How to influence Govmts to use AP as FIRST-LINE Tx for amenable conditions?

November 29, 2004

Hi Matt, Attilio & All,

Attilio wrote:

> We need to educate the public, correctly regulate our industry,

> ... and get into the hospitals or we're screwed.

Matt Bauer replied:

> IMO, the very best method to educate the public about CM as a

> whole, and also to promote the profession of fully trained

> practitioners, is to do so within the context of AP/CM

> organizations. The issues raised in this thread, the ones about

> insurance billing codes, and others about making a living in this

> field, are all best addressed by having organizations that

> represent the profession of CM practitioners doing the public

> outreach/education on behalf of the profession.

I agree 100%.

IMO, time and effort spent on influencing DECISION-MAKERS (in

Govmt, NHS, individual hospitals, etc.) is FAR better spent than

trying to gather EBM-type evidence as to the efficacy of AP. We

will all be dead before that happens!

We should produce SOLID STATISTICS to the decision-makers to

PROVE to them that they can make HUGE FINANCIAL SAVINGS

for use in other parts of the Health Budget by having fully trained

acupuncturists as the FIRST referral for most pain and functional

conditions. That assumes that all patients to be referred for AP

shall have had a medical Dx to eliminate more serious conditions

(cancer, myocardial ischaemia, etc) as the cause.

> It makes no sense for thousands of acupuncturists/CM practitioners

> to try to educated the public on their own.

IMO, educating the PUBLIC is useful, but educating the DECISION-

MAKERS would be much more productive.

> This is true in every country, not just USA/UK. We practitioners

> should be banding together in our respective countries and making

> the goal of educating others about the merits of fully-trained

> practitioners THE PRIMARY goal of our organizations. This has not

> yet happened anywhere I am aware of. In USA, most of the focus of

> our organization has went to political lobbying (legislative

> issues) and, to a lesser degree, research. While these are all

> noble and useful goals, I am convinced that shifting priority now

> to public education will do more to address the problems that face

> this field than anything else.

Matt, with respect, I disagree. The abstract that you forwarded

about huge time delays before first AP session, and also

subsequent follow-up sessions, in UK hospitals indicates that the

PUBLIC already demands AP, but the SYSTEM cannot (or

possibly does not want to) deliver because of lack of adequately

trained staff in-house.

Influencing the POLITICIANS and DECISION-MAKERS to insist on

referrals OUTSIDE the hospital (if the hospitals cannot hire enough

qualified acupuncturists) would solve the problem.

> [We have] now enough practitioners and enough funds could be raised

> to take this on in a serious manner if the will to do so was there.

Go for it, but please hit the politicians / decision-makers also.

Unfortunately, I have lost a reprint / abstract (published about 20

years ago) that showed the mean cost of treating " backpain " by

AP v by conventional methods in UK-NHS System. The difference

in cost was HUGE in favour of AP.

IMO, the National Groups should run a PROFESSIONALLY

DESIGNED SURVEY of all their members to get accurate stats on

the following for ALL conditions known to be amenable to

successful AP: Much data could be collected (and analysed) very

effectively and rapidly if the Survey Forms could be filled in

ONLINE. Those with no access to WWW could post back their

responses for inclusion later.

Condition | Mean number of sessions to " cure " | Mean

cost/session | Mean TOTAL COST of " cure "

Condition A ...

....

Condition Z ...

Side by side with that survey, using the Freedom of Information Act

(if needed), the National Groups could complie comparative data for

the costs of CONVENTIONAL (WM) treatment.

Finally, a SUMMARY that shows the BOTTOM LINE could be as

follows:

Condition AP Cost: X+/-SD WM Cost: X+/-SD X Diff+/-SD Signif

Condition A … x+/-a y+/-b z+/-c p<0.d

Condition ... x+/-a y+/-b z+/-c p<0.d

Backpain~muscular x+/-a y+/-b z+/-c p<0.d

Backpain~vertebral/disk x+/-a y+/-b z+/-c p<0.d

Elbow pain/arthralgia/arthritis x+/-a y+/-b z+/-c p<0.d

Hip pain/arthralgia/arthritis x+/-a y+/-b z+/-c p<0.d

Knee pain/arthralgia/arthritis x+/-a y+/-b z+/-c p<0.d

Migraine headache x+/-a y+/-b z+/-c p<0.d

Shoulder pain/arthralgia/arthritis x+/-a y+/-b z+/-c p<0.d

Trigeminal neuralgia x+/-a y+/-b z+/-c p<0.d

Condition … x+/-a y+/-b z+/-c p<0.d

Condition Z ... x+/-a y+/-b z+/-c p<0.d

ALL of the above x+/-a y+/-b z+/-c p<0.d

In planning the Data Forms, and analysing the data, it would be

essential to have an expert poll-consultant and one or more expert

statisticians on the team

IMO, this comparison WOULD SHOW CLEARLY the benefits to

the NHS of introducing professional AP as first-line Tx of amenable

conditions.

International publication of the results, using every means possible

(TV, radio, WWW, TCM/AP & WM journals, etc.), would bring

uncommitted members of the public, and any politicians who value

substantial savings in health costs, on-side.

Best regards,

Email: <

WORK : Teagasc, c/o 1 Esker Lawns, Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

Mobile: 353-; [in the Republic: 0]

HOME : 1 Esker Lawns, Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

Tel : 353-; [in the Republic: 0]

WWW : http://homepage.eircom.net/~progers/searchap.htm

Chinese Proverb: " Man who says it can't be done, should not interrupt man doing

it "

November 29, 2004

Phil wrote " IMO, educating the PUBLIC is useful, but educating the DECISION-

MAKERS would be much more productive. "

I respectively disagree with you here Phil. I can really only speak for matters

in the US but I suspect some of the same elements apply elsewhere. What I am

referring to is a different take on what you stated:

" The abstract that you forwarded

about huge time delays before first AP session, and also subsequent follow-up

sessions, in UK hospitals indicates that the

PUBLIC already demands AP, but the SYSTEM cannot (or possibly does not want to)

deliver because of lack of adequately

trained staff in-house. "

Here is the critical difference (IMO); it is true that the public is beginning

to demand acupuncture but they are ignorant about the qualifications of

different acupuncturists. This is obvious in that people would even consider

teaching self-acupuncture in a country where qualified acupuncturists are plenty

and having difficulty making a living. Why haven't these hospitals hired

qualified acupuncturists and pay them a reasonable salery to meet the demand?

Because they do not respect their qualifications. There is much good news about

acupuncture, but no one is addressing the qualifications of acupuncturists.

Those with the most training have the most to lose when people seem to think

that it is the action of needling that is responsible for the good buzz about

acupuncture rather than the knowledge of how to chose, manipulate, and manage

these therapeutic spots. Who is going to educate the public about the value of

higher training if not those with the highest training?

I emphasize the public, Phil, rather than " decision-makers " because those

decision-makers are too corrupted by their positions of authority to be

influenced by a small special-interest group that comes to them and says " We are

the best - you should support us. " Such decision-makers are being lobbied by

countless special interest groups and when we (the AP community) approach them,

we are seen in their eyes as just one more asking for favors. The only way, IMO,

that we can really get them to listen is to get the public behind us. We should

go directly to the public, educate them about how valuable comprehensive

training is and then and only then, will we have the juice to get the

decision-makers to listen.

I have seen efforts to appeal to such movers and shakers fail again and again

here in the states for many years even though we approached them with very sound

evidence about the value and cost savings of well applied acupuncture. Well

trained acupuncturists have treated millions of patients, and if we could get

those patients organized to put pressure on those decision-makers we might

finally make much more progress. A wise and well connected government offical

told me many years ago " There are two ways to get things done in government;

with money or grassroots public support. You guys (the AP community) don't have

either one. " I believe we do have resources to organize our patients into a

grassroots force and this will do far more for our cause than lobbying

decision-makers alone.

The time has come for us to stop talking about " acupuncture " and start talking

about " acupuncturists. " Best yet - lets get our patients to do the talking for

us. - Matt

-

Chinese Medicine

Cc: pa-l ; ACUPUNCTURE

Sunday, November 28, 2004 6:41 PM

How to influence Govmts to use AP as FIRST-LINE Tx for amenable

conditions?