Diane K. Cridennda, LAc graduated from the International Institute of Chinese Medicine in l995 with a Masters of Oriental Medicine degree and trained in Beijing. She is NCCAOM-certified, licensed in Colorado and is a member of Resolve, a national infertility support group. She also sits on the Board for ABORM (Acupuncture Board of Reproductive Medicine). She may be contacted at: www.EastWindsAcupuncture.com or EastWindsTCM@earthlink.net.
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.