The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday finalized a decision to cover acupuncture for Medicare patients with chronic low back pain. Acupuncture has not been covered nationally by Medicare, but recent evidence from published acupuncture studies indicated that patients with chronic low back pain showed improvements in function and pain. “Expanding options for pain treatment is a key piece of the Trump Administrations’ strategy for defeating our country’s opioid crisis,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. 

Related News Articles

Headline
The AHA Jan. 20 made recommendations to Congress on modernizing the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act. Among the proposals, the AHA recommended…
Headline
The comment period for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' proposed rule for policies governing the Medicare Advantage and Part D programs for…
Headline
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Jan. 15 voted to recommend that Congress update Medicare payment rates for hospital inpatient and outpatient services…
Headline
UnitedHealth Group announced Jan. 14 that it launched a six-month pilot program to reduce Medicare Advantage payment processing times by half for rural…
Headline
A Senate Judiciary Committee report released Jan. 12 found that UnitedHealth Group used “aggressive strategies” to maximize its Medicare Advantage risk-…
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released a request for information seeking input on replacing its Medicare claims processing system with a…