Thomas Edison once said that "the doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease."

Edison's prediction may be coming to fruition this summer, as Oxford Health Plans becomes the first medical insurer in the Delaware Valley to provide access to holistic healthcare providers such as yoga and massage therapists, chiropractors and acupuncturists.

While this may sound like good news to patients and practitioners in the Philadelphia region, many harbor doubts that the new alternative healthcare network will put money in any pockets other than Oxford's.

Stephen Wiggins, CEO of Oxford, which has established similar networks in other states, has said his health and healing company is getting into the alternative medicine biz not to cut costs but to give the customers what they want. Healthcare analysts, however, are quick to point out that alternative medicine, which downplays expensive diagnostic tests and drugs, tends to cost significantly less than traditional practices.

In recent years, the alternahealth trend has escalated, to the point where traditional doctors and insurance companies are feeling the fiscal threat. Oxford stresses that the new network is a supplement, not a replacement, for traditional medicine; members must continue to visit their existing physicians. Under this plan, however, physician referrals aren't required.

According to a 1993 New England Journal of Medicine study, one out of three Americans has sought some form of alternative treatment at least; many surveyed said they feared telling their doctors. Around $14 billion is spent in the United States each year on non-traditional healthcare; most of that cash comes out of the patient's pocket, which puts a lot of revenue outside of the grasp of medical insurance providers.

Ron Geig, an insurance broker who specializes in holistic health coverage, thinks Oxford's motivation is clear. "The insurance carriers all want to get a piece of that multi-billion dollar pie," he says. "They're salivating over it."

Geig, like many in the Philadelphia healthcare industry, doesn't know whether customers will benefit much from alternative therapy coverage like Oxford's. He says, "Some insurance carriers make a big deal out of covering chiropractic and massage therapy. Oxford is doing some great marketing. I hope consumers aren't disappointed with the fruits of their labor."

Lynn Feinman shares Geig's cynicism. Feinman is president of the Delaware Valley Wellness Network, which provides people with free information and referrals to holistic practitioners.

"Essentially we're a matchmaking service," she says. "We're committed to keeping the integrity of holistic healthcare and keeping it in the consumers' hands, or turning it into managed care."

"My callers are looking for a very specific provider, in a particular kind of specialty, and they're willing to travel out of the area and to pay out of their own pockets to visit the right therapist. The kind of consumer who looks for these therapies wants as much control as possible."

Because customers have to pay a supplementary fee in order to enroll in Oxford's alternative plan as an addition to their existing insurance, Feinman says, "From the individual perspective, I don't know how much patients will save."

A story in the New York Times estimated that it will cost an additional 2 to 3 percent to enroll in the holistic supplement plan.

One Oxford Health Plan customer in Southern New Jersey says that she has opted not to join the alternative network because it isn't worth the extra money to her. Emi Chiusano, an M.D. who practices holistic therapy at Cherry Hill's Magaziner Medical Center, says "none of the alternative practitioners were in Burlington or Camden counties. They're all in Central or North Jersey."

Chiusano says she's happy with the regular Oxford insurance policy, which entitles her to chiropractic coverage and discounts on the alternative healthcare network and preventive healthcare products like books and exercise equipment.

"The Oxford plan isn't bad, but it's not much different from other HMOs," says Chiusano. "They try to pay some lip service to alternative things, but they're not there yet."

Educating consumers about alternative healthcare is a major concern for people like Feinman and Allan Magaziner, a local medical authority who hosts an AM-radio call-in show on health issues. They're worried that insurers might not provide the necessary information about alternative medicine. (Oxford representatives did not reply to requests for details about their plans for the new network.)

One problem, Geig says, is that there are no uniform standards, such as those set by the American Medical Association for alternative practitioners.

"It's certainly a challenge," she says. "Anybody can call themselves anything. I haven't personally run into any of those accountants who spent a weekend learning hypnosis and advertise themselves as hypnotists, but they're out there."

Fortunately, Philadelphia already has a wealth of organizations that provide information about holistic medicine, from the Greenfire directory of alternative health resources, to the grassroots Citizens' Alliance for Progressive Health Awareness, to the Wellness Network, which also operates a speakers bureau and participates in health fairs.

Local holistic caregivers fear that by shifting the burden of paperwork from patient to doctor, as HMOs are wont to do, the Oxford network could present a significant obstacle to treatment. Says Feinman, "Because of HMOs, there has been a lot of frustration among doctors, who think they should be practicing medicine, not paperwork. One doctor told me he spends three quarters of his time on billing rather than on patient care."

For this reason, Center City acupuncturist Lorna Lee has decided not to join forces with Oxford.

"Traditionally, the managed care network is extremely controlling — almost dictatorial — about who can visit what healthcare provider, and how many times," she says. "I'd have to hire an office staff just to deal with the paperwork. I also get the impression that they're not paying their network providers very much."

"Oxford is promoting the fact that it covers different modalities that are outside of the mainstream," says Magaziner. "But right now, that's limited to yoga and massage therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic... One problem I see is that they're not covering actual physicians who practice holistic medicine — like me."

Magaziner adds, "Oxford is taking a large step in the right direction. Maybe they'll add additional areas of coverage in the near future. Oxford is certainly getting attention, but from a practical standpoint, will it help? I don't know the answer yet."