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INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE WAVE OF THE FUTURE
As most family physicians begin their training, they are inspired by the belief
that they will have the privilege of caring for the whole patient and their
families. Many envision themselves becoming healers, teachers, counselors, and
ministers to their patients. It is an awesome responsibility and an exciting
challenge. Yet the reality of Family Practice in the 1990's, seems to be
dominated by the impersonality of managed care and high tech medicine. These
developments have made it difficult for many physicians to fulfill their dream
of being a healer. The mechanistic approach of modern medicine has caused the
majority of us to shift our attention almost entirely to the treatment of
disease and very little on the prevention of disease or the creation of optimal
health. The practice of integrative medicine, representing the purest essence
of Family Practice, addresses the whole person-body, mind and spirit. It
combines conventional and alternative therapies to prevent and treat disease
and create optimal health. The doctor/patient relationship becomes a
partnership as holistic Causes of their disease (disease). Far more than
merely the absence of illness, health (from the Anglo-Saxon healen, "to make
whole") means the restoration of balance and harmony to the whole person.
In 1996, 100 million Americans suffered with a chronic disease
spending $425 billion for treatment and medication. Yet, one third of the
population regularly seeks relief for their discomfort from practitioners of
alternative medicine. Consumers of health care increasingly want doctors to
provide best Value medical care and medical institutions are in grave
predicament both because the economics of health care systems are not working
and because the market is moving away from them. The managed care industry is
aggressively seeking physicians who practice more therapeutic and cost
effective methods for treating and preventing these conditions. The time has
come for family physicians to embrace our holistic roots and create a new
primary care model for both the patient and physician. It is anticipated that
integrative medicine will help which of the alternative medical approaches to
include in standard allopathic practice. At that time, the term alternative
will no longer be appropriate for these techniques and agents. Indeed, They
will have become mainstream therapy.
Dr. Sudhir Kumar Bagga belongs to family of Physicians. He is
the 54th member of his family to practice medicine, a tradition begun in the
1920s and continued by every member of the New Delhi family. He graduated from
the UCLA residency program in Family practice. He has had an international
training & education. Before coming to California, Dr.Bagga took his early
education in India, receiving his Doctor of Medicine degree from Delhi
University in 1974. He went to Great Britain for additional training, then
became an intern in 1977 at Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis. The
following year he worked as a family practice resident physician at the
University of Cincinnati Medical Center then joined the UCLA Antelope Valley
program in July 1979. He opened his practice in Family Medicine in Lancaster
and became the Medical Director of Lancaster Health care Center in 1981. He is
following the footsteps of his grandfather who practiced Holistic-General
Practice- Medicine in India.
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Dr. Sudhir Kumar Bagga specializes in treating
illnesses, especially those relating to the health care of elderly. He is
experienced and skilled in assessment and application of the therapeutic
techniques and tools unique to the practice of integrative medicine. He guides
patients towards optimal physical, mental and spiritual health. It is important
to critically review mind- body therapies and utilize scientific basis of
mind-body interactions. He employs techniques for motivating patients to change
habits of eating. The therapeutic role of vitamins, minerals, and other
nutritional supplements are utilized at the Center and several therapeutic
modalities are also used for life-style treatments for complete psychosomatic
equilibrium.
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Dr. Sudhir Kumar Bagga specializes in treating illnesses, especially those
relating to the health care of elderly. He is experienced and skilled in
assessment and application of the therapeutic techniques and tools unique to
the practice of integrative medicine. He guides patients towards optimal
physical, mental and spiritual health. It is important to critically review
mind- body therapies and utilize scientific basis of mind-body interactions. He
employs techniques for motivating patients to change habits of eating. The
therapeutic role of vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional supplements are
utilized at the Center and several therapeutic modalities are also used for
life-style treatments for complete psychosomatic equilibrium.
INTRODUCTION
Integrative Medicine seeks to combine the best ideas and practices of
Conventional-Traditional and Complementary Medicines. It neither rejects
Conventional Medicine nor embraces Alternative Medicine uncritically. It
operates from a new paradigm of learning.
WHAT IS INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE?
Integrative medicine integrates the practice of conventional and Alternative
Medicine. Integrative medicine seeks to combine the best scientific ideas and
practices of conventional and alternative medicine into cost-effective
treatments that will be in the best interest of the patients. The doctor
patient relationship becomes a partnership in an Integrative approach to the
management of patient's disease.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT LIFE SCIENCE MEDICAL CENTER?
We practice
Conventional- Traditional Medicine
Complementary - Alternative Medicine
Natural -Herbal Medicine
Ayurvedic Medicine & Healing
Preventive-Healing Oriented Medicine
Acupuncture- Chinese Medicine
Yoga
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE?
Integrative Medicine is best viewed as complementary rather than alternative to
standard Western Medicine. It utilizes the scientific basis for the practice of
Medicine with its applications for treating and preventing common diseases and
creates optimal health.
WHAT IS HEALTH?
Health does not mean absence of disease. It is a balance, equilibrium of mind,
body and spirit. Complete psychosomatic equilibrium is the key to Health.
WHAT IS AYURVEDA( SCIENCE OF LIFE)?
SCIENCE OF LIFE (Ayurveda) the Indian system of medicine, is composed of two
words Ayu means Life and Veda denotes to the Science. It has mainly three aims,
first to preserve the health, second to promote the health, and third to cure
disease. It is a healing-oriented medicine.
OFFICE HOURS AND LOCATION
LIFE SCIENCE MEDICAL CENTER
Monday through Friday 8AM-5PM
4010 Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 6.
Torrance CA 90505
Tel: 310-378-0244 Fax: 310-378-6099
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Dear Patient,
Attached to this letter you will find our Notice of Privacy Practices. We are
required by law to provide this notice to you and obtain your acknowledgement
of its receipt prior to providing any services to you.
The following is a brief summary of the contents of the Notice. We encourage you
to read the entire Notice and ask any questions you may have concerning its
contents.
Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information. This section describes the
following rights you have with respect to your health information and tells you
how you may exercise these rights.
Right to inspect and copy
Right to request amendment
Right to an accounting of disclosures
Right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures
Right to request alternative means of communication
Right to receive a paper copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices
How To File Complaints Concerning Our Privacy Practices. This section tells you
what you can do if you believe any of your rights have been violated. You will
not be penalized for filing any complaint.
How We May Use and Disclose Health Information About You Without Your Specific
Authorization. This section describes the different ways we may use or disclose
your health information without first obtaining from you a specific
authorization. These types of uses and disclosures are specifically permitted
by federal law because it is assumed you would want us to use or disclose your
information for these purposes, or because such use or disclosure is recognized
as critical to the proper functioning of our health care system.
You will be asked to acknowledge your receipt of this Notice, and your
acknowledgement will be maintained in your permanent record. You should keep
this copy of the Notice. Another copy of this Notice will not be provided
automatically at any later visit, but you may request a copy of the Notice at
any time. Also, the Notice is posted at our facility and on our website for
your review. If there is a material revision to the Notice at some later date,
you again will be provided with a copy of the Notice and asked to sign an
acknowledgement. Maintaining the privacy of your health information is very
important to us. Again, if you have any questions concerning the attached
Notice, please do not hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Lawrence G Schull MD
Sudhir Bagga MD
4010 Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 6
Torrance, CA 90505
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Lawrence G Schull MD
Sudhir Bagga MD
4010 Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 6
Torrance, CA 90505
Effective Date: April 1, 2003
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND
DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.
PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
If you have any questions about this notice, please contact
Sudhir Bagga MD
4010 Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 6
Torrance, CA 90505
Telephone: (310) 378-0082
Fax: (310) 378-6099
OUR PLEDGE REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION.
Each time you visit a hospital, physician, or other healthcare provider, a
record of your visit is made. Typically, this record contains your symptoms,
examination and test results, diagnoses, treatments, a plan for your future
care or treatment, and billing-related information. Such records are necessary
for the healthcare provider to provide you with quality care and to comply with
certain legal requirements.
We are committed to protecting the confidentiality of our records containing
information about you. This notice applies to all records of your care created
or received by us. Other healthcare providers from whom you obtain care and
treatment may have different policies or notices regarding the use and
disclosure of your health information created or received by that provider.
Also, health plans in which you participate may have different policies or
notices concerning information they receive about you.
This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose health
information about you. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we
have regarding the use and disclosure of health information.
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information; give
you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices and make a good faith
effort to obtain your acknowledgement of receipt of this notice; and follow the
terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION.
Right To Inspect and Copy. You have the right to inspect and copy health
information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this
includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes.
To inspect and copy your health information, you must complete a specific form
providing information we need to process your request. To obtain this form or
to obtain more information concerning this process, please contact the person
identified on the first page of this Notice. You will be asked to complete a
written authorization form. If you request a copy of the information, we may
charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing, or other supplies and services
associated with your request. We may require that you pay such fee prior to
receiving the requested copies.
We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain very limited
circumstances. If you are denied access to health information, you may request
that the denial be reviewed. Another licensed health care professional chosen
by Lawrence G Schull MD, Sudhir Bagga MD will review your request and the
denial. The person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your
request. We will comply with the outcome of the review.
Right To Request Amendment. If you believe that our records contain information
we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the
information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the
information is kept by us.
To request an amendment, you must complete a specific form providing information
we need to process your request, including the reason that supports your
request. To obtain this form or to obtain more information concerning this
process, please contact the person identified on the first page of this Notice.
We may deny your request for an amendment if you fail to complete the required
form in its entirely. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to
amend information that:
* Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the
information is no longer available to make the amendment;
* Is not part of the health information kept by us;
* Is not part of the information that you would be permitted to inspect and
copy; or
* Is accurate and complete.
If your request is denied, you will be informed of the reason for the denial and
will have an opportunity to submit a statement of disagreement to be maintained
with your records.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request an
"accounting of disclosures." This is a list of the disclosures we made of
health information about you, with certain exceptions specifically defined by
law.
To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must complete a specific
form providing information we need to process your request. To obtain this form
or to obtain more information concerning this process, please contact the
person identified on the first page of this Notice.
Your request must state a time period which may not be longer than six years and
may not include dates before April 1, 2003. Your request should indicate in
what form you want the list (for example, on paper, electronically). The first
list you request within a 12-month period will be free. For additional lists,
we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of
the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that
time before any costs are incurred.
Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or
limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you for
treatment, payment, or health care operations. You also have the right to
request a limit on the health information we disclose about you to someone who
is involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a family member or
friend. For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information
about a surgery you had.
We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply
with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency
treatment.
To request restrictions, you must complete a specific form providing information
we need to process your request. To obtain this form or to obtain more
information concerning this process, please contact the person identified on
the first page of this notice.
Right to Request Alternative Methods of Communications. You have the right to
request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or
at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at
work or by mail.
To request an alternative method of communications, you must complete a specific
form providing information we need to process your request. To obtain this form
or to obtain more information concerning this process, please contact the
person identified on the first page of this Notice. We will not ask you the
reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your
request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice. You have the right to a paper copy of this
notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. Even if
you have agreed to receive this notice electronically, you are still entitled
to a paper copy of this notice.
You may obtain a copy of this notice at website: www.scienceoflife.com
To obtain a paper copy of this notice, contact the person identified on the
first page of this Notice.
COMPLAINTS.
If you believe your rights with respect to health information about you have
been violated by us, you may file a complaint with Lawrence G Schull MD, Sudhir
Bagga MD or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
To file a complaint with the us, contact the person identified on the first
page of this Notice. All complaints must be submitted in writing.
You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU WITHOUT YOUR SPECIFIC
AUTHORIZATION.
The following categories describe different ways that we are permitted to use
and disclose health information without a specific authorization from you. If
you desire to restrict our use of your health information for any of these
purposes, you need to submit a request for restrictions in the manner described
above.
For Treatment. We may use information about you to provide you with medical
treatment or services. We may disclose health information about you to nurses,
technicians, or other personnel who are involved in taking care of you.
Different departments of Lawrence G Schull MD, Sudhir Bagga MD also may share
health information about you in order to coordinate the different things you
need, such as prescriptions, lab work, and x-rays.
We also may disclose health information about you to people outside Lawrence G
Schull MD, Sudhir Bagga MD who may be involved in your medical care after you
leave us, such as family members, friends, or others we use to provide services
that are part of your care. We will give you an opportunity, however, to
restrict such communications.
We may disclose health information about you to other health care providers who
request such information for purposes of providing medical treatment to you.
For Payment. We may use and disclose health information about you so that the
treatment and services you receive at our location may be billed to and payment
may be collected from you, an insurance company, or other third party. For
example, we may need to give your health plan information about treatment you
received so your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the treatment. We
may also tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to
obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the
treatment.
We also may provide information about you to other health care providers to
assist them in obtaining payment for treatment and service provided to you by
that provider. We may also provide information to a health plan for purposes of
arranging payment for treatment and services provided to you.
For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose health information about you
for our internal operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run
our operations and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For
example, we may use health information to review our treatment and services and
to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We may also combine
health information about many patients to decide what additional services we
should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new treatments
are effective. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses,
technicians, medical students, and other personnel for review and learning
purposes. We may also combine the health information we have with health
information from other health care providers to compare how we are doing and
see where we can make improvements in the care and services we offer. We may
remove information that identifies you from this set of health information so
others may use it to study health care and health care delivery without
learning who the specific patients are.
We may disclose health information about you to another health care provider or
health plan with which you also have had a relationship for purposes of that
provider’ s or plan's internal operations.
Appointment Reminders. We may use and disclose health information to contact you
as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care with
us. Unless you direct us to do otherwise, we may leave messages on your
E-mail/telephone answering machine identifying Lawrence G Schull MD, Sudhir
Bagga MD and asking for you to return our call/E-mail. Unless we are
specifically instructed by you otherwise in a particular circumstance, we will
not disclose any health information to any person other than you who answers
your phone except to leave a message for you to return the call.
Surveys. We may use and disclose health information to contact you to assess
your satisfaction with our services.
Treatment Alternatives. We may use and disclose health information to tell you
about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of
interest to you.
Health-Related Benefits and Services. We may use and disclose health information
to tell you about health-related benefits or services that may be of interest
to you, or to provide you with promotional gifts of nominal value.
Fundraising Activities. We may use health information about you to contact you
in an effort to raise money for the our operations. We may disclose health
information to a foundation related to Lawrence G Schull MD, Sudhir Bagga MD so
that the foundation may contact you in raising money for us. We only would
release contact information, such as your name, address and phone number and
the dates you received treatment or services. If you do not want Lawrence G
Schull MD, Sudhir Bagga MD to contact you for fundraising efforts, you must
notify the person identified on the first page of this Notice in writing.
Business Associates. There are some services provided in our organization
through contracts or arrangements with business associates. For example, we may
contract with a copy service to make copies of your health record. When these
services are contracted, we may disclose your health information to our
business associate so they can perform the job we have asked them to do. To
protect your health information, however, we require our business associates to
appropriately safeguard your information.
Individuals Involved In Your Care or Payment For Your Care. We may release
health information about you to a friend or family member who is involved in
your medical care. We may also give information to someone who helps pay for
your care. In addition, we may disclose health information about you to an
organization assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be
notified about your condition, status, and location.
Research. Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose health
information about you for research purposes. For example, a research project
may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who received one
medication to those who received another, for the same condition. All research
projects, however, are subject to a special approval process. This process
evaluates a proposed research project and its use of health information, trying
to balance the research needs with patients' need for privacy of their health
information. Before we use or disclose health information for research, the
project will have been approved through this research approval process, but we
may, however, disclose health information about you to people preparing to
conduct a research project, for example, to help them look for patients with
specific medical needs, so long as the health information they review does not
leave us. We will almost always ask for your specific permission if the
researcher will have access to your name, address, or other information that
reveals who you are, or will be involved in your care.
As Required By Law. We will disclose health information about you when required
to do so by federal, state, or local law.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We may use and disclose health
information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health
and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any
disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.
Organ and Tissue Donation. If you are an organ donor, we may use or disclose
health information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye
or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to
facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
Military and Veterans. If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release
health information about you as required by military command authorities. We
may also release health information about foreign military personnel to the
appropriate foreign military authority.
Employers. We may release health information about you to your employer if we
provide health care services to you at the request of your employer, and the
health care services are provided either to conduct an evaluation relating to
medical surveillance of the workplace or to evaluate whether you have a
work-related illness or injury. In such circumstances, we will give you written
notice of such release of information to your employer. Any other disclosures
to your employer will be made only if you execute a specific authorization for
the release of that information to your employer.
Workers' Compensation. We may release health information about you for workers'
compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for
work-related injuries or illness.
Public Health Risks. We may disclose health information about you for public
health activities. These activities generally include the following:
* to prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
* to report births and deaths;
* to report child abuse or neglect;
* to report reactions to medications or problems with products;
* to notify people of recalls of products they may be using;
* to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk
for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;
* to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has
been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this
disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.
Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose health information to a health
oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities
include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These
activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system,
government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
Lawsuits and Disputes. If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may
disclose health information about you in response to a court or administrative
order. We may also disclose health information about you in response to a
subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved
in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the
request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
Law Enforcement. We may release health information if asked to do so by a law
enforcement official:
* In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process;
* To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing
person;
* About the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are
unable to obtain the person's agreement;
* About a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct;
* About criminal conduct; and
* In emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the crime or
victims; or the identity, description or location of the person who committed
the crime.
Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors. We may release health
information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for
example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may
also release health information about patients of Lawrence G Schull MD, Sudhir
Bagga MD to funeral directors as necessary for them to carry out their duties.
National Security and Intelligence Activities. We may release health information
about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence,
counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.
Protective Services for the President and Others. We may disclose health
information about you to authorized federal officials so they may provide
protection to the President, other authorized persons, or foreign heads of
state, or to conduct special investigations.
Inmates/Persons In Custody. If you are an inmate of a correctional institution
or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release health
information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement
official. This release would be necessary (1) for the institution to provide
you with health care; (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and
safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional
institution.
OTHER USES OF HEALTH INFORMATION.
Other uses and disclosures of health information not covered by this notice or
the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written authorization. If
you provide us authorization to use or disclose health information about you,
you may revoke that authorization, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your
authorization, we will no longer use or disclose health information about you
for the reasons covered by your written authorization. Of course, we are unable
to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission, and
that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE.
We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the
revised or changed notice effective for health information we already have
about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a
copy of the current notice at our facility and on our website. The notice will
contain on the first page the effective date.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
You will be asked to provide a written acknowledgement of your receipt of this
Notice. We are required by law to make a good faith effort to provide you with
our Notice and obtain such acknowledgement from you. However, your receipt of
care and treatment from:
Lawrence G Schull MD
Sudhir Bagga MD
40101 Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 6
Torrance, CA 90505
Is not conditioned upon your providing the written acknowledgement
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