Is $50 charging too much for acupuncture?

There are many different types of treatment. Some patients may come 3+ times per week getting the same protocol for a chronic illness, in this case the $50 mark is appropriate or maybe even mildly high

With a patient who comes in 2-4x per month where we need to take more notes and dive deeper in the diagnosis giving herbs and more lifestyle changes then $50 is to cheap.

When it all comes down to it, we are worth what our patients will pay!

I think it comes down to a few specific things.

1. No matter how you little you charge, some people will alway complain. I think we have all seen this in our clinic or other businesses. So its important to charge what makes it worth while to you. There will always be other people charging less and more.

2. In Canada, 50 may seem expensive because we dont pay or family doctor bills out of pocket directly. But if we were to look at the amount that we are "actually" paying over all in the cost of drugs, visits and other support, suddenly it doesnt seem like so much. (Ie, out of taxes, etc). I am curious to see how americans feel about it considering how many people are not covered by insurance and pay for everything out of pocket.

3. Whats the point of having money if you are not healthy enough to enjoy it?

4. I also took away from Deadman, is that we charge too much, but that we also over-fuss. Or whatever you want to call it. Many practitioners change treatments too often and re-diagnosis every time a patient comes for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. tx for the same problem. Instead of just making a solid diagnosis and giving enough of the same base tx to take effect. Not doing that so often would cut down on the nessesary face time. (But i think that is what alot of people are selling as much as acupuncture - face time/talk time). Very different from the current approach in China as he put it.

Eric
Acupuncture Without Borders Canada

Yeah, I think there are most practitioners who've met patients and the patients balk at the prices. They always want a bargain for what is being charged for acupuncture. But in the end,it is all based on the practitioner's pricelist for what he / she is worth whether it is $50-$60 or lower.

Price is only an issue in the absence of value. For those of you charging too little for your service, it shows that even YOU don't think it is worth much !

I think it depends on where you live. $50 in NY City is dirt cheap!!! the going rate here for qualified licensed acupuncturist is around $125 for first visit and $75 for subsequent visits. Prices can go higher depending on the acupuncturist in demand.

If someone charged less than $50 in Manhattan, I would worry about the quality of service I was receiving.

In Germany, patients have most services covered by health insurance. A physician practicing in Germany receives anywhere from 25 - 35 Euros per session. Hence, in order to make any sort of living they need to run 5 - 6 rooms per hour. Non-physician naturopaths charge about 45 - 65 Euros/session.

In the US, patients are used to paying for services out of pocket. The going rate varies greatly based on geography anywhere between $85 - $180 for NP and $60 - $120 for EP. Business strategists teach when we identify who our customer is we can specifically cater to that customer base. There will be some practices that attract the Value Buyer who are primarily motivated by price (like the WalMart of OM), then there are those who attract Performance Buyers who are motivated by results and systems (like the Porsche of OM), and, lastly, there are those who are Experimental Buyers who enjoy image, being first etc.

As a clinic each practitioner gets to decide first who they want to cater to and form the practice around those goals.

Happy Practicing

If all you do is put in a few needles and leave i imagine as consumers become more educated about acupuncture they may not be willing to over pay for acupuncture. So where is the value. There are many variables that make up the value of your treatment. Your experience, how quickly does the patient get results, does the patient actually get results, the patients perceived experience of the treatment (is your clinic like a warm spa with flowers, candles, soft sheets or is it in a cold basement and your sheets consist of warn out towels) to name a few. Personally, holding all other variables equal if you are seeing 4 or more an hour your treatment has less value than if you are seeing 1-2 an hour. I am assuming that the doc seeing 1-2 an hour is spending more time just listening to their client. A form of narrative medicine. Considering counselors and psychologist charge well over $100 an hour to listen I think if you are not just inserting needles but also taking the time to listen and connect with your patient then your fee of over $50 is worth it and more. Also, if you are doing dietary counseling and/or prescribing herbs then your client is also receiving a consult with their acupuncture treatment. So if your start to add the value of that one acupuncture treatment which includes a therapy session, a nutritional consult and a herbal consult I can see the value of charging much more than $50.

In the end, Yin Yang still comes into pay in determining value and the fee to charge. First the acupuncturist has to have the confidence in their skills and in what they are offering to the public. You really have to believe yo are worth it. You will not succeed charging $90 a treatment if you actually think it is worth $40. Most of your patients will smell the lack of integrity and leave you after a few visits. The other side of the equation (hence Yin Yang analogy) is the patient has to perceive the value. When a patient
cancels and gives you one of many excuses for stopping trx, including she cannot afford it, what she is really saying is "I do not see value in what you are offering to pay $XX.

Lorne
www.acubalance.ca
www.prodseminars.com

The biggest problem that most of us have is that we do not value our services, time, effort, training and experience. Most of us have issues with money and getting paid to help people and do something we love.
In Ontario where I practice, by law a registered massage therapist has to charge a minimum of $60 right out of school. I am not degrading massage therapists and I refer my patients for massage all the time, however their scope of practice and the severity of illness they treat is much less than ours. Like Lorne said many psychologists charge $100/hour. When I saw your question Spence I thought it should have read $70 not $50.

Kaleb