In 2017 I had the pleasure of volunteering for the Job Task Analysis panel. The panel members and I developed a comprehensive survey, consisting of 248 knowledge, skills and abilities statements, which was sent to over 30,000 licensed acupuncturists.
Establishing & Maintaining National Standards for the Good of the Profession
The NCCAOM has always been focused on maintaining high standards for the profession as part of the NCCAOM mission of public protection; however, NCCAOM does much more than administer exams and certify acupuncturists. The NCCAOM also promotes and continually advances its National Board-Certified Acupuncturists and the profession through its public education campaign. Below, is a list of the 2017 accomplishments and ongoing efforts by the NCCAOM.
- Provided both financial and legislative support to state regulatory agencies and the state associations to establish and expand licensing laws for acupuncture and Oriental medicine in Kansas and Wyoming.
- Led the initiative to get "acupuncturists" listed as a standard of occupational code at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
- Applied to the AMA on including a licensed acupuncturist representative in their procedural code Advisory Committee (CPT/HCPAC).
- In August 2017, the NCCAOM also developed the first NCCAOM Academy position on dry needling, which provided an additional tool to states that are dealing with the dry needling issue. NCCAOM continues to provide letters of support and testimony to states for this purpose.
- The NCCAOM has hired a public relations firm to assist in developing a public education campaign and media kit about our profession and produced 8 press releases this past year (and over 20 in the past four years). This is part of a public education campaign to promote National Board-Certified Acupuncturists with the media, public and other health care practitioners.
Educating The Public
The press releases and updates below represent the results of the public education campaign for 2017.
- Acupuncture gaining acceptance in Ohio as a covered service under Medicaid.
- NCCAOM applauds the National Association of Attorneys General initiative in fight against opioid crisis.
- AOM Day 2017
- The Joint Commission introduces revised pain assessment and management standards.
- NCCAOM Academy of Diplomates Elects Dr. Iman Majd as a new chair.
- NCCAOM Board of Commissioners Elects F. Afua Bromley as new chair.
- Wyoming passes the first acupuncture law.
- NCCAOM chooses International Consultants of Delaware to conduct academic credential validations.
- The NCCAOM has also created the NCCAOM Academy of Diplomates, a separate chartered division of the NCCAOM to increase promotion and advancement of NCCAOM Diplomates and NCCAOM credentials (for more details see the NCCAOM Academy factsheet). February, 2017 the new NCCAOM and Academy website was launched including an Opioid Crisis Campaign Project timeline. Diplomates benefits include, personalized marketing materials, NCCAOM service marks to promote their certification, and information on hospital-based practice privileging. In the coming months, the NCCAOM will be announcing additional services for its Diplomates as part of the Academy.
Moving in the Right Direction
NCCAOM headquarters has now moved to the District of Columbia to focus on these important initiatives, and the NCCAOM has also shifted to an entirely paperless certification and recertification process for increased efficiencies and to save costs so that more resources can be added to their advocacy and public education programs.
Dr. Ward-Cook and I wrote an article titled "A Snapshot of the AOM Profession in America: Demographics, Practice Settings and Income," published in Volume 4, No. 4 Fall 2017 edition of Meridians: The Journal of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. The paper analyzed and provided the results of three years of demographic data from NCCAOM surveys from 2014 to 2016. Scott Mist, PhD, LAc from the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon did the heavy lifting for the statistical analysis in that paper.
The NCCAOM staff created an interesting tool for the media and consumers called the AOM News and Resource Center, which offers roughly 50 articles relating to various health conditions treated by acupuncture from allergies to weight loss. The NCCAOM is always interested in receiving research to add to this database to promote AOM.
An interactive pain research resource/annotated bibliography is currently under development and should be available on the NCCAOM website in the Spring/Summer of 2018.
At the State Level
For several decades, the NCCAOM has been providing support to state representatives to assist with the development of a first practice act for acupuncture. Currently, there are 46 states, plus the District of Columbia, who require the NCCAOM exams or NCCAOM certification as a prerequisite for licensure. NCCAOM has been instrumental is assisting these states in the development of legislation a support for a first practice act. During the years 2016 through 2017, NCCAOM worked with dedicated state association leaders in Kansas and Wyoming for this purpose (as well as with the rules and language of their practice acts) resulting in two additional states regulating acupuncture.
Supporting states have also included providing in-kind services and sponsorship of events such as NCCAOM co-sponsoring the Florida State Oriental Medical Association (FSOMA) joint conference in August, 2017. This event, NCCAOM also offered a leadership panel moderated by Michael Taromina to discuss how the future of the AOM profession and how Diplomates can be more successful and promote the profession.
At the Federal Level
On the federal level, the NCCAOM and I have been closely involved with federal pain policy through the Integrative Health Policy Consortium (IHPC) with Dr. Ward-Cook serving as the NCCAOM's Board representative.
As a volunteer and frequent collaborator in some of the above initiatives last year, it was important for me to highlight the work of the NCCAOM as not only establishing and maintaining national standards for the practice of AOM, but also advocating and promoting its Diplomates and the profession as the health care industry and the country looks to integrative medicine to solve pressing issues such as the opioid epidemic. As Dr. Ward-Cook recently shared with me, "As consumer growth of acupuncture services increases, the NCCAOM main strategic goal is to align our Diplomates with the these demands and to set them up for success and greater patient access."
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