by Honora Lee Wolfe
 
Over the weekend more bad news from banks, Wall Street, the job market, and overseas. Everyone is concerned and, surely, most of us are affected one way or another by what is happening around us in the macro-economy. Since the average price for an acupuncture treatment is $60-$80 nationally, the pool of people in our country who can afford this usually-out-of-pocket expenditure on a weekly or bi-weekly basis must be dropping.
 
So, despite some resistance and pooh-poohing by some in the larger acupuncture industry, I am coming out vocally as a supporter of the Community Acupuncture Clinic Model (called CACM in the remainder of this article). In addition to the general economic climate, there are a number of reasons for practitioners, both right out of school and older to consider this style of practice.

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Please don't misunderstand here. I am not saying that however anyone chooses to practice is wrong or bad. If you can find enough patients to fill your practice at whatever prices you charge, that's a wonderful thing. I applaud all acupuncturists who have found a workable clinic model.
 
1. As Lisa Rohleder, the mother of the CACM in the US, so clearly states for us, the median household income in the US is slightly below $50,000 per year for a family of three...and that was prior to the current economic environment! Now it must be even lower than that. It does not take a math major to run the numbers and see that such families cannot afford very many acupuncture treatments at national-average-prices. Then add herbal medicine to the equation and the expense becomes even farther out of reach.

2. Add to that the approximately 50 million people in the US who have lost (or never have had) health insurance, so paying for our services that way is not an option for any of this population.

3. Current statistics suggest that slightly less than 5% of Americans have received acupuncture. If those who can afford acupuncture at current common pricing levels (the top income earners in the US most likely) are already being served, it seems to me that the population of people who have not yet tried but could really use our care are those in the middle and lower middle class...those who are now the most affected by the current economic crisis. How can we successfully market services to them that they clearly are unlikely to be able to afford at the current normal pricing levels? It is my contention that we cannot easily do so!

4. Since we know that acupuncture as a therapy works best when received in closely-spaced repetitive treatments, the only model that allows access to widest group of Americans is the Community Acupuncture Clinic Model. It is also true, whether any teacher in any school would be willing to say so, that at least some of the benefits of acupuncture are generalized and homeostatic in nature, which means that a few good treatment plans for a wide range of conditions may be adequate (come to think of it, this is often true with herbal medicine as well, when you get good at it). I realize this many not be a popular thing to say, but it is my personal belief.

5. In China, almost all acupuncture is received in a group setting, similar to the community acupuncture model and which, in the NADA programs, has actually been shown to help improve outcomes.

6. The people who are doing this type of work successfully are making a dependable living, are well imbedded in their communities with rich relationships, are getting tons of experience as acupuncturists, and are doing a wonderful service all at the same time. Yes, there are drawbacks...that you must be able to both diagnose and work quickly, you probably have to give up most types of moxibustion and massage as part of your treatments, you are unlikely to be hanging out with wealthy folks, and you will not be working inside the insurance industry (although perhaps most would think the last one was not a drawback).

7. And what about population trends? If our primary market is a well educated female between the ages of 35 and 55 then we ought to be aware of what's happening to that group; is it growing in size or is it getting smaller? Between now and 2015 here are some statistics.
Age Group % Change
35 - 39 +2%
40 - 44 -3.5%
45 - 49 -7.6%
50 - 54 +.9%
Looking at these population trends along with the economic uncertainty we are now facing says to me that we have to figure out how to broaden our base, how to bring in more new (and young) people into our clinics so that we can see where the growth for the future will be coming from. Since people in the 20s and 30s are not usually at their earnings peak and often do not yet have health insurance, and also fall squarely within the household income levels that I mentioned above, the CAC model is a perfect way to allow them to experience the benefits of acupuncture at prices they can afford.
 
So to wrap this up, be clear I am not a communist at all, but a good capitalist who believes in the power of markets and market realities. As such my advice is, if you are still a student or you are a new practitioner with options open to you, visit the Community Acupuncture Network website.

This site offers tons of information and support to its members...
everything you can think of from how to market your services to how to run your office efficiently and how to figure out what to charge, how to manage your herbal medicine dispensary, downloadable budget and office forms, and a whole lot more. This practice model is worth considering and, for the record, it's what I would do were I to go back into practice tomorrow.
 
Finally, if we believe that everyone has a right to medical care (and I would venture that many in our industry share this belief) then the community acupuncture model is a good and viable way to support that belief and walk our talk while thriving in the current economic downturn.
 
Health and all good things. Let me know your thoughts about this.

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