Frequently Asked Questions - Community Acupuncture Berea

May I use a Community Acupuncture Berea practitioner as my primary care provider?

No, the care that Community Acupuncture Berea provides complements rather than substitutes for the services of a primary care provider. We work with you and your primary care provider to integrate all aspects of your care.

Acupuncture may be useful for some acute problems, and we encourage you to be in touch as soon as possible after your symptoms develop if you would like to consider an acupuncture approach.

However, Community Acupuncture Berea is not set up to provide emergency care or to arrange for hospitalization. If you need emergency care, please contact your primary care provider or go to your nearest hospital or urgent care center.

Will my insurance cover acupuncture?

Maybe. Some Kentucky insurance policies provide coverage for acupuncture and almost all flexible spending accounts and medical savings plans will reimburse you for the cost of acupuncture treatments.

Please check directly with your insurance representative or plan administrator to find out whether you may be reimbursed. It is important to mention the qualifications of the practitioner and, in some cases, the medical diagnosis for which you are seeking care. (For example, you may be seeking acupuncture provided by a physician for chronic pain.) If your insurances covers acupunture, be sure to request a detailed receipt (“superbill”) at the end of each visit with the codes required for insurance filing.

Payment is due at the time of service unless prior arrangements have been made.

In order to make services available as widely as possible, Community Acupuncture Berea offers a sliding scale of charges for individual and group treatments. The middle of each range just covers the basic costs for that visit. Please pay what you are able to afford on each visit. If CAB charges present a hardship to you, please discuss your needs at the time of your visit.

More information about the cost of treatment

Why do I get the answering machine when I phone during hours when the clinic is open?

In order to keep costs and charges as low as possible, Community Acupuncture Berea does not have reception or office staff. If you wish to leave a message, your call will be returned within 2 days. In most cases, you may also communicate your question or request by email. Please do not use either the answering machine or email for private health information.

If you need emergency care, please contact your primary care provider or go to your nearest hospital or urgent care center.

How may I learn more about acupuncture?

These BOOKS provide a good overview of acupuncture and Asian medicine:

Harriett Beinfield and Efrem Korngold, Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine (New York: Ballantine, 1991). Good introduction to TCM approach, helpful for self-understanding.
Joseph Helms, Getting to Know You (Medical Acupuncture Publishers, 2007). New book for patients by the director of the UCLA Medical Acupuncture for Physicians program. Appendix includes a constitutional self-inventory and a table of potential value of acupuncture for common conditions, both accessible at www.acupunctureprofessor.com.
Sandra Hill, Reclaiming the Wisdom of the Body: A Personal Guide to Chinese Medicine (London: Constable, 1997).
Ted J. Kaptchuk, The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1982, 2000). New edition has extensive appendices and clinical references.

You are welcome to browse through these books in the WaysMeet Resource Room next to the waiting room. They are also available through the Berea College Bookstore in College Square, at Robie and Robie Fine Books, 307 Chestnut Street, and in most public libraries.

Following are several WEBSITES with accurate and current information on acupuncture. Please remember that reviewing the content of websites or obtaining advice over the internet does not substitute for evaluation by or consultation with a qualified health professional.

The website of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, organization of physician acupuncturists, includes a directory of medical acupuncturists by state.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) website has fact sheets on acupuncture, the text of the 1997 NIH consensus statement on acupuncture, and information on research and clinical trials related to acupuncture.

The NCCAM website also has useful information on selecting a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioner and on dealing with insurance and costs of CAM treatments.

The Alternative Medicine Foundation has a good Resource Guide on Acupuncture. See also Resource Guides on Traditional Chinese Medicine and on Pain.

The mission of the Community Acupuncture Network (CAN) is to promote and advance acupuncture in community settings as a sustainable and practical approach to promoting the health of the public. The website includes information on this model and a list of clinics in the U.S. that offer group acupuncture treatments.

If you are considering acupuncture, here are some ways you may find
qualified practitioners.

Elizabeth A. Armstrong, MD 380 South Mill Street, Suite 120 Lexington Medical Acupuncture Dudley Square Lexington KY 40507 859-281-0100 lizarmstrong@windstream.net	Suzanne Dansereau, MD Manchester Medical Associates 94 Marie Langdon Drive, Suite 6 Manchester, KY 40962 606-598-6904 or 606-598-5115
Sharon M. Colton, MD Clover Fork Clinic 101 Chad Street, PO Box 39 Evarts KY 40828 606-837-2108 sharoncolton@bellsouth.net	Connie Jennings, MD Kentucky Clinic South 2400 Greatstone Point Lexington KY 40504 859-257-9800 ext. 331