Updates to Medicare and acupuncture coverage in 2024!

As the owner of Evergreen Medical Acupuncture, and Evergreen native, I have been committed to serving my community in whatever ways possible. I think it's safe to say that the prices of goods, services, and the general cost of living has been exponentially rising and non-essential medical services such as acupuncture, and even chiropractic or massage, sometimes aren't sought out simply because of the cost.

Many people still don't know that Evergreen Medical Acupuncture takes Medicare! While this sentence might seem small and insubstantial, it's actually wildly profound. EMA is one of only a handful of acupuncture clinics national-wide that accepts Medicare part B. Getting in with Medicare has been one of the most heart-driven projects I've worked on that gets me so excited! Not only does this allow people over the age of 65 to get 20 acupuncture visits per year, but patients pay absolutely nothing! Many people who are retired or over the age of 65 are on a fixed income. Being able to offer medication-free therapy to people who need it the most has been beyond amazing.

Although Acupuncture is not a silver bullet, it takes several treatments to stimulate the anti-inflammatory mechanisms involved, and it takes an hour out of your week, plus we might suggest other therapies such as diet changes, stretching routines or even another visit to your physical therapist - all in all, acupuncture is a pretty relaxing, helpful and an extraordinary healing therapy. It's also very low risk.

In 2020, CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) finalized its years-long push to approve Acupuncture. Based on hundreds of studies and evidence CMS found that acupuncture works without a shadow of a doubt especially for low back pain. Their reasoning was sound to pass this bill: Reduce the amount of opioid-related deaths, and minimize the amount of risky operations and procedures that had less efficacy. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) stated that "Opioid-involved overdose deaths rose from 49,860 in 2019 to 81,806 in 2022." While the NIH (National Institutes on Health) claims in the history of the world there have been "About 90 deaths (world-wide) after acupuncture anecdotally documented in the medical literature" in all of history! It's safe to say that Acupuncture is a low-risk and effective solution for people looking for an alternative or additive to medication and surgery for pain management - but keep in mind, it takes an hour out of your week to relax on a massage table; rough, I know.

After a year and a half of taking Medicare patients, we've seen that people are able to do the activities they love more frequently. The more active people are, the better their physical and mental health becomes. We see many patients who want to be able to travel more without pain, or play with their grandkids more, or do their favorite sport or activity with their friends. Acupuncture has helped all these people get back to what they love. The best part about this benefit for Medicare patients is because we treat patients as a whole, we also will address people's sleep, or energy levels, or help with their inflammation in general, just to name a few. And if you haven't had acupuncture before, it is wonderfully relaxing; almost like a massage where you get to lay on the warm treatment table with relaxing music.

CMS has changed some of what they passed in their bill from 2020. Originally, they stated that patients would receive 12 visits and after a re-evaluation of pain, they'd offer another 8, totally 20 visits. Amazingly, they are honoring all 20 visits for every patient. We now have a bit more flexibility to spend a little longer with patients and now Medicare has approved other therapies including electrical stimulation and injections of lidocaine. They first stated only patients with chronic low back pain (having experienced pain for more than 3 months) were eligible with radiological or physician proof, and only one diagnosis code was approved. They have now included low back pain from cancer/metastasis related issues or other inflammatory conditions. They will also accept if you have pain only on one side, just down one leg, or pain that radiates from your mid back down to the low back; sciatica, hip pain, and nerve pain, joint pain, or muscle tightness in the hips and low back all are approved.

My goal is to continue to help as many people as possible. Seeing the change in our patients' lives has been so wonderful.

Keep your eyes peeled because EMA is making moves to try to expand the areas and offerings even further. This past year we were able to open a small clinic in Conifer to test out if we could help the people of Conifer and Park County more. During the winter travel months we were able to see just how important it has been to continue to serve those in our mountain communities!

This is an amazing benefit! Tell your friends.