Whether you accept it, avoid it or live somewhere in between, insurance coverage has become a defining issue for our profession. Patients increasingly expect to use their benefits, practitioners want to be compensated fairly for their time and expertise, and the system itself remains – at best – fragmented. The encouraging news is that coverage has expanded in meaningful ways. The challenging news is that reimbursement, across the board, remains inadequate.
Leon I. Hammer, MD
Dr. Leon I. Hammer began a study of Chinese medicine in England from 1971-1974 with Dr. J.D. Van Buren. In 1974, he began following a Chinese master, Dr. John H. F. Shen, in New York City weekly for eight years, emphasizing what is now referred to as Shen-Hammer Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis. In 1981, he spent four months studying TCM in Beijing, China. In 2001, he helped found Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine (DRCOM) and recently also the COM Foundation, which owns DRCOM and promotes his contribution to the medicine called COM (Contemporary Oriental Medicine). He is also an author of eight books and over 40 articles on the subject of Chinese medicine. Learn more about his work and background at http://comfoundation.org/leonhammermd.html.