Natural HealthLink and N-CAM Announce Joint Venture to Promote Wellness Lifestyle.

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 19, 2000

The National Complementary and Alternative Medicine Network (N-CAM), the nation's premier network of complementary and alternative healthcare professionals, announced today that it joined forces with Natural HealthLink, the leader in online services for integrative medicine.

The partnership creates a new focal point of Internet services for one of the fastest growing segments of the healthcare industry. The joint venture gives every N-CAM health professional and consumer members access to Natural HealthLink's benefits and services.

Natural HealthLink will provide N-CAM practitioners privileged access to its entire offering, including patient acquisition services, assessment tools, wholesale health products, professional education, online patient communications, and practice management services.

"As interest in alternative and integrative medicine grows, practitioners need more sophisticated ways to manage their practices and patient relationships," said Elizabeth Manzolillo, N-CAM's president. "But they haven't traditionally had the kinds of service options as are available to our MDs."

"Our services are a perfect fit for N-CAM as this market grows," said Al Pirnia, Natural HealthLink's president. "Patient acquisition, intake, assessment, education and communication are all things they do already. What they've needed are professional tools to do these things more efficiently, more professionally. Our online services give them those tools inexpensively, helping them build their practices."

Pirnia and Manzolillo also pointed to the burgeoning population of online patients. "With more clicks going to health information than ever, N-CAM practitioners will clearly benefit from having an online presence," Manzolillo said. As patients find them online, it makes sense for them to offer some patient services online, too.

"Patient education is a perfect example," Manzolillo continued. "If your patients are already looking for health information on the 'net, why wouldn't you provide them with information on the 'net right from your practice?"

Both organizations promote an integrative approach to healthcare, combining different assessments and treatment approaches to fit a patient's unique situation. So, a patient might see an MD, but also consult an acupuncturist and a nutritionist.

"I founded Natural HealthLink on the strong belief that people wouldn't get well and stay healthy unless they were able to link the best approaches of both conventional and alternative medicine," Pirnia said. "N-CAM is an obvious partner, given its track record in healthcare reform."

To that end, N-CAM has founded www.e-CAM.org, a non-profit Web venture promoting CAM education/cross education in holistic practice through information and education. www.e-CAM.org is co-sponsored by the two organizations, who share a philosophy of giving and ultimately creating a better healthcare model from which all will benefit.

"There is great demand for medical doctors to participate in new integrative PPO networks," said Manzolillo, "but there is still work ahead to get MD's and alternative practitioners to embrace parts of each other's worlds. www.e-CAM.org will be a vehicle for Natural HealthLink and N-CAM to promote integrative practice, drawing dissatisfied MD's, who are tired of the unrewarding compromise of HMO practice, into the new integrative PPO model. I am very fortunate to have the support of some fine and dedicated individuals; this, and the support for our organization's vision by the practitioner community, has made the difference for me."

Pirnia concluded, "The goal is better patient-centered care. That's only possible if professionals are happy building their practices, and having greater impact on their patients' lives. That's what this partnership makes possible for our combined membership."