Massage & Bodywork

January/February 2013

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last 15 years of data. All attendees will receive a survey to complete in advance of the conference that will inform the discussion topics and provide talking points for the panelists. Afterward, a summary of the conversation will be made available with another opportunity to comment. Once comments have been gathered, a committee will be appointed to combine the research and comments into the next research agenda. You may want to have a say in the next 10 years of research. Though you might ask what direct influence this agenda will have on your practice, there is one immediate opportunity that may compel you to act. Affordable Care Act While the MRA will recommend global directions for massage research, one of the most pressing topics in the United States is the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA represents the nation's commitment to shift the focus of health care from sickness and disease to prevention and wellness. Healthcare reform, specifically the ACA, was adopted during President Obama's first term with the intent to provide quality, affordable health care to all Americans, reduce health-care spending, and emphasize prevention and wellness. As stated by US Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin, MD, "Preventing disease before it starts is critical to helping people live longer, healthier lives, and keeping health-care costs down." Somatic therapies traditionally reside in the prevention and wellness domain. Therefore, it is important for us to consider our role in this new age of health care and identify our strategies for helping people make healthier choices, be more active, and enhance mental, physical, and social well-being. We must ensure that the next generation of research informs these directions. First, inclusion as a wellness intervention is only possible because a cadre of research already exists providing evidence that somatic therapies are critical components of health care. The ACA, in section 3502, demands that healthcare delivery include integrative approaches: "Insurers must establish community health teams that include complementary and alternative (CAM) providers." Integrative medicine is defined as "the practice of medicine that reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence [emphasis added], and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, health-care professionals, and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing."5 The other component of the ACA that mandates the inclusion of bodyworkers is found in section 2706. Incorporated in the document is a nondiscrimination clause, ensuring that insurance exchanges must accommodate for licensed or certified providers acting within their scope. Some states already have this regulation, such as Washington, where it is referred to as the "every category of provider" law. The mandate states that every insurance company must provide at least one plan that includes reimbursement for all licensed providers operating within their scope.6 For example, if a patient is recovering from an injury, and rehabilitation services are included in his or her benefit package, the patient must be able to choose any licensed health-care provider who can provide appropriate rehabilitation services. But even though massage research has grown exponentially, inclusion in conventional health care currently only exists in a few states. Much of what we experience to be true through clinical practice is still becoming apparent in the research. This reinforces our need to identify what research exists and where the gaps are; gaps that, if filled, would increase our inclusion into health-care delivery systems. We have begun to do so through two documents that currently exist. ABMP Position Statement Two years ago, Massage & Bodywork's publisher Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) responded to a call for public comment to assist with the development of a national integrative health-care strategy. The ACA had just passed, and part of the initial effort was to identify priorities and strategies for implementing health-care reform. The National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council (National Prevention Council), convened by the US Surgeon General, was tasked with obtaining input on evidence-based models of health care and environmental strategies that improve health and save lives. In December 2010, ABMP submitted a position statement supporting massage therapy and bodywork as an integral component www.abmp.com. See what benefits await you. 53

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