Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/97768
in advancing prevention, wellness, and health-promotion practices.7 The position statement commented on the first draft priorities for healthcare delivery and cited nearly 100 research articles. I highly recommend you read the position statement in its entirety, as it can be useful to you in your marketing efforts, but in the meantime, here are a few excerpts (citations can be found on the website within the document):8 "Studies not only reflect the use of massage therapy for treatment purposes (back and neck pain, headaches, arthritis, constipation) but also for functional and wellness purposes (balance, mobility, stress, sleep). By improving balance and mobility in older adult populations, massage therapists can help prevent falls, encourage activity, and help maintain active lifestyles. By reducing stress and improving sleep in healthy adults, massage can help reduce the onset of stress-related disease such as heart disease, digestive conditions, and headaches, and reduce workplace health-related expenses." "Conventional medical practitioners may not be aware of the full scope of CAM professions and may therefore miss opportunities to employ costeffective and efficacious CAM services. For example, massage therapy is often not prescribed for acute care. There are increasingly common applications of massage therapy that are just beginning to be reflected in the research, for example, pre- and post-surgical massage, massage for acute inflammation due to trauma, and massage for labor and delivery. By treating acute injuries we may be able to circumvent nervous system dysfunctions that lead to chronic pain." "Recognize that making healthy choices 'easy and affordable' does not ensure that people will abandon previous lifestyles for healthier options. 54 massage & bodywork Low self-esteem and depression, coupled with a lack of self-awareness, often interfere with change motivation. Massage therapy has been shown to increase self-esteem and self-awareness and decrease depression. This type of shift in orientation may prompt healthier choices: people who are aware of the impact of their actions may be more apt to make choices that help them feel better physically and emotionally, especially when they believe they deserve to feel better. In addition, massage therapists typically spend one hour with patients, 1 to 4 times per month, at relatively low cost, providing effective and efficient support for change management as prescribed by primary health-care providers." The culmination of the National Prevention Council's efforts and the input from the American public (including ABMP and its members) resulted in the nation's first National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy (National Prevention Strategy), published in June 2011.9 This document outlines strategic directions for improving the health of Americans by helping to create healthy and safe communities, expand clinical and community-based preventive services, empower people to make healthy choices, and eliminate health disparities. The goal of the National Prevention Strategy is to help all of us understand how to "weave prevention into the fabric of our daily lives." Essential Health Benefits Document More recently, as the health-care exchanges were being defined (the products to be included in the healthcare market for individuals and small businesses), the insurance commissioner of Washington suggested that CAM professions document the research that supports their inclusion in the january/february 2013 exchanges. State mandates may not be upheld once the federal law is in effect, meaning the "every category of provider" law may be in jeopardy. As previously stated, the ACA has a clause for nondiscrimination, but it never hurts to reinforce those critical one-liners in a document that has thousands of sections. The ACA ensures Americans have access to quality, affordable health insurance by requiring that health plans offer a comprehensive package of items and services, known as the essential health benefits (EHBs). EHBs (Section 1302[b] of the ACA) must include items and services within at least the following 10 categories: 1. Ambulatory patient services 2. Emergency services 3. Hospitalization 4. Maternity and newborn care 5. Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment 6. Prescription drugs 7. Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices 8. Laboratory services 9. Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management 10. ediatric services, including P oral and vision care. I was enlisted to help prepare a list of research citations that support the inclusion of massage therapy in the EHBs. The resulting document, "Summary of Evidence: Massage Therapy is an Integral Component in the Affordable Care Act's Essential Health Benefits," was presented along with ABMP's position statement to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner in October 2012.10 This document selected four EHBs (ambulatory services, mental health, rehabilitative services, and preventative and wellness services), and identified subcategories of conditions most commonly treated by somatic therapists