How To Get Approved To Accept Insurance For Massage Therapy
Some states require massage therapists to carry liability insurance as part of the licensing requirements to practice as a massage therapist. Even if insurance is not required in your state, protecting yourself from lawsuits by paying a few dollars a month for a liability insurance policy is generally a good idea. Most major massage therapist professional organizations offer a group rate on liability insurance for members or an insurance rider is automatically included as part of the benefits package when you pay dues to join the organization.
1
Complete your massage therapy training. Most massage therapy programs require at least 500 hours of study and take six to 12 months to complete. Subjects studied include anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, business management and ethics, as well aslots of practice in various massage techniques.
2
Apply to become a licensed or registered massage therapist in your area. Almost all states and some cities regulate the practice of massage therapy. Licensing typically requires graduation from an accredited school and passing a written and/or practical exam.
3
References
Is The Massage Therapy Profession Part Of Discussions With Other Health Care Professions That Use Cpt Coding
AMTA’s participation on the CPT Advisory Committee allows us the opportunity to be part of the Health Care Professional Advisory Committee that enables the exchange of ideas and networking of all professions. Our participation and contributions have been well-received and we continue to develop many positive, professional relationships to enhance the forward movement of the profession.
Insurance Arlington Massage Therapy & Wellness
Insurance. We accept auto and workers compensation insurance plans for medically necessary massage therapy when prescribed by your physician.Therapy is offered free of charge to patients during their appointments at Aurora Cancer Care locations. Massage therapy at Aurora. Massage therapy is available
You May Like: Massage Continuing Education Raleigh Nc
Get Licensed And Credentialed
Insurance acceptance is not a slam-dunk under ACA. Stay current on licensing requirements for your state, massage therapist credentialing requirements for the authorized ACA provider networks in your area and the Current Procedural Terminology codes for massage therapy. Moreover, massage therapy is complementary and alternative medicine according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Follow the general CAM insurance reimbursement guidelines, which state that such therapies can be reimbursable under Department of Health and Human Services CFR 410.43 provisions when prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner, are reasonable and necessary, are goal-directed based on a documented treatment plan, and when the patient shows improvement.
How Do Massage Therapists Find Out If Their Clients Have Coverage For Massage Therapy Services
Be sure to discuss rates and payment expectations with your client during your initial phone contact. Getting things in order before their initial visit makes good sense in order to avoid time-consuming issues later on. Be sure to ask your client to find out whether massage therapy is a coverable service under their specific insurance and plan. If it is, they may want to check if massage is coverable by a . Some plans require that massage be performed by a physical therapist, occupational therapist, chiropractor or other. Just because an insurance company offers massage as a plan benefit does not necessarily mean they allow massage therapists to provide the service.
In some cases of auto accident and workers comp, it may also be necessary to be in regular contact with a case manager regarding your services as they may be assigned to oversee the care of their insured.
Recommended Reading: Massage Oil And Personal Lubricant
How To Get Your Massage Therapy Covered
If you want your insurer to cover massage therapy, you may have to have your massage therapy prescribed or recommended by a doctor.
In a survey by the American Massage Therapy Association , many patients reported that their doctors are looking to massage therapy as a complementary option for addressing their health concerns.
Of the patients who talked about massage therapy with their doctors:
- 25% were referred to a massage therapist.
- 24% said they were strongly recommended by their doctor to receive a massage.
- 23% said their doctor encouraged them to get a massage.
- 19% were told that a massage might benefit them.
Before booking a massage, make sure the massage provider is accepted by your insurer. Find out whether the massage must be deemed medically necessary in order to be covered. If so, ask how to meet the criteria.
Do You Take My Health Insurance
As with most massage businesses not affiliated with a doctor, Frederick Massage Therapy does not take insurance . But all is not lost!
Please review your current health care coverage to learn whether you can request reimbursement for massage therapy services. If youre in luck and you have massage coverage, keep reading for info on getting a massage prescription from your doctor.
If massage isnt covered, when youre renewing your health insurance coverage consider other options, plans and insurance companies that may reimburse therapeutic massage.
Need a detailed receipt for your massage services to submit to your insurance company? Let us know and we will provide one with the proper CPT codes, our NPI number and other pertinent information. If you were in an accident and are working with a lawyer, we can also provide notes on your massage sessions as needed.
You May Like: Happy Feet Massage Richardson Tx
Are Video Visits With A Massage Therapy Doctor Online Covered By My Insurance
Most insurers provide coverage for video visits at the same cost as in-person visits. You can search on Zocdoc specifically for Massage Therapy doctors who accept your insurance for video visits by selecting your carrier and plan from the drop-down menu at the top of the page. We recommend you check with your insurance carrier directly to confirm your coverage and out of pocket costs for video visits.
Before Making An Appointment Get Your Specific Massage Benefits Verified By Your Insurance Company
When you decide to come in for medical massage make sure to call your insurance member service to confirm your benefits.
Evergreen Massage & Wellness can assist you by uses the insurance carrier’s online portal or telephone services to verify your benefit information as soon as possible prior to your appointment. However, the online system does not show all benefit details and Insurance phone services are only available Monday – Friday. It is best to call your member service and find out the exact massage benefits before you make an appointment. Evergreen Massage & Wellness is not responsible to verify your insurance benefits.
Please provide your legal name and date of birth, the name of your insurance carrier, your member ID number, your Group number and the Customer Service phone number on the back of your card. We need to confirm your benefits in advance.
Please Note: Verification of Benefits is NOT a guarantee of coverage. Final payment determination will be made when your insurance company processes your claim. The client is responsible for full payment of the appointment if insurance denies your claim.
Read Also: How To Become A Massage Therapist Illinois
We Accept Insurance For Massage Therapy
CityTouch Licensed Massage Therapy is a nationally registered medical massage facility under the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System . As such, we are authorized to accept some insurance plans as a form of payment. This is especially good news for those who suffer from chronic pain or are recovering from injury accepting insurance payments will allow them to visit us regularly for more effective massage results.
Depending on your insurance provider and plan, you could be eligible for one or two 60-Minute Therapeutic Massage sessions per week. A letter of medical necessity from your doctor, with diagnosis codes, will be required. As each insurance plan is different, you must verify your coverage before booking your CityTouch appointment. Some insurance plans will require coinsurance, if your insurance doesnt cover our list menu price. If your insurance plan uses Medicaid funds , it will be denied.
The insurance verification process may take one or several business days to complete. We will contact you with the results . If approved, you will need to obtain the required letter or other documents from your doctor. According to your insurance plan and your doctors recommendation, we can develop a medical massage treatment plan specifically for you.
Only the 60-Minute Therapeutic Massage session is covered under insurance. Our specialized services including couples massage, hot stone massage, and the CityCleanse treatment are not covered by insurance.
How Do You Find A Massage Therapist Who Accepts Your Insurance
The easiest way to find healthcare that your insurance covers is to check your insurance network and see which massage therapists are available near you. You can also call individual providers to ask whether they accept your coverage and whether a doctor’s referral is required. Be sure you confirm that they accept your coverage before you receive services.
Read Also: Where To Advertise My Massage Business
Schedule Your First Appointment
After you verify your benefits with the insurance carrier. At that time, you are free to schedule your first appointment.
PLEASE call our office to set up your first appointment. It is important to make sure the practitioner you are seeing is covered under your particular insurance plan. Each time you schedule an appointment, please remind the scheduler of your insurance carrier.
How To Get Therapeutic Massages Covered By Insurance
For a massage to be covered by insurance, your best bet is to get a prescription or referral from your doctor. Even then, the insurance company doesnt have to agree to pay for it. Medicare, for example, doesnt cover massage therapy at all, so you would have to pay for 100% of the costs.
With other types of insurance, its well worth seeing if your insurance company will foot the bill. For example, it could be covered under an Affordable Care Act plan. Sometimes the easiest way to find out is simply to call your insurance provider and ask. Thats also a good time to ask them how much might be covered, to avoid any surprises.
The best way is to have a prescription from your physician, says Robin B. Anderson. Shes a licensed massage therapist and president of the Massage Therapy Foundation. It may be covered similarly to some other health procedures. If its deemed medically needed, then some coverage could be provided.
A 2018 study out of Rutgers University looked at how 7 insurance companies handled reimbursements for massage therapy. The analysis found that:
- 19% covered massage therapy as part of a rehabilitation plan
- 23% of companies limited therapy to 15-minute sessions
- 27% required a doctors prescription
- 27% said massage therapists werent covered providers. But other providers, such as physical therapists, could directly bill for massage services.
You May Like: Massage Luxe Fort Myers Fl
Forms Of Massage Therapy Covered By Insurance
The easiest and most effective way to learn if your insurance covers massage therapy is to give them a call. A representative can tell you if they do.
There are a few different types of health care providers who use massage techniques in their work, such as physical and occupational therapists. There are times when your insurance will cover a visit with these specialists, but not with a massage therapist. Additionally, some insurance companies will only cover a massage for a specific duration of time.
These specifications are why it is crucial to talk about coverage with your insurer before booking an appointment. You dont want to go into an hour-long massage thinking that it isnt going to cost you much, only to walk out and realize your insurance only covered a quarter of your session.
Because there are insurers who will only cover massage therapy with a doctors note, you may want to speak with yours during your next visit. Its probably best to talk to them beforehand anyway, to get advice about what kind of specialist you should see for your health problem.
Accepting Insurance: From A To Z
I really appreciate all the phone calls and e-mails from therapists about insurance billing issues. It is through your questions and problems that I learn and can direct my research and better help others.
I often hear people say, “I would love to accept insurance, but so many therapists tell me it’s dreadful, not worth it, time consuming, costly, and on and on.” I find nearly 100 percent of the time, when checking deeper into the situation, that the disappointed or exasperated therapist did or didn’t do one of the following:
- did not really know how to bill insurance in the first place
- used incorrect codes
- accepted cases that don’t reimburse under any condition
- did an improper interview and initial evaluation with the patient
- did not properly document treatment
- did not have a properly written prescription, if they had one at all
- did not use codes within their scope of practice
- insisted on taking certain types of cases, even when I’ve warned against it
- did not obtain authorization to treat an injured worker
- did not fully confirm benefits prior to billing insurance
- filed incomplete or incorrect claims, or used an improper claim form or
- did not check to see if the insurance policy covered massage therapy or manual therapy techniques when provided and billed by a massage therapist.
Accepting Insurance: From A to Z
AAdjuster, the claims handler at the insurance company. must be obtained from the adjuster to treat a workers’ comp case.
K.KISS: Keep it simple, Stupid.
Also Check: Massage Places In Columbia South Carolina
Insurance Companies We Have Worked With
The following is a list of insurance providers we have worked with in the past. Whether you see your insurance company on this list or not, please contact us, so we can tell you if we currently accept your insurance.
PLEASE NOTE these links will send you to a page on our sister site where we host the actual information.
- Alaska Electrical Health & Welfare Fund
- Allied Administrator
- ASHN
- ATPA Local
- Mutual Of Omaha Insurance Company
- Nationwide
- Oregon Bakers Trust Oregon Laborers
- Oregon Teamsters Trust
- Uniform Medical Plan Of Washington
- United American Ins Co
Can Diabetics Get Life Insurance
1. Life Insurance Policy Options for Diabetics | Fidelity Life Yes, many people with diabetes can qualify for life insurance. For people with well-managed conditions who are generally healthy, its even possible to find What if you cant get coverage? You can purchase life insurance if you have diabetes.
Also Check: Lymphatic Drainage Massage Woodbridge Va
Insurance Plans Accepted Richmond Chiropractors
We accept most insurance plans including PPO, HMO and Medicare. Aetna American Chiropractic Network American Specialty Health Network Beech Street Chiropractic. NEW PATIENT EXAM: $95-$140 CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENT: $50. Please contact us to book your chiropractic appointment at one of our two locations.
Disability Income Insurance Provides Benefits For Work Related Disability
Category: Insurance 1. Med Insurance chapter 16 Flashcards | Quizlet Disability income insurance provides benefits for work-related disability. False. Disability income policies do not provide medical expense benefits. tap to flip Disability income insurance provides benefits for work related disability, False. Disability income insurance provides supplementary income in the
Don’t Miss: The Academy Of Massage Therapy
Look Into Hsas And Fsas
There are a couple of medical-related acronyms that could save you money on massage therapy: Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Savings Accounts .
An HSA is a savings account you can use if you have a high-deductible insurance plan. It lets you put aside pre-tax money for medical expenses.
Some employers offer an HSA that can be used for wellness expenses, Anderson says. And that may include gym memberships and massage therapy.
An FSA, meanwhile, is an account offered as part of an employer-sponsored health insurance plan. It lets you set aside pre-tax money for certain medical expenses. That could include therapeutic massage. To qualify, you might need to get a letter of medical necessity.
According to the Internal Revenue Service, therapy that you receive as part of a medical treatment may qualify for HSA or FSA reimbursement.
How To Get Approval For Massage Therapy
Set up an appointment with your medical doctor and let them know that you have HSA, FSA, MSA or HRA funds that you would like to use for massage therapy for treatment/prevention of your condition.
If your physician is not sure about the benefits of massage for your condition, research massage for your condition and share the information with your doctor .
If your physician agrees to write a prescription, they will need to provide three pieces of information:
Be certain that you are getting the correct prescription/documentation in order to use your benefit funds. For example, sometimes a doctor must provide a Letter of Medical Necessity on a standardized form or on the doctors letterhead. Check with your employer, the appropriate department is usually human resources since they administer benefits for employees. If they cant answer your question, they should be able to direct you to the administrator of your benefit plan. Be sure that massage will be covered before you make your massage appointment, so that you are not responsible for paying out of pocket or taking a tax hit.
Once you have the prescription you can set up an appointment for massage. Keep the prescription in a safe place in case you need to provide documentation. Bring your HSA, FSA, MSA or HRA card with you to your appointment.
Don’t Miss: Real Relax Massage Chair Remote Control Replacement
How Can I Book An Appointment Online With A Doctor For Massage Therapy
Zocdoc is a free online service that helps patients find doctors for Massage Therapy and book appointments instantly. You can search for doctors for Massage Therapy or any other visit reason. Then, enter your desired appointment location and choose your insurance plan. Based on that information, youll see a list of providers who meet your search criteria, along with their available appointment slots.