As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) continues to modernize how veterans access care, a growing collaboration between the National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (NCBAHM) and the American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA) is helping ensure NCBAHM nationally board-certified acupuncturists are well-positioned to serve within the VA Community Care network.
Together, these organizations are supporting workforce readiness, professional standards, and system integration as the VA expands access to complementary and integrative health services. A key driver of this progress is Enterprise Patient Scheduling (EPS) – a system designed to reduce administrative barriers, streamline referrals, and connect veterans to high-quality acupuncture care more efficiently.
A Veteran-Centered Approach to Scheduling
EPS is the VA’s modernized scheduling platform that allows VA schedulers to book appointments directly into participating communities’ existing electronic health record (EHR) systems. Rather than relying on faxes, phone calls, or manual back-and-forth communication, EPS enables near real-time scheduling, improving speed, accuracy, and coordination.
“VA is excited to partner with acupuncturists as part of our rollout,” said Howard Manuel, deputy senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “Enterprise Patient Scheduling (EPS) is about one simple thing: getting Veterans the care they need faster and with less friction. By modernizing scheduling and cutting down administrative burden, EPS allows practitioners to spend less time on paperwork and more time doing what matters most – delivering high quality care to the Veterans we all serve.”
This emphasis on efficiency directly supports VA’s broader mission: ensuring veterans receive timely, high-quality care, particularly when community-based specialty services such as acupuncture are clinically appropriate.
Why EPS Matters for Acupuncturists
For NCBAHM nationally board-certified acupuncturists working with veterans through VA Community Care, administrative complexity has historically been a challenge. EPS addresses many of these pain points:
- Streamlining scheduling: VA schedulers can book appointments directly, eliminating repeated calls and faxed referrals.
- Preserving provider control: Acupuncturists maintain full authority over their schedules, appointment types and availability.
- Reducing no-shows: Direct scheduling and clearer communication improve appointment follow-through.
- Integrating with existing systems: EPS connects with more than 150 EHR platforms, requiring no change to a provider’s current workflow.
Amy E. Mager, DACM, Lic. Ac., Dipl. OM (NCBAHM), a nationally board-certified acupuncturist and federal advocacy chair for the American Society of Acupuncturists, described the practical impact of EPS on clinical operations: “The best part of the EPS system for me is that it saves time. Instead of having to send faxes back and forth to get a VA referral number to see a Veteran, being part of the EPS system makes it seamless. Like anything worth something, it takes a little time to set up – and it is absolutely worth the effort.”
For practitioners, that time savings translates directly into more availability for patient care and less administrative frustration.
From the patient’s perspective, the difference is just as meaningful. Tiffany Jones, a U.S. veteran and VA patient, emphasized how important smooth scheduling and coordinated care can be: “When you’re navigating healthcare as a Veteran, anything that makes the process simpler makes a difference. Knowing your appointment is scheduled, confirmed, and coordinated reduces stress and allows you to focus on your healing.”
Importantly, EPS does not require acupuncturists to log into a separate VA system. Once onboarded, providers simply manage their schedules as usual, while VA schedulers see only the availability the provider chooses to share.
Expanding Access to Complementary and Integrative Health
Demand for complementary and integrative health services within the VA system continues to grow. Over the past 12 months, VA has issued more than 310,000 referrals for complementary and integrative health services, including acupuncture. States such as Texas, California, Florida, Washington, and North Carolina lead in referral volume, underscoring the nationwide need for qualified community providers.
EPS supports this demand by helping veterans access care sooner – particularly when VA facilities are geographically distant or appointment availability is limited. By improving coordination between VA medical centers and community acupuncturists, EPS helps ensure veterans are not delayed in receiving clinically indicated treatment.
Building the Nationally Board-Certified Workforce
As access expands, ensuring a robust, qualified acupuncture workforce is essential. NCBAHM national board certification serves as an important professional credential for acupuncturists seeking to work within federal and institutional healthcare environments, including VA Community Care.
Importantly, acupuncturists whose NCBAHM certification has expired or terminated have a clear pathway to return to active status. Practitioners can reinstate their certification and reengage professionally, supporting both workforce readiness and patient access. Details on returning from terminated to active certification status are available here.
For those who are not yet nationally board-certified but are interested in advancing their credentials and expanding opportunities to serve veterans and other patient populations, information on becoming NCBAHM nationally board-certified is available on the NCBAHM website.
These pathways help ensure that experienced clinicians can re-enter the workforce while new practitioners are supported in meeting national standards of education, ethics, and clinical competence.
Trauma-Informed Care and Veteran Experience
Providing care to veterans requires more than technical skill. Many veterans present with complex health needs, including chronic pain, post-traumatic stress, and co-occurring conditions. NCBAHM nationally board-certified acupuncturists are uniquely positioned to support this population when care is delivered through a trauma-informed lens - one that emphasizes safety, presence, and respect for lived experience.
By reducing administrative friction, EPS allows acupuncturists to focus more fully on patient care, supporting therapeutic relationships that are essential for effective treatment outcomes.
Strengthening VA – Community Partnerships
Enterprise Patient Scheduling represents more than a technology upgrade; it signals a shift toward deeper collaboration between VA and community-based clinicians. For nationally board-certified acupuncturists credentialed through the VA Community Care Network, EPS creates a clearer, more sustainable pathway to serve veterans.
As EPS adoption continues to expand, it offers a scalable model for integrating high-quality acupuncture services into the VA’s coordinated care framework – benefiting veterans, providers and the health system as a whole.
In aligning modern scheduling infrastructure with clinical excellence, the VA is reinforcing a simple but powerful goal: getting veterans the right care, at the right time, with the least possible burden on those who provide it.
Editor's Note: Article submitted by the NCBAHM.
