Medical billing and coding is a complicated, but necessary, process for both medical and holistic practices looking to be reimbursed for services. However, the world of medical billing processes can become rather complicated very quickly, with people throwing around a lot of technical terms that holistic practices may not be accustomed to hearing or dealing with. If your acupuncture practice plans on accepting insurance, you will need to become familiar with this terminology to maximize your insurance reimbursements and minimize denied claims. 

You will frequently hear the following common acupuncture billing terms when dealing with insurance claims or working with an experienced acupuncture billing company like Holistic Billing Services. To ensure a streamlined acupuncture billing experience, keep this list handy in case you ever need to quickly reference unfamiliar acupuncture billing terms!

What is Acupuncture Billing?

Medical billing is the process of healthcare providers submitting claims with insurance companies in order to be reimbursed for their services. This can include anything from treatments, procedures, and testing. The medical billing process is essential for most practices to receive payments.

Acupuncture billing practices are not the same as traditional medical billing and have a different set of requirements. Before billing can be initiated, many holistic practices  must first be credentialed with health insurance companies. On top of your holistic practice’s insurance enrollments, the right billing, coding, and SOAP documentation must be used. 

Acupuncture billing uses its own unique set of codes. Since acupuncture services are always coded in 15-minute increments, you will use one code for the initial 15 minutes of service and then a separate code for additional units of time. Acupuncture CPT codes will only vary if you include electronic stimulation in your treatment.