The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will begin payments for acupuncture as a treatment for chronic low back pain, with up to 12 treatments in 90 days now covered for Medicare beneficiaries.
For the purpose of its coverage, the agency has defined chronic low back pain as lasting 12 weeks or longer; non-specific, with no identifiable systemic cause; not associated with surgery; and not associated with pregnancy. An additional eight sessions will be covered for those