Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Care Service Standards

All services must not involve medical behaviors, with non-invasive, non-pharmacological intervention as the core boundary. Practitioners must master the corresponding basic knowledge and practical skills of traditional Chinese medicine. Service items must strictly match the catalog of the "Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Care Service Specifications (Trial)" issued by the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Any excess is considered a violation.

Not long ago, the moxibustion parlor that had been open for three years downstairs suddenly put a seal on it. When I asked about it, I found out that the owner had been performing "thorn pricking and removing blood stasis" on regular customers a few days ago. It happened that the health supervisors who made an unannounced visit found out. He was fined RMB 30,000 for illegal medical practice and the business was suspended for rectification. Many old acquaintances complained about him, saying that he was good at his craftsmanship and had been doing it for several years without incident. Why did he violate the rules? In fact, the essence is to step on the red line of health care services and medical behaviors - this red line is like the double yellow line on the road. If you cross the line, no matter whether something happens or not, it is essentially a violation.

Speaking of this boundary issue, the industry has actually been arguing for more than a day or two. Academic practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine generally feel that the threshold for health care services must be stuck, and all operations involving human intervention must be supported by systematic Chinese medicine theory. It is best to be done by people with Chinese medicine qualification certificates, otherwise the risks are too high: I have seen it before when I was supervising health care services in the community. Novice moxibustion practitioners roasted the Hegu point of pregnant women indiscriminately, almost causing miscarriage. There are also people who perform facial moxibustion on customers and leave permanent scars. Without systematic professional knowledge, problems can easily arise if they rely solely on experience. However, many folk health practitioners who have been working for more than ten or twenty years do not agree with this statement. Master Wang, a family massage practitioner I know, said that he learned chiropractic from his father at the age of 16 and has been doing it for 28 years.

In fact, the current regulations are also looking for a balance between the two. In the trial regulations revised in 2023, the previously stuck "practitioners must hold relevant qualification certificates for traditional Chinese medicine" has been adjusted to "passed the traditional Chinese medicine knowledge and skills training organized by the provincial-level and above-level traditional Chinese medicine authorities and passed the assessment." The inherited craftsmen left a hole, but at the same time they also drew the red lines clearly: acupuncture, scar moxibustion, foaming moxibustion, traction, stretching, minimally invasive traditional Chinese medicine techniques, intestinal lavage with traditional Chinese medicine, prescribing traditional Chinese medicine, and issuing disease diagnosis certificates, etc., are all medical behaviors, and health care institutions must not touch them. Oh, by the way, even if it is the common Sanfu patch, if it uses irritating medicinal materials such as cantharis that can cause skin damage, it is considered a medical treatment and cannot be done by ordinary health centers.

Many people may ask, how do we, ordinary consumers, judge whether the other party is compliant or not when going to a health care center? In fact, it’s very simple. Just look at the other party’s explanation and operation: If you say you have high blood pressure and a headache recently, the master will say that I will massage your head, shoulders and neck to relax you. You can usually make some cassia seed and chrysanthemum tea to drink. This is legal. ； If he comes up and says, "I'll give you two injections to lower your blood pressure, and then give you a special prescription that will cure you in three months, don't hesitate, just leave." It's 100% illegal. Last time I accompanied my mother for a shoulder and neck massage. The master said that my mother had a lot of moisture and wanted to perform a "bloodletting and dehumidification" on her. I dragged my mother away on the spot. Later, I checked the store and it turned out that the store didn't even have a record of health care services.

Now Zhejiang and Guangdong, places with a strong atmosphere of traditional Chinese medicine, are already piloting the "one industry, one certificate" program. As long as health care institutions have been registered with the health department and practitioners have skills assessment certificates, they can normally carry out moxibustion, massage, scraping, and cupping. For some routine projects, there is no need to apply for a bunch of messy certificates. At the same time, supervision will be stricter. Random inspections will be conducted every month. Once a medical red line is found, the qualification will be revoked directly. This is equivalent to loosening the shackles of practitioners who abide by the rules and tightening the curse on those who mess up. The Master Wang I know passed the local Chinese medicine health care skills certificate last year, and is now invited by the community to provide charity massage for the elderly. His business is better than before.

To be honest, this standard has never been designed to block the industry. It protects both practitioners and consumers. Health care is meant to relax and adjust. If you really have organic discomfort, you still have to go to a regular hospital. Don’t treat health care as a treatment, and don’t let unreliable health care deceive you. This is the core meaning of the existence of regulations.