Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture is the most well known aspect of Chinese Medicine, and part of an Integrative approach to your health care. Each of the organs of the body has its own associated meridian: channels or pathways of energy. In an acupuncture treatment, very fine needles are inserted into points along the meridians with the aim of bringing the body to a point of balance and harmony. Every aspect of the patient’s life is considered by the practitioner before the points are selected – sometimes it may be impossible to change someone’s life circumstance, but by using Acupuncture the person may be strengthened so that they are more easily able to deal with what life brings their way.
A visit to an Acupuncturist will usually take an hour, with the needles being left in place for 20-45 minutes of that time, depending on the patient’s needs. Very often people go into a state of deep relaxation while the needles are in place and many drift off into a brief but sound sleep. Beyond the needles themselves, there are a number of other techniques, such as cupping, that can be provided in a treatment. Acupuncture is best done with consistency, and may require multiple treatments to be most effective.
Stress and Anxiety
Stress is more of a known issue in our society now than ever before. The impact of stress on our bodies and minds has a massive impact, and finding a routine for reducing stress is part of a sustainable health and wellness strategy. Even a single session of Acupuncture can have incredible results for people suffering from stress generally or anxiety more acutely.
Insomnia and Sleep
Acupuncture is well known for its ability to help people sleep better, and even control their body temperatures while asleep. Regular treatments produce the best results for insomnia, and your acupuncturist can also suggest other treatments at AIM that can help you sleep better.
Digestion and GI
Digestive issues are a strength of our clinic. From a medical perspective, Dr. Kimball's expertise is invaluable. But did you know that Acupuncture can help with your digestive health? If you are looking for an alternative way to treat your GI issues, book a visit and talk with an AIM Acupuncturist.
Traditional Chinese Medicine at AIM
We carry the highest quality Chinese Herbs and herbal blends from Evergreen Herbs and also make some in-house remedies and tinctures. These are in addition to the robust and high quality supplement dispensary at AIM. What’s more, you get the advantage of your Acupuncturist collaborating with your ND to ensure that you are getting what you need.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is a broad term that attempts to encompass the holistic nature of the ancient practices of Chinese medicine. While acupuncture is a major part of it, it is certainly not everything. Traditional techniques such as the ones listed below have been used for centuries to aid in the health and wellness of patients of these therapies. In addition to acupuncture, a visit may also include other modalities to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment:
· Moxibustion (application of heat through the burning of a plant (artemisia vulgaris) on or near the body
· Cupping (a type of manual therapy in which localized suction is used to improve circulation and reduce pain)
· Gua Sha (a type of manual therapy in which the skin is rubbed or scraped)
· Tui Na (a type of manual therapy that is similar to massage)
· Qi Gong (a type of Energy Massage)
Your acupuncturist may also provide suggestions on diet, exercise, recommend herbal products, or even recommend treatment by a colleague at the clinic.
At AIM, our practitioners may also include tuning forks, electrical stimulation/TENS, essential oils, or Thai massage, and cold laser as part of their treatments. It’s important to note that not all of these treatments are billable to insurance, and may be subject to an additional cost to add-on.
Acupuncture and TCM Pricing
Our goal is to be as transparent as possible with our pricing and billing practices, while taking into account that cost of visits can vary somewhat depending on the complexity of the visit and what happened in the visit. We contract with a 3rd party billing company to ensure that we are adhering to appropriate billing standards.
AIM does bill accepted insurances for acupuncture visits. As always, and especially, with acupuncture, we ask that patients contact their insurance company to verify their Acupuncture coverage. While we do work to verify benefits, it has been our experience that despite our best efforts, insurance does not cover acupuncture from time to time for various reasons. If after being billed, your insurance company responds to us by stating that the cost is patient responsibility, we are required to collect the payment from you directly.
Please keep in mind that often insurance does not pay for Cupping or other specialized treatments, and in that case, patients may be billed a charge for such services. In other cases, cupping or other specialized treatments may be billed as manual therapy when possible.
Just like our ND cash prices, our cash prices for Acupuncture are based on the billable codes used in your visit, minus a 10% time of service discount. Established patients are typically billed two codes for the insertion of needles: 98011 at $65, and 98102 at $50. Your first office call as a new Acupuncture patient would include an office visit code, such at a 99204, in addition to the two insertion codes. After every few visits, due to the need to check in and assess your progress, a return office visit code, such as a 99213, is billed.
Prior to January 1st, 2023, AIM used a fixed cash price for Acupuncture. As of January 1st, 2023, we are aligning our acupuncture billing to our usual billing and coding protocol.