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VA Pays for Acupuncture with The Natural Way
The Natural Way's, Amber M. Kent is an approved VCP provider.
The Natural way is supporting the Durham, Salisbury, Kernersville and Charlotte, NC Veterans hospitals. The Veterans Choice Program (VCP) is one of several programs through which a Veteran can receive care from a community-care provider, paid for by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). That means no cost to you as an approved Veteran.
For example, if a Veteran needs an appointment for a specific type of care, such as Acupuncture and VA cannot provide the care in a timely manner or the nearest VA medical facility is too far away or too difficult to get to, then a Veteran may be eligible for care through the Veterans Choice Program.
To utilize the Veterans Choice Program, Veterans must receive prior authorization from VA to receive care from a provider that is part of VA’s VCP network of community-care providers. The authorization is based on specific eligibility requirements and discussions with the Veteran’s VA provider. VA must authorize care that is needed beyond the scope of the first authorization.
Acupuncture Studies - VA
Background: Acupuncture is being offered to patients as part of routine medical care in selected military bases in the United States. There is little published information about the clinical outcomes associated with acupuncture in these clinical settings.
Objective: The goal of this research was to assess clinical outcomes observed among adult patients who received acupuncture treatments at a United States Air Force medical center.
Materials and Methods: This retrospective chart review was performed at the Nellis Family Medicine Residency in the Mike O'Callaghan Military Medical Center at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, NV. The charts were from 172 consecutive patients who had at least 4 acupuncture treatments within 1 year. The main outcome measures were prescriptions for opioid medications, muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) in the 60 days prior to the first acupuncture session and in the corresponding 60 days 1 year later; and Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP2) values for symptoms, ability to perform activities, and quality of life.
Results: Opioid prescriptions decreased by 45%, muscle relaxants by 34%, NSAIDs by 42%, and benzodiazepines by 14%. MYMOP2 values decreased 3.50–3.11 (P < 0.002) for question 1, 4.18–3.46 (P < 0.00001) for question 3, and 2.73–2.43 (P < 0.006) for question 4.
Conclusions: In this military patient population, the number of opioid prescriptions decreased and patients reported improved symptom control, ability to function, and sense of well-being after receiving courses of acupuncture by their primary care physicians.