Chronic pain afflicts over 20% of the adult population. Sadly, most MDs have essentially no education in treating pain, beyond offering a few toxic medications. Then they tend to steer people with pain away from those health practitioners who are trained. This puts the acupuncture community on the front lines for addressing this epidemic.
Permanent Reinstatement Route to Active NCCAOM Certification Coming Next Year
Background on the Reinstatement Route
In 2013, the NCCAOM introduced a route for former diplomates to return to active NCCAOM certification by meeting eligibility requirements and passing an NCCAOM Reinstatement Examination. In 2019, due to the high volume of feedback and requests from former diplomates and other stakeholders regarding the difficulties with the reinstatement exam and requirements, the NCCAOM Board of Commissioners and staff began revising this route.
An NCCAOM Reinstatement Taskforce was convened in August 2019 and charged with developing a reinstatement route to NCCAOM certification for former diplomates that embodies best practices while maintaining National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) standards. In the meantime, the reinstatement exam was discontinued and in December 2019, the NCCAOM instead offered a temporary, 18-month, time-limited reinstatement route approved by the NCCA.
Permanent Reinstatement Route in a Nutshell
The time-limited reinstatement route implemented on Dec. 10, 2019, will expire on June 30, 2022. In an effort to continue to offer a route to allow former diplomates to return to active status, the NCCAOM has created a permanent reinstatement route, as more employers, hospitals and third-party payors now require NCCAOM certification.
The diligent work of the Reinstatement Taskforce has resulted in the blueprint for the new, permanent NCCAOM reinstatement route that was approved in July 2021 by the NCCA.
Effective July 1, 2022, all applicants for the reinstatement route will have to:
- Satisfy eligibility requirements for reinstatement
- Report to their NCCAOM online account PDA / CEU points based on their certification expiration date
- Submit a reinstatement application and pay the fee
- Complete the CNT Review: Acupuncture Safety online course
- Pass the Reinstatement Safety Evaluation – a low-stake assessment completed online
- For those whose certification has been terminated eight years or longer, also pass an online Final Assessment in addition to the above requirements
The new route is currently under development and will be implemented on July 1, 2022. As with the current reinstatement route, the new Permanent Reinstatement Route will be more rigorous than the recertification process for active diplomates; therefore, diplomates are encouraged to recertify before their certification expires.
Stay tuned for additional information regarding this permanent reinstatement route in the coming months.