Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68012
PLEASE E-MAIL YOUR LETTERS TO EDITOR@ABMP.COM. INCLUDE YOUR FULL NAME AND THE CITY AND STATE IN WHICH YOU RESIDE. UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE UNABLE TO PUBLISH ALL THE LETTERS WE RECEIVE. MASSAGE & BODYWORK STAFF RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDIT LETTERS FOR LENGTH AND CLARITY. I have seen only two companies with policies that state they pay for "wellness massage." These policies treat massage as preventative medicine. These are exceptions, not the rule. In these very few cases, a prescription is not needed. My estimation is that billing for medical massage has a total cost of about $30 per massage for an individual practitioner. This estimate does not include the cost of delayed payments or denials in payment. Please be careful in trying to expand what medical massage is. We as massage practitioners do not get to write the rules. However, we can enlighten those who do about our worth. The best way to do this is through obeying the rules. PETER SPAIRRING RENTON, WASHINGTON More Bookings for Male MTs Though the article states that relaxation massage is medical massage, I fi nd this to be contrary to the truth. I am a licensed massage practitioner in Washington State. I have operated a medical massage clinic for 11-plus years now. I estimate that about 80 percent of the work I do is reimbursed from insurance companies. As a massage therapist, I see the value of relaxation and treating a client according to their specifi c needs, including the need to relax and de-stress. Though when we ask for reimbursement from insurance companies, we are 99 percent of the time entering the "medical world," whether we massage practitioners recognize it or not. This world is controlled by the American Medical Association. This world says problem X is treated with Y technique for Z outcome. In this world, there is a much higher expectation of competency, thus a need for us to hold ourselves to higher standards. [A massage therapist] acting outside of doctors' prescribed treatments is administering treatment without a license—even if the treatment is within the scope of our license. The medical doctors and insurance companies determine what medical massage is. We only get to suggest and guide them in their decision making. At this time in Washington State, medical massage requires: a prescription from an MD, DC, or ND; progress notes; a delay in getting paid; and [it places] additional responsibilities on the patient, massage board, referring physician, attorneys, and courts. It requires records be kept for seven years. I'm the lead therapist in a well-known spa in Puerto Rico. We have found a way to book more appointments with male therapists in the spa. (It's a fact that this is one of the problems male therapists have in our industry.) When a client calls the spa, we always offer fi rst the male therapist available at the time the client is requesting; if the client wishes to change to a female therapist, then we do so. We found that the response is about 70 percent in favor to have the male therapist in comparison to when we fi rst ask if there is a gender preference. When we ask about gender preference, seven out of 10 are always for female therapists; two do not care; and one requests a male therapist. GREGORIO DIAZ SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 15