How important is credentialing to the continued growth and acceptance of complementary health care?
DeVries: Credentialing is absolutely essential to the ability of complementary health care to work within third-party reimbursement systems. It starts with the ability of provider groups to be licensed in a particular state, to be able to provide services, but it goes beyond that. As you develop networks of participating or approved providers, they need to be credentialed by the health plan or an organization like ASH for participation in reimbursement of services consistent with accreditation standards of URAC and NCQA. There will absolutely be limits as to the ability of complementary health care to be able to participate in third-party reimbursement, based on the ability of organizations like ours and health plans to credential those providers and to work with them. Coverage: How important is it to integrate complementary medicine with traditional health care? DeVries: I think it facilitates a better health care system and facilitates better understanding. I think the integration pr
