NCCAOM

What NCCAOM does

NCBAHM (formerly NCCAOM) is the United States' national certification and credentialing body for acupuncture and herbal medicine practitioners, operating as a non-profit headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. The organization provides board certification credentials including Board Certification in Acupuncture and the comprehensive Diplomate in Oriental Medicine (Dipl. OM.), supported by a standardized board examination process and an online certification portal for applications, renewals, and transcript management. It certifies over 20,674 diplomates nationwide, with state regulatory boards across most U.S. states recognizing NCBAHM certification as a prerequisite for licensure.

The organization's revenue model combines one-time certification and examination fees with recurring renewal subscriptions required to maintain active diplomate status, supplemented by fees paid by 1,500+ continuing education (PDA) providers whose 5,200+ approved courses feed the recertification pipeline. Supporting technology consists of multi-portal digital infrastructure: an applicant/diplomate portal, a separate PDA provider portal, and dedicated access points for state regulatory boards and ACAOM-accredited schools, operated primarily through self-serve workflows. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on professional networks, state board mandates, accredited school channels, and recurring webinars rather than paid demand generation.

The product portfolio has recently expanded beyond core Diplomate credentials to include specialty Certificates of Qualification in Acupuncture Injection Therapy (launched jointly with the American Society of Acupuncturists) and Chinese Herbal Compounding and Safety. Advocacy and regulatory services — including a Medicare Initiative, federal lobbying, and state-level relations — form a non-revenue but strategically important function that reinforces the credential's regulatory standing and third-party reimbursement eligibility for diplomates.

Name

NCCAOM

Legal name

National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine

Website

https://nccaom.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NCBAHM (formerly NCCAOM) is the U.S. national certification body for acupuncturists and herbal medicine practitioners, certifying over 20,674 diplomates through standardized board examinations, renewal subscriptions, and 5,200+ approved continuing education courses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification and Credentialing Services

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Acupuncture certification services
• Professional credentialing board
• Continuing education programs
• Herbal medicine certification
• Regulatory compliance verification

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification Fees: Fees for initial certification, examination, and credentialing of acupuncturists meeting national competency standards.
2. Certification Renewal Fees: Recurring fees for maintaining active certification status, including compliance with continuing education requirements.
3. PDA Provider Services: Fees for course approval and provider accreditation services for continuing education providers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NCBAHM (formerly NCCAOM) is the national certification body for acupuncturists and Oriental/herbal medicine practitioners in the United States. It administers board certification examinations, issues Diplomate credentials, manages certification renewals, and approves continuing education courses through its PDA (Professional Development Activity) provider network. The organization serves individual practitioners, continuing education providers, accredited schools, and state regulatory boards.

Product overview

NCBAHM (formerly NCCAOM) operates as a certification and credentialing organization for acupuncture and herbal medicine practitioners. The organization offers a platform of certification programs including Board Certification in Acupuncture and the Diplomate in Oriental Medicine (Dipl. OM.), along with supporting digital platforms including applicant/diplomate portals, PDA provider portals, and state regulatory board verification systems. Educational offerings include a PDA (Professional Development Activities) program with over 5,200 approved courses from 1,500 providers, exam preparation resources, and webinar programs. The Find A Practitioner directory serves as a public-facing tool connecting patients with over 20,390 board-certified diplomates nationwide. Recent product additions include the Acupuncture Injection Therapy (AIT) Certificate of Qualification and Chinese Herbal Compounding and Safety Certificate of Qualification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Board Certification in Acupuncture Primary national board certification credential for licensed acupuncturists demonstrating competency in acupuncture practice standards; required for state licensure in most U.S. jurisdictions.
• Diplomate in Oriental Medicine (Dipl. OM.) Comprehensive national certification covering both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine modalities for practitioners seeking broader scope of practice credentials.
• Board Examination Services Standardized national board examinations and assessment services administered to certification candidates as a prerequisite for earning Diplomate credentials.
• Professional Development Activities (PDA) Program Continuing education program providing access to over 5,200 approved courses from 1,500 PDA providers, supporting recertification and ongoing professional development for Diplomates.
• Certification Renewal Service Recurring certification maintenance service enabling Diplomates to renew their board-certified status and track continuing education compliance through an online portal and transcript system.
• Acupuncture Injection Therapy (AIT) Certificate of Qualification Specialized credential launched in 2025 jointly with ASA (American Society of Acupuncturists) enabling licensed acupuncturists to perform acupuncture injection therapy as part of expanded scope of practice.
• Chinese Herbal Compounding and Safety Certificate of Qualification Specialized credential launched in 2025 covering Chinese herbal compounding and safety practices, offered as part of NCBAHM's professional development certificate offerings.
• PDA Provider Approval Service Approval and accreditation service for continuing education providers seeking to offer NCBAHM-approved PDA courses to Diplomates for recertification credit.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20,674 board-certified practitioners nationwide
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ACAOM (Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCBAHM works with ACAOM-accredited schools to support graduate pathways to national board certification. ACAOM accreditation of educational programs is a prerequisite for many NCBAHM certification pathways.
• ASA (American Society of Acupuncturists)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCBAHM and ASA announced a joint national Acupuncture Injection Therapy (AIT) credential for licensed acupuncturists, representing a collaborative effort to expand professional scope of practice.
• State Regulatory BoardscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with acupuncture regulatory boards across U.S. states for practitioner certification verification and licensing standardization. Boards utilize NCBAHM portals for status verification.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA): A professional membership and certification body for athletic trainers with the BOC credential being required for state licensure. Closely parallels NCBAHM's structure: a non-profit certifying allied health practitioners with state regulatory board recognition and continuing education requirements.
• National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): A non-profit certification body for professional counselors whose NCC credential is widely required for state licensure. Closely mirrors NCBAHM's model of board certification, renewal cycles, continuing education requirements, and state board partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT): A credentialing body for radiologic technologists with state-recognized certification. Operates a comparable model of standardized examination, certification renewal, continuing education tracking, and state board verification portals.
• Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB): U.S. organization representing state medical and osteopathic licensing boards. Comparable in serving as the connective infrastructure between a national credentialing body and state-level regulatory recognition, similar to NCBAHM's relationship with state acupuncture boards.
• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC): A major U.S. nursing credentialing organization offering board certification, specialty credentials, and continuing education accreditation. Shares NCBAHM's model of combining primary certification, specialty certificates, and accredited continuing education providers.
• American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS): The leading U.S. physician board certification umbrella organization. Comparable as a national, multi-specialty professional certification body whose credentials are required for state licensure and recognized by healthcare regulators, though operating at much larger scale across conventional medicine.
• American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP): A large U.S. medical professional society providing CME accreditation, certification review, and continuing education programming. Comparable in offering physician-facing continuing education infrastructure analogous to NCBAHM's PDA program.

Emerging players

• American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA): The national professional society for licensed acupuncturists. A direct stakeholder peer within the same acupuncture profession, recently collaborating with NCBAHM on the joint AIT credential and representing the practitioner constituency.
• Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAOM): The complementary accreditation body for acupuncture and herbal medicine schools. Operates as a closely related peer in the same professional ecosystem, with overlapping stakeholder relationships but focused on educational program accreditation rather than practitioner certification.

Others

• National Commission for Health Interpreter Credentialing (CIHC): A specialty healthcare certification body offering national credentials with state and employer recognition. Operates a comparable practitioner certification model in a different but adjacent allied health niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ncbahm
• Facebookfacebook.com/ncbahm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ncbahm
• Instagraminstagram.com/ncbahm
• Xx.com/NCCAOM_Official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NCCAOM