Paul C. Magarelli, MD, PhD is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist in private and academic practice. He is owner of Reproductive Medicine & Fertility Centers in Colorado Springs, Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and partner in Corona Institute for Reproductive Medicine & Fertility, Corona, CA. He is associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of New Mexico. He may be contacted at: www.475-baby.com or info@475-baby.com.
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.
In 1997, the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health convened a multiday conference on acupuncture to evaluate its clinical utilization and mechanisms of action. The resultant document recommended acupuncture for a wide variety of clinical issues; and also recommended acupuncture be taught in medical schools and brought into mainstream medicine.Twenty-eight years later, acupuncture is far from integrated in the way that the document portends.