As the popularity of acupuncture increases across the U.S. more studies are sure to make their way onto the books; however, a newly released study's focus may surprise you.

OkCopay.com, an online website that helps patients find affordable healthcare, examined the out-of-pocket costs from acupuncture services in 41 metropolitan regions. The study reviewed "first-time" and "follow-up" visits in 723 clinics within 39 metropolitan areas.

The cost range for a "first-time" visit was $15–400, with the highest median ($150) in Charleston, South Carolina. The lowest median was in St. Louis, Missouri at $45. The top 10 cities for the highest median were: Baltimore, Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, San Jose, Boston, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland and Indianapolis, with the median $120, while the median for all 723 clinics was $112.

The cost range for "follow-up" visits was $15–300; the highest median was $108 in Charleston, South Carolina, and the lowest $40 in Miami, Florida. The 10 cities with highest median follow-up acupuncture visit costs were: New York, Baltimore, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Boston and Atlanta, with the median $85, while for all 723 clinics the median price was $80.

The estimation of the average gross annual income of each acupuncturist from the regions studied was $95,760, while the total annual cost of patients seeking acupuncture services in the U.S. was about $3.5 billion in 2018.

Reference

1. Fan AY, Wang DD, Ouyang H, et al. Acupuncture price in forty-one metropolitan regions in the United States: An out-of-pocket cost analysis based on OkCopay.com. Journal of Integrative Medicine, 28 June 2019.

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