Frequently Asked Questions

All/Acupuncture/Insurance/

Yes, we do. We are currently contracted with two insurance companies – Cigna and Valley Health Plan. For all other insurance companies, we are more than happy to send you a Superbill which you can send to your insurance provider to process per your benefit plan.

The first thing to do is to call your insurance provider to see what your specific plan covers. We are currently contracted with two insurance companies – Cigna and Valley Health Plan. For all other insurance providers, your visit would be processed out of network once you submit the Superbill that we provide you with each visit. The next step would be to call our office and speak with our frontdesk. They can help answer any questions you may have, verify your benefits and set you up with an appointment.

We are currently contracted with two insurance companies – Cigna and Valley Health Plan. In other words, we are “in-network” with these insurance companies, and you will only be responsible for the co-pay amount designated in your plan, providing your plan covers our services.

It really depends on which plan you have. PPO’s typically cover between 20-80%, however plans vary so much that it is most important that you call your provider and verify exact amounts so that you know what to expect. HSA accounts will cover the cost of the acupuncture treatment, but we are finding that increasingly they will not cover the cost of any herbs that you may choose to purchase.

A HSA is a tax-deductible health savings account which is set up by your employer. Usually you decide at the beginning of the year how much you think you are going to need for the year – this can include acupuncture – and then the amount comes off your pay check. The benefit of this system is that the amount you choose to deduct from your pay reduces your taxable income.

You will be given a special HSA credit card that works the same as any other credit card – give it to your health care provider at the time of treatment. You may also receive a checkbook that is linked to your HSA account.

The easiest way is to go to the website of your insurance provider. Print out the claim form. Fill it in and send it along with the superbill to your insurance company. After each treatment, we will email you a Superbill to make this process easier.

A superbill is a receipt of services that includes a diagnosis code and a procedure code. It is used for patients to submit to insurance companies themselves for direct reimbursement within the patient’s insurance benefit plan.

Not usually. The needles we use are hair-thin and only rarely cause discomfort.

As per the State of California, all our needles are sterile, single-use and disposable. We use them once and then they are disposed in our sharps containers.

Usually our patients retain the needles anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on the session. During that time, your practitioner will check on you and sometimes either add or remove points during the time you are resting.

Loose clothing is ideal. Something that you feel relaxed and comfortable in.

Yes! Please make sure that you have eaten something substantial within the previous 2 hours. Please, never come on an empty stomach. Also, you will likely be quite relaxed after your treatment, so better not to be committed to something strenuous immediately after.

Because it gives us a detailed picture of what might be going on. It helps us direct the intake and arrive at a diagnosis sooner. If we didn’t do that, we would have to spend much more time with you on the first appointment, which would translate into more cost to you.