NCDActive
Acupuncture
NCD11
Effective: January 21, 2020
Updated: December 31, 2025
Policy Summary
Medicare nationally covers acupuncture only for chronic low back pain for claims with dates of service on or after January 21, 2020, subject to the specific clinical criteria in NCD section 30.3.3. All other indications, including use as an anesthetic or analgesic, are non-covered unless explicitly excepted; refer to NCD section 30.3.3 for required documentation and any frequency limits.
Coverage Criteria Preview
Key requirements from the full policy
"Medicare covers acupuncture for chronic low back pain for claims with dates of service on or after 2020-01-21 under section 1862(a)(1)(A)."
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