Past Activities & Achievements 1998-2010 / Activities & Achievements in 2011

Background:

The National Guild of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine, OPEIU Guild 62, is a purely volunteer organization. Our leaders are full-time licensed acupuncturists who are devoted to their patients and to the development of their profession.  Guild work is done nights and weekends and by carving out time from our patient sessions. No salaries are paid to our state or national representatives. Membership dues go to our parent organization, OPEIU, which provides our members exceptional benefits for a very low cost. No expenses for time invested in Guild activities, office space and materials, travel or lost practice income have been reimbursed since our inception. Membership dues for 2012 may permit a small reserve for out of pocket expenses. Guild members are a select group of committed individuals.

The NGAOM is the only politically potent acupuncture association in the United States because of our access to scores of top political lobbyists and union attorneys and negotiators nationwide. The National Guild of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine, OPEIU Guild 62, is a legally chartered union of the Office of Professional Employees International Union, (OPEIU) http://www.opeiu.org/, which represents more than 110,000 professionals in medical and other professions.

The OPEIU is an affiliated union of the AFL-CIO (http://www.aflcio.org/) which represents more than 35 million Americans with their 11.8 million union members and their families. Affiliation with the nation’s primary labor union organization enhances our profession’s political credibility and gives us the ability to create and implement legislation nationally and in each state.

The Guild’s National political and educational achievements from 1998 to 2010 include:

• Inclusion of acupuncturists as physician providers in the California’s Workers Comp system (largest worker’s comp system in the US).
• Writing the California Acupuncture Medical Treatment Guidelines.
• Development and teaching of the Chinese Medicine Orthopedics Pain Management Specialty Training course.
• Development and implementation of a primary care professional level doctorate (http://www.nomaa.org)
• Successful lobbying record with the California Acupuncture Board (governs 35% of the acupuncturists in the US).
• Testifying before members and committees of the US House of Representatives, the US Senate and multiple state legislatures.

The Guild’s political and educational activities in 2011 include: 

• The creation of an excellent website detailing Guild goals, values and activities, and allowing members to join the Guild and pay dues online.
• Meeting with union executives in Washington, D.C. and New York City to map out a strategy and plan for reconstituting the NGAOM to enhance the power and influence of licensed acupuncturists.
• Successful reconstitution of the Guild with provision for a national organization and a structure for chapters in each state. 
• Endorsement and support of political candidates in selected states.
• Direct influence on (SB1507) in Hawaii with OPEIU lobbyist meeting with Governor Abercrombie. This activity, in tandem with extensive state-based initiatives organized by HOMAA, the Hawaii Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture Association, defeated an effort to subvert Hawaii’s statute that only medical doctors and other health care professionals who are licensed acupuncturists may practice acupuncture in Hawaii.
• Development of a comprehensive set of benefits for NGAOM members and their families in consultation with the president and executive team of OPEIU. These benefits are continuously being improved and expanded. (membership benefits)
• Creation of agenda for member benefits for future discussion with OPEIU 
• Tax planning assistance
• Retirement planning assistance
• College fund planning assistance      
• Practice building and practice sale assistance
• Medical and Dental Health care coverage 
• Development of a short and long-term strategy in consultation with the president and executive team of OPEIU to increase the professional credibility and viability of licensed acupuncturists nationwide
• Determination to gain much better coverage for acupuncture by licensed acupuncturist from health insurance companies. Regarding help from OPEIU in dealing with insurance companies, the OPEIU could help by providing “messenger bargaining” on our behalf.
• OPEIU’s assisting us in liaising with fellow OPEIU Guilds and Locals, of which there are 104, 10 Guilds and 94 local unions, totaling 108,000 members.
• OPEIU has offered to encourage those 108,000 members to patronize our Guild members by placing a link on the OPEIU website with a ‘click through’ to our website. Members of sister OPEIU guilds and locals would enter their zip codes and find NGAOM local members within a radius of their zip code.
• Andy Rosenfarb and Steve Paine spoke in an hour-long conference call with the Senior Vice-Presidents of the worker’s compensation insurance coverage division of the world’s largest insurer, AIG. They are quite willing to consider having us as a part of their huge network, but they need more data on our ability to cut the cost of care and to return injured workers to work earlier than other medical techniques.
• Determination with OPEIU to establish greater credibility in the profession through research. OPEIU has offered to help us conduct and publicize the research needed to establish our qualifications to be fully part of mainstream medicine.
• The Guild is seeking members who will commit to involvement designing a study to be conducted by a credible institution such as Johns Hopkins University. This research could go a long way to helping the profession to gain full participation in conventional insurance coverage, “Obama-care”, Medicare and Medicaid.

The Guild’s state political and educational activities and achievements in 2011 include:  

• The establishment of NGAOM State Chapters in Northern, Central and Southern  California,  Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and Oregon.  
• The Guild made a commitment to the establishment of NGAOM State Chapters in every state, even those which do not currently license acupuncturists. We are determined to lead the fight for competency based, professional, licensed acupuncturists in every state.
• Discussions with CSAOM, the Connecticut Society of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and with HOMAA, the Hawaii Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture Association, regarding the role of the NGAOM with Connecticut’s, Hawaii’s and other state associations representing licensed acupuncturists. As a result of these discussions, the Guild established a membership category for associations. We will encourage state associations to join the Guild and we will cooperate with them on issues which the Guild endorses.
• The Vice President of the Connecticut State Chapter addressed several hundred members of the Connecticut AFL-CIO State Convention, at the invitation of the Connecticut AFL-CIO State President, John Olsen. As a result, President Olsen authorized the mailing of NGAOM materials throughout the state. President of the Greater Hartford Central Labor Council, Peggy Buchanan, included a letter of introduction and proposal for inclusion of the NGAOM Connecticut State Chapter for inclusion of acupuncture treatment by Guild members in all state AFL-CIO union contracts. 
• The Vice President of the Connecticut State Chapter was sworn in as a member of the Greater Hartford Central Labor Council.

To understand the progress and rapid growth of the Guild it must be remembered that 2 years ago we were 4 active members.  All of our activities were focused on the California Acupuncture Board. (Board, CAB)  During that time we  changed the language and the debate of the Board mostly by examining the issues and presenting short position papers referenced  from the CAB Website and existing laws and regulations.  

It was during this time that we developed the message of the Guild.  Brother Steve Stumpf, EdD was a great help in this.  It was and remains three fold  Primary care, workforce opportunities  and educational reform.  Until we brought  these issues up  the CAB had ignored them for years.  

We were the first to call attention to problems in the educational regulations that gave precedence to hybrid TCM while ignoring the primary care intent of the Acupuncture Licensing Act.  We raised the issue of chronic un and underemployment of the profession. We reminded the Board that the pass rates for the California Acupuncture Licensure Exam are consistently  the lowest of all licensed healthcare professions including Licensed Vocational Nurses.  We further made the point that low pas rates mean that approved schools were not up to par.  We pointed out that the school approval process was corrupt and continues without written standards or the assistance of any  medical education or postgraduate expertise.  We revealed that the CE approval process was fostering a business of providers offering bizarre class titles that were not related to the practice of Acupuncture in any way what so ever.  We reported a case  to the board of licensee opening veins  for the extraction of blood.

During this period two damaging bills were stopped dead and two appointees were removed prior to their appointments being confirmed  by the governor.   The practice of bleeding was deems to be out of scope and thereby illegal.  There is some clean-up of the CE approval process. A Guild member sits on the Boards  Blue ribbon Panel which will recommend  primary care educational content and lead to regulatory change.   Most importantly is that our work continues thanks to all of you who have joined up.  I cannot thank all of you enough.  

Going forward we are joining local labor councils and are planning to place delegates in most of the urban councils.  The Guilds specialty training program in Pain Management and Functional Restoration authored by  Brother Ted Priebe, OMD,  L. Ac. QME is being taught.  Plans are in the making to place some of it online and to offer the training in other states.   Brother Mario Mancini, OMD, L. Ac. is working on an entry level nuts and bolts certification program to help new licensee become practice ready and qualified for mainstream medicine.  We are currently working with a legislative committee to help them correct the shortcomings of the Acupuncture Board.   As our numbers  reach critical mass we will enter into contract negotiations to be providers of acupuncture in union health plans.  We will be taking our messages to the many acupuncture schools with short promotional  education programs for students.  Ultimately we are here to benefit Americans  by establishing  acupuncture in mainstream medicine and do our part to improve the health of the nation.   2012 will be a great year.

All the best
Hugh Morison

Communication has started with Walter Allan,the OPEIU VP of region 5. I will be meeting with Mr. Allan soon  for guidance and advice on integrating The Guild into Union benefit Packages.
 
For 2013 I will also make connections with other Opeiu Union heads and setting up meetings through 2012. 

PRIMARY EXTERNAL PURPOSE: Awareness of our Guild and how we will provide low-cost, drug free options of medical care for union members.  In addition to setting up meetings, I will also set up brief lunch and learns for Union heads, Unions members, Employers.  By getting our foot in the door with Unions/Employers we can bypass MPN to be treaters for union members.

PRIMARY INTERNAL PURPOSE:  To develop templates of success for meetings, PowerPoint presentations, etc. that can be systemized, turn-key for Guild members.
In addition, develop templates for marketing to medical doctors and the medical community for Guild members/

This past summer we spent a lot of time working at the OPEIU, learning and cultivating relationships with their staff and OPEIU members.  With the help of the OPEIU, our priorities include increasing NGAOM membership and awareness, providing discounted malpractice insurance (and other benefits),  as well as using the OPEIU as leverage towards protecting the integrity of our profession – should the “turf war”continue with PT’s, DC’s, psychotherapists, etc.

Locally, we are working on fostering relationships and creating presentations that can be shown to various unions. The presentations will explain the many benefits of acupuncture and the medical necessity for using acupuncture in many chronic and acute situations.  We recommend that the union health insurance policies cover acupuncture services.  Our goal is to progressively get more and more union members under the care of qualified NGAOM Member Providers throughout the USA.
 
We are also working on putting together a 5K run to raise money for acupuncture research.  We hope this idea will catch on and will use NGAOM and the “Grantor” for credible acupuncture research projects.