In late 2019, I conducted a voluntary survey of acupuncturists to answer the question of how much acupuncture costs in Australia. 205 responses were received, which is around 4% of registered practitioners with the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia.
Just under 75% of acupuncturists report the cost of ongoing consultations within the range of $70-100. Initial consultation fees are usually higher, and more evenly spread amongst a greater range (a total of 72% charge $81-130).
From the collected data, median price ranges were determined across the industry. Price trends were also identified in regards to characteristics such as practice location and type of clinic. Some insights were also revealed regarding the nature of where and how acupuncturists practice.
The original survey and a spreadsheet containing the resulting data can be available here.
What is the median cost of acupuncture in Australia?
- For an initial consultation is $101-110
- For a follow-up consultation is $81-90
- The cost of herbs per week in Australia is $31-40
The median cost for an initial acupuncture consultation in Australia is $101-110 for a follow up is $81-90
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Consultations fees were reported in all ranges from <$60 to $150+. The cost of herbs covered the range of $1-10 to $50+ per week.
Does the practice location influence the price of acupuncture treatment?
Over 50% of practitioners identified as practising in the CBD and inner suburban areas. A trend is seen whereby outer suburbs and rural areas have lower costs per session than those clinics located in the inner suburbs and CBD areas.
Is an acupuncture consultation fee influenced by the type of practice?
Those who work in sole practice tend to charge less than those who work in clinics with other practitioners. This may be influenced by sole practitioners who have home-based clinics and thus lower overheads.
Multi-modality clinics with offerings other than Chinese Medicine, tend to have higher initial consultation fees.
Does the experience of the acupuncturist influence acupuncture prices?
No clearly discernable trend was noted in the amount charged against the years of practice. There was a jump in the median cost of initial consultations for those in practice around 16-25 years, but nothing of note in regards to follow-up consultation fees.
Do acupuncturists who only see one patient at a time charge differently?
The number of beds that are run simultaneously did not appear to have an influence on the cost of an acupuncture session. It is likely with more respondents as well as further details into the type of practice this may have produced a slightly different result, especially if multi-bed style community acupuncture clinics were involved.
Does the length of consultation time affect the rate charged?
There is was a small increase noted between those whose consults last 31-60 vs those with 61-90 minute consultations. However, as the overwhelming majority of people spend 31-60min with patients in consultation, it is hard to draw a firm conclusion.
What additional modalities are practised by acupuncturists?
Encouragingly 100% of acupuncturists practise acupuncture in their day to day to practice! A range of other modalities is also used in the clinic, both from the Chinese medicine toolkit and from other disciplines. Mostly Cupping, Gua Sha, moxibustion, lifestyle and CM dietary advice are also used in acupuncture consultations.
Discussion
It is worth noting that this is a small sample of the entire Chinese Medicine profession. The findings are useful for gaining insight into the pricing trends of acupuncture in Australia but are not to be taken as definitive.
There are other factors that may influence the pricing structures of individual acupuncturists which are not captured here. Specific skill sets and postgraduate training programs that a practitioner may have undergone may influence their pricing. Areas of clinic focus that they have more experience in may also play a part.
For example, in my Melbourne acupuncture clinic, I focus on practice in Nagano lineage acupuncture and Tian lineage herbalism, skill sets I have developed through an ongoing dedication to postgraduate study. This, along with my solitary focus on one patient at a time are factors that influence my clinic pricing structure.
This article on how many acupuncture treatments are needed is also valuable reading alongside the information you have just read.
What else would you like to know?
Thanks for reading this. I’d love to open a discussion on these findings and answer any questions you may have. Post your feedback/comments below, I will read and respond to every one!
Thank you for sharing this insight. I wonder if those who participated in the survey are Western practitioners? It appears that within the Chinese community, the cost of consultations are considerably lower (I recall my mother mentioning the cost is approx $30 for a session, to which she then prescribed some herbs to buy?). But those consults are typically not the 30-60min you have mentioned and probably not as thorough. In the traditional Chinese clinics in China, I also do not recall the practitioners spending 30-60min with each patient, since they have so many people needing to be seen. Keen to hear your thoughts about this (consultation time).
Hi Anna, I hope you found this useful.
When I ran the survey I was not collecting cultural demographic data so I cannot answer that clearly. The survey was distributed through TCM Facebook groups (professional associations expressed no interest in sharing it with their members) which may indeed have a bias towards practitioners with a ‘Western’ cultural heritage.
My experience with receiving treatments from acupuncturists in the Chinese community is that they tend to run multibed style clinics where they treat more patients simultaneously (ie less time spent with them), leaving them to rest with needles in. This can lead to a lower cost for treatment, which I may hypothesize is also perhaps matching a cultural expectation.
This also ties in with the concept of dosing, where in China a treatment course involves treatments at a much higher frequency than the 1-2 weeks gaps we often see in Western countries. 10 treatments may be performed over a couple of weeks which can help in gaining momentum and consolidating the progress quicker. This higher frequency also contributes to a demand for lower price for these services. Convincing patients to attend treatment every couple of days at $80 a session is not necessarily easy, even though the improvements are likely to be experienced sooner.
The Mulitbed/community acupuncture movement which is more popular in the UK and USA seeks to address this by offering low cost acupuncture in group settings allowing for lower cost of treatment and thus more frequent treatments. This model exists in Australia among ‘Western’ practitioners, but has yet to fully take hold here. I have observed a few more offerings in Melbourne over the last couple of years and do hope that more practitioners consider this model of practice as it does allow access to this amazing modality, and much needed healthcare, for the more economically disadvantaged.
I have also observed that among the ‘Western’ practitioners that do follow this model of multibed clinics in Australia, they don’t necessarily accompany it with a lower pricing structure.
Thank you for the thorough reply, Jason. I agree with everything you’ve said- that the Chinese community are less likely to be using Facebook, hence skewing replies towards Western practitioners. Indeed, the expectation for cost of health care in China is far lower than in Australia (for allied health and alternative health, not bulk-billed or the gap which GP’s charge). That expectation carries through, hence Chinese herbalists and acupuncturists in Australia do not charge as much as the prices I have seen in your article. However, I also feel what you have described as a far more thorough and attentive consultation than the few I have experienced in my life (Sydney practitioners). I’ve not had great results and wonder if it’s due to their credibility, lack of time, or lack of attendance. Unfortunately to be viable, healthcare has to fit in with patient expectations in terms of cost and ease of accessibility. It can cause a conflict professionally- how to provide the best service which can still maintain a viable business.
I have come across to know you through a podcast interview. You sound like the person I need to see! Shame that you are 3.5 hours drive north of me. I wonder if the pandemic lately has changed the way medicine is being practiced, permanently. However, I still believe tele-health cannot replace face-to-face assessment and interactions, which is vital for services beyond healthcare.