Volume XIII, Number 3: Fall 2006
CAM Offerings in U.S. Hospitals
A recently released survey on CAM, conducted for the American Hospital Association (AHA), describes the characteristics and CAM offerings of nearly 1,400 hospitals throughout the United States. CAM services and locations, finances and reimbursement, planning and staffing, and evaluation and research were the major topic areas. Health Forum LLC, a subsidiary of AHA, conducted the survey in 2005.
Acupuncture
- Nearly 27 percent of the hospitals that responded were offering one or more CAM therapies. The survey notes an increasing interest in CAM, including on the part of consumers, medical students, and recently graduated physicians.
- Most of the hospitals offering CAM were in urban areas (68 percent). Half were medium-sized (100 to 300 beds). Thirty-six percent of the hospitals offering CAM were teaching hospitals (hospitals that train physicians).
- Among the hospitals that offered CAM, the top six CAM1 therapies (or groups of therapies) provided were
| Inpatient CAM Services | Percentage |
| Massage therapy | 37 |
| Music/art therapy | 26 |
| Therapeutic Touch | 25 |
| Guided imagery | 22 |
| Relaxation training | 20 |
| Acupuncture | 12 |
| Outpatient CAM Services | Percentage |
| Massage therapy | 71 |
| Tai chi, yoga, or qi gong | 47 |
| Relaxation training | 43 |
| Acupuncture | 39 |
| Guided imagery | 32 |
| Therapeutic Touch | 30 |
1 The report did not state how CAM was defined.
- The hospitals selected CAM therapies based on these criteria:
| Percentage | |
| Patient demand | 79 |
| Scientific evidence base | 65 |
| Availability of practitioners | 53 |
| Market research | 23 |
- The reasons for offering CAM services were
| Percentage | |
| Patient demand | 87 |
| Reflects the hospital's mission | 62 |
| Clinical effectiveness of the therapies | 61 |
| To attract new patients | 38 |
| Physicians' requests | 37 |
| To be different from competitors | 28 |
| Possible cost savings | 14 |
| Employee requests | 11 |
| Other | 9 |
| Insurance coverage | 4 |
Eighty-one percent of CAM users at these facilities paid for the CAM services out-of-pocket. Insurance reimbursement paid for 37 percent.
Source
Ananth S, Martin W. Health Forum 2005 Complementary and Alternative Medicine Survey of Hospitals: Summary of Results. Chicago: Health Forum LLC; 2006.
