Peter Valaskatgis has been practicing acupuncture since 1979, utilizing mainly Chinese acupuncture and herbal medicine. He graduated from New Engalnd School of Acupuncture (NESA) in 1977, from the International College of Oriental Medicine (Sussex, England) in 1979 and from the "First International Course for Further Study on Acupuncture and Moxibustion" at Nanjing College of TCM in China in 1982. In addition to his acupuncture studies, he holds a B.S.E.E. degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1968) and attended the Harvard University Extension Program.
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.