Northwestern Health Sciences University is collaborating with HealthPartners to open an integrated clinic. The new clinic will create a new model of care that blends the strengths of traditional medicine and natural care disciplines to provide a collaborative, team approach to meeting patient health care needs. The clinic will be located in Cottage Grove, Minn., and is scheduled to open on April 19.
"This is an exciting opportunity to create more comprehensive primary care in one convenient setting," said Bob VanWhy, MD, senior vice president of primary care and practice development at HealthPartners. "This model will provide improved access and convenience for patients, as well as evidenced-based integrated care. We think that the collaboration with Northwestern will benefit our patients and organization in several ways."
The clinic will include a family physician and doctors of chiropractic on staff, as well as an urgent care center. Ryne DeVries, DC, FACO, assistant professor at Northwestern, will be the chiropractor on staff at the new clinic.
Debbie Miller, LPN, associate vice president of clinical services at Northwestern, initiated the connection between Northwestern and HealthPartners almost one year ago. "It's about building relationships," said Miller. Two weeks after suggesting a possible collaboration, Dr. VanWhy contacted Miller to set up a meeting about the integrated clinic.
"We were fortunate," said Dr. VanWhy. "When we approached Northwestern about the idea for the collaboration, there was immediate interest. We now have a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with the leader in the practice, education and research of natural care in the Twin Cities to improve the care for patients."
According to Miller, HealthPartners was looking for a trusted source in the Twin Cities for clinical care, teaching, and research in natural health care. They were also looking for an organization that could bring all elements of natural health care - chiropractic, massage and acupuncture - to the table.
"We look forward to opening the clinic in Cottage Grove," said Mark Zeigler, DC, president of Northwestern. "It will bring new opportunities of integration and collaboration between providers from Health Partners and Northwestern. We are proud of this new relationship and the possibilities it brings to provide patient-centered, evidence-informed care through shared decision making."
Source: Northwestern Health Sciences University
When I graduated from chiropractic college in 1981 and started practice, I heard it all, and very little was positive. “You are a quack; you do not know what a subluxation is; you couldn’t get into a real health care program, so you chose the one that is slightly above a mail-order degree; you have no proof that chiropractic works; Are you really licensed?”, and so much more.
| Digital Exclusive
A central challenge in creating our identity is that chiropractic is a method of care, not a technique or procedure. This is an important concept for us to promote. Our patients are treated with lifestyle modification, exercise, nutritional supplements, diet and a whole-body approach to accelerate the natural healing process. We are not simply CMT providers.
The results of a global survey released late last year (2023) unveiled some startling findings among medical and nursing students. The “Clinician of the Future: 2023 Education Edition” surveyed 2,212 students, of which 446 were in the United States, from 91 countries.
