Health Net to Offer Acupuncture, Massage Therapy, Acupressure Benefit.

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 9, 1997--Health Net, one of California's largest health maintenance organizations (HMOs), will offer direct access to acupuncture treatment as the next step in a planned expansion of its complementary and alternative medicine coverage, subject to California State Department of Corporations (DOC) approval.

Beginning in January, employers may select Health Net's new acupuncture rider that will allow members to self-select a practitioner from a network of licensed acupuncturists (LAc's) who may also include massage therapy and acupressure as a part of the treatment plan.

"Certain complementary and alternative treatments have proven to be very effective for diagnoses such as chronic, intractable pain or musculoskeletal conditions," said Arthur M. Southam, M.D., Health Net president and chief executive officer. "Our goal is to help our members be healthy and well, so we are enthusiastic about offering complementary medicine options that are safe and effective."

Health Net has been a national leader in providing complementary and alternative medicine. It was one of the first HMOs to offer direct access chiropractic care beginning in 1990. Health Net is currently the second largest health plan nationwide providing a direct access chiropractic rider. Health Net provides the chiropractic rider to more than 600,000 members.

Health Net has partnered with American Specialty Health Plans (ASHP, formerly American Chiropractic Network) to provide the acupuncture program for Health Net members. ASHP has administered Health Net's chiropractic program since 1990. ASHP is California's fourth-largest specialty HMO, serving 1.8 million members throughout the state.

"Many physicians and physician groups in the Health Net network have already incorporated complementary and alternative treatment options into their practices. We know they and their patients will welcome Health Net's expanded coverage for these valuable modalities," said Michael Siegel, M.D., Health Net vice president, medical affairs and senior medical director.

"Increasingly, public health authorities, lawmakers and medical experts are recognizing that certain complementary and alternative treatments can be useful," said Siegel.

The National Institutes of Health's Office of Internal Medicine established its Office of Alternative Medicine in 1992 to fund efficacy studies of various complementary and alternative treatments and to promote effective therapies' entry into medical practice.

Bills have been proposed in the U.S. Congress to make alternative medicine more accessible. Many top medical schools including those at Harvard, UCLA, Stanford, and Columbia universities now incorporate coursework on complementary and alternative therapies in their curriculums.

"Health Net members and our employer groups have expressed an increasing interest in complementary and alternative medicine," said Ana Andrade, Health Net associate vice president of product development.

"In a 1993 Harvard University Medical School study of alternative therapies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, more than one-third of adult respondents had used at least one 'unconventional therapy' during the previous year. Acupuncture, chiropractic and massage therapy were shown to be the top three therapies of interest to HMO plan members in a recent study."

Health Net serves more than 1.4 million members in 48 counties in California, giving it the broadest geographic coverage of any HMO in the state. Members are served through a network of more than 33,000 physicians and more than 360 hospitals.

Health Net has received a one-year accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, a non-profit, independent oversight organization for the managed care industry. -0-

                             FACT SHEET ON
         COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) MODALITIES(a)

-  Acupressure is based upon a theory similar to acupuncture except
   that it stimulates acupuncture points by the application of pressure
   rather than needling.
-  Acupuncture means the stimulation of a certain point or points on
   or near the surface of the body by the insertion of needles to
   prevent or modify the perception of pain or to normalize
   physiological functions, including pain control, for the treatment
   of certain diseases or dysfunctions of the body. It includes the
   techniques of electro-acupuncture, cupping and moxibustion.
-  Alternative medicine or integrative medicine are umbrella terms
   for non-conventional medical treatments.
-  Chiropractors adjust the spine and joints to treat pain and
   improve general health. One out of every three patients who sees a
   health care provider for back problems also uses a chiropractor.
   Chiropractors licensed through the American Chiropractic Association
   have more than five years postgraduate training and internships.
-  Complementary medicine -- alternative therapies are referred to as
   complementary when they are used with traditional western medicine.
-  Cupping therapy is the stimulation of acupuncture points involving
   vacuum suction. The cup is quickly applied to the body surface,
   creating a suction contact that causes local vasodilation and
   mechanical expansion of the underlying tissue. This stimulates the
   acupuncture points under the cup region.
-  Electro-acupuncture produces therapeutic effects through the
   stimulation of acupuncture points. Instruments are employed that
   generate alternating current through metal needles, rubber
   electrodes, or by direct contact with a metal probe.
-  Herbal remedies -- an acupuncturist may prescribe drugless
   substances and herbs as dietary supplements to promote health.
-  Massage therapy -- Oriental massage consists of various
   techniques, but is generally characterized by the kneading, or
   rubbing, of the surface of the body to achieve a therapeutic effect.
-  Moxibustion -- the stimulation of acupuncture points by
   moxibustion involves the application of heat to acupuncture points
   by burning moxa, a compound of wormwood.
-0-

(a) Many definitions appearing in this CAM Fact Sheet were adapted
    from the Sacramento, Calif.-based Medical Board of California
    Acupuncture Committee's Scope of Practice Legal Opinion No. 93-11.
-0-


                              FACT SHEET

The Acupuncture Committee

Created in 1982, the Acupuncture Committee (AC) is the state agency
under the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Medical Board of
California (MBC) that licenses and regulates acupuncturists in
California. (Between 1975 and 1982, acupuncturists were licensed by
the MBC's Division of Allied Health Professions.) The primary
responsibility of the AC is to protect consumers from incompetent and
fraudulent acupuncturists through the enforcement of the Acupuncture
Licensure Act (Business and Professions Code Sections 4925 through
4979) and the AC's regulations (California Code of Regulations,
Title 16, beginning with Section 1399.400). The AC also strives to
promote safe practice through the improvement of educational
training standards, continuing education, and disciplinary action.

What is Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine?

Acupuncture means the stimulation of a certain point or points on or
near the surface of the body. This is accomplished by the insertion
of needles to prevent, or modify, the perception of pain, or to
normalize physiological function. Oriental medicine is a system of
healing, incorporating the use of acupuncture, natural herbs,
massage, nutrition and exercise.

Who Does Acupuncture?

In California, the only individuals allowed to practice acupuncture
are those acupuncturists who maintain a valid license issued by the
AC and physicians licensed by the MBC. A dentist or podiatrist
licensed in California may also practice acupuncture within the scope
of their respective licenses, if they have completed the necessary
training required by their respective licensing board.

License Qualifications

In order for an acupuncturist to obtain a license in California,
they must first qualify for and pass both a written and clinical
examination administered by the AC. Qualifications are based on the
completion of a minimum of 2,348 hours of theoretical and clinical
training through an AC-approved school; completion of an
AC-approved tutorial program which consists of a minimum of 2,850
hours of clinical and theoretical training; or documented foreign
equivalency which meets the requirements of the AC.

The AC does not recognize reciprocity, nor does it accept for
licensure those individuals who take and pass the national
examination (administered by the National Commission for the
Certification of Acupuncturists (NCCA)).

Examination

The AC administers the California Acupuncture Licensing Examination
(CALE), composed of a written and a clinical examination, which
tests the competency of entry level acupuncturists. An applicant must
pass the written examination before he or she can take the clinical
examination. The CALE is currently given only once each year, but
plans are underway to give it twice a year beginning in 1996
(pending funding). Examination applications can be obtained directly
from the AC.

CONTACT: Health Net, Woodland Hills

Catherine Lockwood, 818/676-8954

e-mail: [e-mail]