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The American Medical Association (AMA) and other top medical organizations are leading the charge for insurance companies to change their practices. The country’s growing crisis with pain treatment and the drastic need to cut way back on opioid dependence has spurred these calls to action.
These organizations are trying to convince payers to cover non-pharmacological approaches such as acupuncture and integrative treatments. Representatives of the Acupuncture Now Foundation and the American Society of Acupuncturists have appealed to the CDC, resulting in its Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. They are understandably upset because, while acupuncture and other non-pharmacologic approaches have been found to relieve pain, many insurers don’t cover these therapies.
In order to change this, public and private payer policies must face fundamental changes in order to support the recommendation. Organizations such as the American Pain Society (APS) say that patients should be equally reimbursed for both pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to effectively manage their chronic pain.
The American Academy of Pain Management says there should be universal coverage for the five types of non-pharmacologic care: physical manipulation, massage, yoga, acupuncture and biofeedback. Unfortunately, even though non-pharmacologic modalities have been found to be effective for the treatment and management of chronic pain, many patients simply do not have access to these modalities because of lack of insurance coverage.
Proponents of this change say there are many benefits to integrating the use of drugs and acupuncture, mainly to enhance physician options and optimize the patient experience.
Contact Metro Detroit Acupuncture
To learn more about how acupuncture can help you, contact Metro Detroit Acupuncture today at 248-432-2846. We are finding that many insurance companies and medical practitioners across Michigan and the country are starting to recognize acupuncture as a valid, effective medical procedure that really works. Our founder and owner Marino Moutafis is a nationally certified acupuncturist who is licensed by the Michigan Board of Acupuncture.