The Institute for Economic Review, "an independent, nonprofit research organization that evaluates medical evidence and convenes public deliberative bodies to help stakeholders interpret and apply evidence to improve patient outcomes and control costs," has announced that adequate evidence supports payer coverage of acupuncture to manage chronic low back pain in conjunction with usual care.
The announcement is based on the ICER's Final Evidence Report, which determined acupuncture and other therapies (yoga, cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction) offer benefits without the clear risks associated with conventional medical management (opioids and surgery).
The ICER recruited researchers to study whether acupuncture, among other methods, offered adequate benefits to be regarded as a covered insurance benefit. The Final Evidence Report was prepared for the California Technical Assessment Forum, a core program of the ICER that "provides a public venue in which the evidence on the effectiveness and value of health care services can be discussed with the input of all stakeholders."
Following a public meeting, the CTAF Panel voted on the report, including 14-0 in the affirmative when posed this question: "For individuals with chronic low back pain, is the evidence adequate to demonstrate that acupuncture provides additional net health benefit when added to usual care?"
"Unfortunately, even in the face of an opioid epidemic, many patients are not offered these alternative types of pain management," said ICER Chief Medical Officer David Rind, MD, MSc. "Stakeholders, particularly payers, should work to ensure that patients are able to access a broad range of evidence-based non-drug interventions with at least as much ease as they are able to access pharmacologic treatments."
Pelvic pain has a prevalence of >25% in women and >15% in men, and up to 50% of cases are undiagnosed, demonstrating that there is a definite need for pelvic care awareness among health care practitioners. As holistic practitioners, acupuncturists offer a safe space for clients and are often the practitioners clients seek out when nothing else has worked. Thus, acupuncturists are presented with an opportunity to serve an underserved population.
Though the creation of a financially sustainable, health-promoting model feels far away today, we are casting a vision for a full return on health, believing that this compels us to keep one foot firmly rooted in caring for the sick and the other foot firmly founded in maintaining health. Shifting from a fee-for-service model to value-based care using a phased approach is paramount.
Traditional Chinese medicine and the Vedic traditions both offer rich frameworks for understanding human health, emphasizing the balance of physical, mental, and spiritual aspects. The concept of "souls" or spiritual components in TCM, namely Hun, Po, Shen, Yi, and Zhi, bears significant similarities to the yogic concept of koshas. Their similarities and differences provide insights into how these systems contribute to holistic health practices.
