press says.