Financial Policy Highlights

This section is meant as a quick reference and partial summary for certain portions of the Financial Policies below. However, please make sure to read the Policy in its entirety below, as it is the official policy and is what you are agreeing to when signing it within the patient portal.

Late Cancel/No-Show Fees

  • More than 24 hours notice: no fee (You can make this change in the patient portal or email me.)

  • Less than 24 hours notice, but before your appointment time: $70 fee for a 90-minute acupuncture or 60-minute needle-free appointment; $90 fee for a 90-minute needle-free appointment; $45 fee for a 60-minute acupuncture appointment; $25 fee for a 30-minute appointment; Cancellation fees for workshops and classes vary; check event listing for details. (As a courtesy, the first late cancel is waived.)

  • No notice, or notice after your scheduled appointment time: full visit fee (No-shows are not waived and are automatically charged to the card on file at the end of the day.)

  • Please note that I respond to messages within clinic hours, so though your notice will “count” based on the time you sent it, questions regarding rescheduling or any other questions will not be answered until I am back in clinic. You can find the most current clinic hours in my email signatures, in the footer of this website, or on my Google business page.

  • Workshops and classes have different cancellation policies; please check the event listing for details.

Late Policy

  • You are considered late if you arrive more than 10 minutes past your scheduled appointment time, regardless of notification. Your appointment will be considered forfeit. If you provide notice, you will only be charged the late cancellation fee. If you do not provide notice, you will be charged a no-show fee.

  • If you arrive to your initial new patient appointment on time but have not filled out your new patient paperwork, you will be considered “late” and need to reschedule. You will be charged a late cancellation fee.

Clinic Closures Due to Weather

  • If the Des Moines school district is closed due to snow or unsafe road conditions, the late cancellation fee will be waived as long as you still provide notice before your appointment time. If you do not provide notice, it will be considered a no-show.

  • If there is an active tornado warning (not watch) in your area, the late cancellation fee is waived. Please reach out to let me know! No notice will still be considered a no-show.

  • If I close the clinic due to weather (or other unforeseen circumstances), you will not be charged any fees.

Visit Costs

  • Individual 90-minute appointment with acupuncture (initial, re-evaluation, or follow-up) - $135

  • Individual 60-minute appointment with acupuncture (follow-up) - $85

  • Individual 90-minute appointment without acupuncture ("needle-free" initial only) - $180

  • Individual 60-minute appointment without acupuncture ("needle-free" follow-up) - $135

  • Community-style acupuncture initial (60-75 minutes) - $85

  • Community-style acupuncture follow-up (45-60 minutes) - $45

  • Workshop prices vary; check event listing for details

Financial Policies (Effective May 15, 2024) - Full Policy

Payment and Discounts

Payment: All payment is due at the time of service. No balance can be carried forward, and any fees from previous visits must be settled prior to subsequent appointments. Forms of payment accepted include cash, credit/debit card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover), and check, as well as HSA/FSA cards.

Returned checks: All returned checks, regardless of the reason, will be charged an additional $20 fee. The remaining balance will be due prior to the next appointment and no checks will be accepted for future appointments.

Card on file: Patients will be required to place a card on file when making their first appointment in the event of a late/no-show appointment (see below for cancellation/no-show policy). Patients are required to keep a card on file, but you still have the option to pay for your appointment using another method or card on the day of your appointment. In the event of a late cancellation or no-show appointment, your card on file will be charged automatically on the day of your appointment.

Packages: Packages of appointments are available for purchase. Packages must be paid for in full in advance of utilizing them and cannot be used retroactively. All packages are non-transferable and are limited to the appointment types listed in the package description. Packages may be canceled and must be done so in writing (via mail or email). If you cancel a package, the balance will be mailed to you within 14 days as a check minus a 10% administrative fee and the cost of appointments that have been utilized billed at the full price. This means that the appointments that you have already used from your package will be calculated at full price (as if they were paid for without purchasing a package), plus a 10% administrative fee charged on the total package price, and that amount will be subtracted from the full cost of the package you initially purchased; the remaining amount will be returned to you via check. This will result in a loss of the discount received when purchasing the package.

Discounted appointments: Patients can receive a flat 10% discount on services if they receive State or Federal assistance. Proof of assistance must be provided to Fireweed Acupuncture and renewed each year. Patients receiving a discount on services will be charged the same fee schedule as described below and will be otherwise held to the same cancellation/late/no-show financial policies as patients paying the full cost. There is no discount applied to fees.

Insurance: Fireweed Acupuncture does not accept any form of insurance (including auto or workers comp claims) and is not in-network with any insurance provider. A Superbill can be provided upon request but does not guarantee any form of reimbursement from your insurance company. Fireweed Acupuncture is unable to provide assistance in obtaining reimbursement and it is the sole responsibility of the patient to communicate with their insurance company. Additionally, Superbills cannot be provided for appointments that were discounted, provided as part of a package, or for community acupuncture events. All patients, regardless of whether they are seeking reimbursement from their insurance companies, are required to pay the balance of their account at each appointment.

Cancellation, Late, and No-Show Policies

Reminder emails and texts are available to help keep you up to date with your appointment days/times, and you can opt in to these notifications within the patient portal. You can also log in to your patient portal at any time to check your upcoming appointment times, as well as reschedule any appointments as needed. If you are unable to change or reschedule an appointment on the patient portal, this likely means the 24-hour notice window has closed.

Change/Cancellation Policy: All appointments must be changed or canceled at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled appointment time. The most efficient and effective way of changing or canceling appointments is to log in to the patient portal and make changes there. However, additional accepted forms of notice for change or cancellation include email, message via the patient portal, or phone call (a voicemail is required, if not able to reach someone directly). Social media messages are not a valid form of communication for cancellation. Any appointment changed or canceled with less than 24 hours notice but prior to the appointment time will be charged a fee based on appointment length and type: 

  • $70 fee for a 90-minute acupuncture or 60-minute needle-free appointment

  • $90 fee for a 90-minute needle-free appointment

  • $45 fee for a 60-minute acupuncture appointment

  • $25 fee for a 30-minute appointment

  • Cancellation fees for workshops and classes vary; check event listing for details.

In the event of a change of appointment time, this fee is in addition to the visit fee (for example, if you provide less than 24 hours notice to change your 60-minute follow-up acupuncture appointment on Tuesday and reschedule it for Thursday, you will be charged $45 on the day of the change for the late notice and normal $85 for the appointment on the day of your appointment). To avoid this fee, make any changes or cancellations to your appointments more than 24 hours before your appointment time.

Inclement Weather Policy: If the Des Moines school district closes due to winter weather conditions or there is an active tornado warning (not tornado watch) at the time of your appointment, this fee will also be waived as long as notice is still provided before the appointment time. Lack of notice will still be considered a no-show and charged according to the policy below. If the clinic is closed due to inclement weather, no fees will be charged to patients, regardless of notice.

Late and No-Show Policy: Patients are considered late if they arrive 10 minutes or more after their scheduled appointment time. Arriving 10 minutes or more after the appointment time will be considered a forfeiture of the appointment time and no services will be provided that day. Additionally, if the patient arrives on time for their initial (new patient) appointment but has not filled out their intake form, they will be considered Late and their appointment will be forfeited. (Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your appointment time if you need to complete the New Patient Paperwork in person.) Patients who miss their appointment time are considered No-Show. In the event of a Late or No-Show appointment, the full cost of the appointment will automatically be charged to the card on file. If a patient has purchased a package, one treatment will be deducted from the total number of visits remaining in the package in lieu of charging the card on file.

Classes and events have different cancellation policies; please refer to the event listing and confirmation emails for the specific event’s policy.

Acupuncture Fee Schedule

  • Individual 90-minute appointment with acupuncture (initial, re-evaluation, or follow-up) - $135

  • Individual 60-minute appointment with acupuncture (follow-up) - $85

  • Individual 90-minute appointment without acupuncture ("needle-free" initial only) - $180

  • Individual 60-minute appointment without acupuncture ("needle-free" follow-up) - $135

  • Community-style acupuncture initial (60-75 minutes) - $85

  • Community-style acupuncture follow-up (45-60 minutes) - $45

  • Workshop prices vary; check event listing for details