Resource Center

In recent years, more mainstream delivery organizations are including licensed acupuncture and Oriental medicine practitioners (LAc) as part of their care teams. Professional education for the field has not historically focused on competencies for such practices. This 2007 project was part of a two-part survey/interview project that provided useful information that helped shape the ACCAHC Competencies for Optimal Practice in Integrated Environments.This part of the project involved 10 MD/administrators who were responsible for care management in health system outpatient and inpatient environments in which LAcs worked. Interviews with the MD/administrators found: preparation of the AOM practitioner was limited; virtually no written resources were identified or utilized; skill areas which scored highest (“very important”) were “recognition of high priority acute management” (90%), “charting and documentation” (80%), “strategies and skills for developing relationships” (80%), “management and referral to conventional providers” (70%) and “communication with MDs and nurses.” Outcomes of the second part of the project, surveys and interviews with 26 of the LAcs working in these environments, are separately posted.  The project was supported by a grant from the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.