Acupuncture under the IVAC scheme
The scheme covers acupuncture when a physician prescribes it, and this clinic is a recognised provider. You pay for the session, you send in the receipt, and part of it comes back to you. This page explains the whole process, and asks nothing else of you.
Three things to know, and that is all
Nothing else is asked of you. If a point stays unclear, it takes one phone call or two minutes at the desk.
A prescription from your doctor
This is the way in: IVAC covers acupuncture when a physician prescribes it. Without it, there is nothing to claim. If you do not have one yet, it is the thing to ask for at your next medical appointment.
You pay, then you claim
The session is paid on site at the regular rate, and the receipt is handed to you right away. That receipt is what you send to IVAC. The scheme then reimburses an amount; the difference stays with you.
A maximum per treatment
The scheme reimburses up to a maximum amount per treatment, set by a fee schedule and revised from time to time. It is not a decision specific to your file: the cap is the same for everyone, and your IVAC claims officer can confirm the one currently in force. We would rather tell you here than let you find out along the way.
What we will not ask of you
These are ordinary rules of practice. They rarely go without saying when you are booking for the first time, so they are written down here.
What happened to you
You do not have to tell us. Not on the phone, not at the first appointment, not ever. Treatment is built from what you feel today, in your body and in your sleep.
Details about your file
Your file number is enough for billing. The rest is none of our business and of no use to us.
A reason for booking
You do not have to explain why you are coming, or prove that you need it. Booking online is enough, exactly as it is for anyone else.
More than the treatment requires
A clinical record is kept, as the law requires, and it holds what serves the treatment. It is confidential and goes nowhere without your written consent.
What actually happens
75 to 90 minutes, depending on the practitioner. We talk about your sleep, your tension, your pain if there is any, your energy. Then you lie down, dressed or partly so, under a sheet, and the needles go in. The room is quiet, the door is closed, and you are left alone for a while as the treatment does its work.
You can stop the session at any moment, ask that an area be left alone, or stay silent throughout. Follow-ups run 60 to 70 minutes.
The rate is the regular rate
There is no special price list for IVAC files: you pay what any patient pays, and you recover part of it from the scheme afterwards. The receipt is handed to you at the end of the session, without your having to ask.
First acupuncture visit $110 (75 to 90 minutes)Follow-up session · adult $95 (60 to 70 minutes)Receipt issued on site. All rates
Your questions, plainly answered
Do I need a prescription for IVAC to reimburse acupuncture?
Yes. The scheme covers acupuncture when a physician prescribes it. That is the first step of the process; without it there is nothing to claim. Once you have the prescription, you can book like any other patient.
Do I pay for the session?
Yes, on site and at the regular rate. The receipt is handed to you right away, and that is what you send to IVAC. The scheme then reimburses an amount, and the difference stays with you.
How much does IVAC reimburse?
The scheme reimburses up to a maximum amount per treatment, set by a fee schedule. We do not quote it here: the schedule is revised from time to time, and an out-of-date figure on a page would mislead you. Your IVAC claims officer will confirm the one that applies, and we tell you what the session costs before we begin.
Do you have to speak with my claims officer?
No. You send your own receipts, and nothing requires us to contact your officer. If a document from us is requested, we prepare it at your request and you know what it says.
Will I have to explain my situation at the appointment?
No. The assessment covers what you feel now: sleep, tension, pain, energy. You share what you want, when you want, and the treatment works perfectly well without the rest.
Who will see me?
Justin Lapointe, acupuncturist and member of the Ordre des acupuncteurs du Québec, a recognised provider under the scheme. The clinic is in the Plateau-Mont-Royal and also has an acupuncturist and a physiotherapist should your care call for it.
For a confidential ear, at any hour, Info-Social 811 answers 7 days a week across Québec.
Booking is done online, with no call to make and no explanation to give. We are in the Plateau-Mont-Royal, 7 days a week.
Book an appointment (opens in a new tab)