Elsewhere on this site you can read about HealthPoint’s commitment to the safety and efficacy of the traditional Chinese herbal formulas that we prescribe for our patients where clinically indicated. In this newsletter we’ll address the issue of value. Economic value includes not only the price paid at the point of purchase, but also measures of convenience, utility, results, and the long-term expense of use. These are the things that most of us desire with any economic exchange (i.e., when we purchase goods or services). So what does any of this have to do with purchasing Chinese herbal medicines? The price that you pay for Chinese herbs can vary among clinics. And while purchase price is not unimportant, it is nowhere near as important a measure as value.

Chinese herbal medicinals can be processed, sold, and administered in a variety of formats including bulk-dispensed herbs for decoction, tea-pills, capsules, tinctures, and powdered extracts, to name several. With one of the most varied TCM herbal pharmacies in the Twin Cities, HealthPoint carries all of these in order to meet the wants and needs of our many patients. We also try very hard to be sensitive to patient’s budgets in light of the generally high cost of health care.

The table below compares several different approaches to pricing for the same TCM medicinal formula across two formulating companies. The pricing variances reflect differences in administration method (e.g., tea-pills vs. capsules), potency, dose and supply quantity. Just to add to the confusion, one of these companies offers the example formula in two different product lines where the formula differs only in administration method, potency, and quantity, but where the ingredients are the same. Our example pertains to prepared (manufactured) formulas as opposed to bulk-dispensed herbs. The ingredients of each are exactly the same.