Editor’s Note: Article submitted by the NCCAOM / ASA.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is rolling out an important new tool to improve access to integrative care for our valued U.S. veterans: external provider scheduling (EPS). This cloud-based technology enables VA schedulers to book approved appointments directly into providers’ scheduling systems – at no cost to practitioners.
For acupuncturists serving veterans, this marks a major step forward by expanding veterans’ access to acupuncture care. EPS eliminates time-consuming phone calls and faxes, reduces administrative burden, and allows you to focus on what matters most: patient care.
How EPS Supports Acupuncturists and Veterans
NCCAOM and ASA Partnership With the VA
The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) and the American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA) are working together to support the VA and our veterans in expanding access to credentialed acupuncture care through EPS. This initiative is part of a broader effort to modernize VA scheduling systems and improve coordination of community care.
NCCAOM Certification – A Requirement for VA Credentialing
Please note that active NCCAOM board certification is a mandatory requirement for acupuncturists seeking credentialing with the VA. This ensures that veterans receive care from providers who have met the highest national standards of competence and professionalism.
If you are not currently NCCAOM certified, we encourage you to begin the certification process to become eligible for VA credentialing and participation in programs like EPS. For those who previously held certification, but allowed it to lapse or terminate, now is the perfect time to explore the NCCAOM reinstatement process and restore your credentialed status.
By maintaining active NCCAOM certification, you not only meet VA requirements, but also gain professional recognition, access to opportunities in expanding healthcare systems, and the ability to better serve veterans and your broader patient community.
Getting Started
For additional resources, see the EPS Provider Factsheet and EPS Provider FAQs, or email the EPS Provider Engagement Team directly with questions.
Together, NCCAOM and ASA are proud to support this effort to deliver timely, coordinated acupuncture services to veterans. We encourage all qualified providers to explore this opportunity to help expand access to safe, effective care for those who have served our country.
Watch the ASA–NCCAOM Webinar!
Want to learn more about EPS, VA credentialing, and how you can serve veterans through this initiative? Watch the NCCAOM / ASA’s recent webinar, available here.
When we talk about fertility, the focus is often placed on the ovaries and the uterus. Yet sperm-related factors contribute to nearly half of all cases of infertility. Whether someone is navigating fertility care alone or with a partner, and whether building a family through intercourse, IVI, IUI or IVF, it’s vital to include sperm health in the picture.
With some plans – and it starts with Medicare (CMS) – there is a payment protocol that may be referred to as a multi-therapy discount, but its official name is the multiple-procedure payment reduction (MPPR). If a health care provider performs multiple procedures during a single patient encounter, Medicare (and many commercial insurers) typically will pay “full price” for only the highest-valued procedure.
Our team of authors offer this paper (and this descriptive AT series) as a support for you as a professional, practitioner and member of the acupuncture community at large. We hope that it will serve to further the needs of acupuncturists everywhere and also act as a guide for those wishing to learn about Acupuncture Medicine – patients, healthcare decision makers, policymakers, and other stakeholders.