| Despite the growing popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) programs in hospital settings, many hospitals struggle to overcome physician resistance, avoid financial losses, and coordinate care with their more traditional clinical services. In an effort to provide guidance to hospital leaders in meeting these challenges, this thesis examines the applicability of a theory of disruptive technologies to hospital-based integrative medicine models of care.; Clayton Christensen's theory of disruptive technology in other industries is examined for its parallels with CAM and integrative medicine in healthcare. This theory suggests that when successful companies encounter disruptive innovations, the processes, culture, and policies that made them successful can actually cause them to fail.; To test the theory's applicability to integrative medicine, seven CAM and integrative medicine program directors and one chief executive, representing seven different U.S. hospitals, were interviewed. Respondents had significant experience with a related program offered in their institution. Transcripts of interviews were thematically analyzed to learn about the relationship between program strategies and results. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
