2027 ICD-10-CM Changes
Billing / Fees / Insurance

2027 ICD-10-CM Changes: An Acupuncture Perspective

Including a Roadmap for Appropriate Diagnosis Coding

The 2027 ICD-10-CM code set becomes effective Oct. 1, 2026. While the specific changes to acupuncture providers are minimal, the update is a good reminder that diagnosis coding should begin with the patient's condition, not the procedure being performed and not the payer's preferred diagnosis. The best diagnosis is the one that accurately describes the condition being treated, is supported by the clinical documentation and is sufficiently specific based on what is actually known.

Samuel A. Collins
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Editor's Picks
Evidence / Research / Science
Research Literacy: A Tool for Clinical Communication
Research Literacy: A Tool for Clinical Communication
We Don’t Have to Choose Between Science and Tradition

Many of our communities were raised with the Western medical model as their primary medical model. It is their first language. But as practitioners of Chinese medicine, we are actually bilingual clinicians. We have the unique ability to translate between traditional Chinese medicine and modern biomedical frameworks. Research literacy, when taught and applied thoughtfully, can become a tool for communication, collaboration, and patient understanding.

Christine Sanmiquel, LAc, DAOM, PMP
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News / Profession
Profession at a Crossroads: What Must Change
Profession at a Crossroads: What Must Change

The field of acupuncture in the U.S. continues to grow in visibility, patient demand and clinical effectiveness. Yet behind the curtain, many acupuncturists are quietly struggling to keep their doors open. While the profession is rooted in centuries of healing tradition, modern economic pressures – particularly those driven by insurance limitations, low reimbursement rates and job-market saturation – are making it increasingly difficult for licensed acupuncturists to thrive.

Shabnam Pourhassani, LAc, QME, DACM
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Herbal Medicine
Herbal Food Therapy for Long Disease
Herbal Food Therapy for Long Disease

Qi deficiency and yin deficiency are perhaps the most common patterns encountered when treating any long-standing disease. In most cases, these patterns are deeply connected and must be treated simultaneously over a lengthy period of time. One of the most important factors in treating any type of long-term disease is teaching patients how to cook with herbs and add herbs to their meals on a daily basis.

Craig Williams, LAc, AHG
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Featured

OBBBA Regulations: Impact on Acupuncture Practitioners

Current projections indicate that a significant number of individuals presently covered by Medicaid/Medi-Cal or marketplace plans may lose coverage due to the new eligibility, work and verification requirements. For providers, the primary concern is not changes to coding or billing procedures, but rather ensuring that patient coverage remains active and verified at the time services are rendered.

Samuel A. Collins
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Women's Health
Restoring Jing in Modern Women: Cycle-Based Expression and Treatment (Pt. 1)
Restoring Jing in Modern Women: Cycle-Based Expression and Treatment

The menstrual cycle is not merely a reproductive event. From a TCM perspective, it is a monthly expression of the body’s most fundamental movements: yin building and descending, yang rising and consolidating, qi and blood in continuous rhythmic motion. Each phase of the cycle places different demands on the body – and on jing. This article outlines a cycle-based approach to jing restoration, integrating classical Chinese medicine principles with the clinical realities of modern women’s health.

Oksana Gryvnak, R. TCMP, RAc
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Your Practice / Business  |  DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
Using Email Marketing to Create Loyal Fans of Your Acupuncture Clinic   
Using Email Marketing to Create Loyal Fans of Your Acupuncture Clinic

Emailing your clients can educate them, but more surreptitiously, you can use it for marketing. It’s (mostly) free advertising that can help you grow your business, if that's something you're interested in doing. Here are my top three takeaways from years of sending weekly emails to my clients.

Nicole Lentfer, LAc
Acupuncture & Acupressure
It’s Time to Stop Prescribing Points
It's Time to Stop Prescribing Points
Why Acupuncture Must Return to Selection, Skill and Qi Movement

A student stands over a patient, needle poised. They have a “perfect” prescription: a textbook combination of points harvested from a lecture slide on chronic lower back pain. But as the needle meets the skin, the student hesitates - the symptom of a quiet habit that has taken hold of our profession. We routinely say we “prescribe” points. It sounds efficient. It echoes the authority of biomedical culture and fits neatly into the insurance field. But vocabulary is never neutral; repeated long enough, it dictates behavior.

Bruce W. Park, DACM
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Your Practice / Business
Let's Build a Business Plan
Let's Build a Business Plan
Why You Need One and a Step-by-Step Outline

According to the Small Business Administration, approximately 33% of small businesses fail in the first two years and 50% fail within five years, primarily due to inadequate planning. This includes lack of funding or working capital, poor management, ineffective business planning, and marketing oversights. As a small-business owner of over 30 years, I found the key to my success was taking the time to create and follow a comprehensive business plan.

Shellie Goldstein, DAPM, AP, LAc
Acupuncture & Acupressure  |  DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
Regulating the Gut-Lung Axis for Post-Viral Syndromes
Regulating the Gut-Lung Axis for Post-Viral Syndromes
Pt. 2: Using the Extraordinary Vessels

Another approach to regulate the Yang Ming / Tai Yin circuit is to use an extraordinary vessel (EOV) approach. EOV treatments can be essential in a long-haul post-viral state, as they can help restore integrity to the body’s energetic system on the deepest level. Various combinations can be helpful; however, combining Chong Mai with Ren Mai is a good place to start, as it can help to regulate the gut (Chong Mai) and the lungs (Ren Mai).

Joseph Audette, MD, MA; Sam Audette, LAc, Dipl. OM