AACMA Newsletter - 25 April 2025

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25 April 2025

25 April 2025

This Issue:

30 Days Countdown for AACMAC 2025 Early Bird Registration - Save 10%!
Don’t miss out on AACMA Professional Issues Seminar Series
The Federal Election - information for AACMA members to take to their local candidates
Re-advertised: Chinese Medicine Accreditation Committee Vacancies
FREE AACMA Webinar with TCM Academy: All You Need to Know About Ren-1 HuiYin
New Dates for Oncology Acupuncture Program
Moving or Adding a New Clinic?

30 Days Countdown for AACMAC 2025 Early Bird Registration - Save 10%!

Get ready for the 25th Anniversary AACMAC Conference, the premier event for practitioners in the TCM community! Join us for an exciting, action-packed program designed to elevate your clinical skills, broaden your knowledge, and connect you with industry leaders.

30 Days Left for Early Bird Registration - Save 10%!

Don’t miss out on the chance to secure your spot and save 10% on full registration fees! Early bird registration ends in just 30 days, so act fast!

BOOK NOW & SAVE 10%

AACMAC 2025 Amazing Speaker Line Up!

This year, we are thrilled to welcome Jason Robertson and Felip Caudet as keynote speakers! Both will share their expertise and offer invaluable insights and experience in clinical practice. You'll also have the unique opportunity for hands-on practice with the speakers, allowing you to enhance your skills and directly apply what you’ve learned.

VIEW SPEAKER LINE UP

SEE THE FULL PROGRAM

What to Expect at AACMAC 2025:

Diverse Program Topics: From clinical techniques to the latest research, the conference covers a wide range of topics relevant to today’s practitioners.
CPD Points: Earn up to 34 CPD points from both live and recorded content, meeting your annual CPD requirement in one go.
Networking: Connect with peers and leaders in the field, sharing experiences and fostering professional relationships.
Trade exhibition: Fine out the latest and best deals of equipment and books from suppliers to enhance your business and practice

AACMAC 2025 offers flexible attendance options to suit your needs—whether you prefer to join us in person or remotely online. You can attend the entire program or handpick the days that align with your interests. Plus, all tickets come with 3-month access to the recording, allowing you to learn at your own pace, even after the event concludes. With unbeatable value for money compared to other market options, this conference ensures you get the best return on your investment in professional development.

Join us for a celebration of 25 years of AACMAC, where knowledge, practice, and community come together for an unforgettable experience. Whether you're attending for the first time or returning to celebrate with us, this is a must-attend event for all professionals seeking to expand their clinical expertise and grow their networks.

Don’t miss the celebration—register today before the early bird deadline!

Visit http://www.aacmac.org.au/register to sign up now!

BOOK NOW & SAVE 10%

Don’t miss out on AACMA Professional Issues Seminar Series

The AACMA professional issues series is a member service providing valuable information on a variety of business matters for members to improve their business practice.

Commencing on March 26^th with Enhancing Digital Marketing for Acupuncturists and TCM Practitioners this presentation by Wade Kuhn covered website optimisation, social media marketing, AI tools, search visibility and Ahpra compliance.

The second seminar by Rod Martin provided valuable information on how working with doctors and other practitioners can generate more patient traffic through your clinics with cross referrals.

Rod Martin returns on April 30^th with a follow up seminar on dealing with and treating veterans.

Verterans are a complex patient cohort with a variety of health conditions that would benefit from the holistic treatments that acupuncture and herbal medicines can deliver.

This seminar offers the information necessary to increase your patient list to include veteran care.

Dealing with Veterans - A Complex Patient Cohort

Date: Wednesday 30th April 2025
Time: 7:00-8:00pm (AEST)
Speaker: Rod Martin
CPD: 1 point (professional issues, practitioner interaction if you attend live)

Two further professional issues seminars on dates to be confirmed will cover everything you need to know about GST for Chinese medicine practitioners and the importance of superannuation to ensure a financially secure future for members.

AACMA is proud to support our members with quality information and knowledge through their careers and beyond into retirement.

The Federal Election - information for AACMA members to take to their local candidates

Australia’s health care system is in crisis. Medicare is failing due to underfunding. Hospitals are not only understaffed but also the available hospital beds per capita are declining each year. Preventive medicine is the proactive approach to health care. Preventable ill health is a key factor to reducing the physical, mental and economic burden for Australia.

Introduction
The emphasis on prevention through implementing the National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030 is woefully inadequate with a $30.1 million investment or a population of 26.6 million Australian.
https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2022/03/budget-2022-23-national-preventive-health-strategy.pdf

The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA) is calling on all major parties to address inequities and challenges facing our health system by transitioning to new, innovative models of care that are sustainable, fit for purpose, support our workforce, and prioritise equity. “This will require government and policymakers to consider our health system as a whole – and question the processes by which we currently manage, fund, deliver and receive care,” says AHHA CEO Kylie Woolcock.
https://ahha.asn.au/federal-election-2025-responding-to-the-challenges-facing-our-health-care-system/

A viable treatment option that has been excluded
The preservation of good health, prevention of disease and maintaining wellbeing are the foundations of Chinese medicine practice. Despite being a registered health profession since 2012, Chinese medicine, with 4853 registered practitioners nationally, has been ignored by governments in the implementation of health care, development of health strategies, integration into health care packages for ageing, veterans and people with disabilities.

With an increasing body of research showing acupuncture to be effective for chronic pain conditions,¹ mental health conditions² including stress and anxiety,³ which often accompany chronic pain conditions, the inclusion of acupuncture into pain management plans provides a proven drug free treatment option for pain relief.

The Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association (AACMA) is the peak professional association representing the majority of registered Chinese Medicine practitioners in Australia.

AACMA has been a constant advocate for the inclusion of acupuncture delivered by registered acupuncturists in Medicare’s Chronic Disease Management and the integration of acupuncture into the mainstream health scape.

A 2024 KPMG Economic Industry Value Report on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) found that

8.5 million Australians accessed acupuncture in the FY2023 12.5% acupuncture and 8.4% Chinese herbal medicine (CHM)
Key demographic characteristics of people using TCM include Australians with chronic health conditions (est. 9.8 million) Australians with private health insurance (est. 11.9 million) and older Australians (est. 4.2 million) representing a significant market for TCM services in Australia
TCM - (acupuncture and CHM) contributes up to $328 million (GVA) to the Australian economy annually, $265.2 million from employment and $43 million income tax revenue
The combined social benefit of acupuncture and CHM use for Australians is estimated at $740 million
Acupuncture benefits for pain relief, mental health and digestive conditions estimated at $372.3 million
CHM benefits for improving cardiovascular, dermatological and digestive health issues estimated at $268.4 million
An additional benefit of $99 million for the reduction of symptoms with acupuncture for co-existing conditions

The integration of acupuncture and CHM into the Australian health system will increase the health workforce by nearly 5000 highly qualified registered practitioners, provide a natural, holistic drug free treatment option for the Australian health consumer and aid in reducing the cost of health care thus contributing to the economy.

The AACMA strongly urges the incoming government to integrate Chinese medicine into the delivery of health care for all Australians and include acupuncture into Medicare’s chronic disease management.

Re-advertised: Chinese Medicine Accreditation Committee Vacancies

The practitioner vacancies for the Chinese Medicine Accreditation Committee were re-advertised on Monday 1 April 2025. Applications will be open for 6 weeks, closing on 11 May 2025.

Please find the below link to the application page.

https://statutoryappointments.ahpra.gov.au/nb/en/job/498991/appointment-to-the-chinese-medicine-accreditation-committee

VISIT APPLICATION PAGE

FREE AACMA Webinar with TCM Academy: All You Need to Know About Ren-1 HuiYin

An evening of insight, discussion, and clinical wisdom.

Join us for a unique lecture exploring Ren-1 HuiYin, an acupoint that invites deep reflection on how we practice Chinese medicine—ethically, theoretically, and practically. From its intimate location to its powerful clinical potential, Huiyin challenges us to think critically about our treatment choices and patient care.

Date: 14 May 2025
Time: 19:00–21:00 (AEST)
Location: Online; hosted by TCM Academy of Integrative Medicine
CPD: 2 points
Registration: FREE registration for AACMA members

Program Highlights:

Ethical and legal considerations – Waveny Holland, AACMA President
Creating a safe space for healing – Orit Zilberman, register acupuncturist NVA, Amsterdam, NL
Clinical uses of Ren-1 – Hila Yaffe, L.Ac., Hadassah Hospital, Jerusalem, IL
Open panel discussion

Let’s explore what makes Chinese medicine both ancient and deeply relevant today.

New Dates for Oncology Acupuncture Program

Oncology Acupuncture International Certificate Program – October 2025

This comprehensive program equips acupuncture practitioners with the skills and confidence to support cancer patients throughout their treatment journey. Led by Dr. Yair Maimon and a team of international experts, the curriculum integrates Western oncology insights with Traditional Chinese Medicine approaches.

The program includes 22 hours of pre-recorded content and four live online sessions (16 Hours) scheduled for October 18–19 and November 15–16, 2025.

Sessions are conveniently timed for Australian participants (4–8 pm AEST).

All courses are approved for CPD by AACMA, and participants will receive an international certificate upon completion.

Special Offer: AACMA members can register at the discounted rate of €1,259, saving over 33% off the regular price of €1,899.

For more details and registration, visit:
https://www.tcm.ac/oncology-acupuncture-international-certificate-program-aacma-2025/

Moving or Adding a New Clinic?

Please contact our membership team with your new clinic details by email at aacma@acupuncture.org.au so they can apply to the health funds for new provider numbers.

Health fund deadlines to be aware of

Medibank only: Sunday 11 May 2025
All health funds including Medibank: Thursday 22 May 2025

Details required when Adding an Additional Clinic:

If you miss the above deadlines, please refer to the below:

Reporting Cycle for Health Funds

Ceased practicing at a clinic, please provide the address and the ceased date so we can advise the health funds to remove your details.

To check your workplace details or membership go to our website https://www.acupuncture.org.au/ then

Go to ‘Login’ at the top right-hand corner then
Click ‘Member Login’ to log into the website your Username is your email address on AACMA’s record and the password you created.
For the first time login, please click the ‘Forgotten Password’ button to set up a password.

If you have issues logging in or setting up a password, please don’t hesitate to contact the membership team 07 3457 1800 we are happy to assist you.