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.
Mark Reinhard, BSEE, LAc / EAMP
Mark Reinhard, an acupuncturist with more than 30 years of experience, practices in Kent, Wash. He has taught electroacupuncture at the Northwest Institute of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (his alma mater), the Seattle Institute of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and Bastyr University. Mark is also an electrical engineer (Georgia Tech, 1981 graduate), which he says is particularly relevant since many of acupuncture's effects are bioelectrical in nature. He is currently designing and building various electroacupuncture machines, and has been using frequency-specific microcurrent in practice for the past several years.