Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/142672
care and want to include us in their treatment plans. Unfortunately, even the doctors do not usually know how to bill for your services. They, too, need to learn how you fit in for you to be paid. The big challenge in seeking reimbursement is complying with regulations of the bureaucracy and the paperwork insurance companies demand. You have to deal with the details of billing codes, record keeping, and fee limits, or pay someone to handle it for you. Also, employers and insurance companies must control their costs, which means they scrutinize insurance claims more closely. And you must establish a satisfactory relationship with one or more healthcare professionals who will make referrals to you and bill for your services. If you practice in a state where massage practitioners are licensed, your status is different, and you may bill most insurance on your own. Until you know how the system works, all of this can be a daunting barrier. The Essentials For Reimbursement To get insurance companies to pay for your massage or bodywork services you must: • ork in tandem with a licensed W health-care provider, such as a medical doctor or chiropractor, who diagnoses the client's condition and prescribes your services as a necessary part of the medical treatment plan. • se the terminology accepted by U insurance companies. Insurance is not meant to cover relaxation massage for a healthy person. But many companies will pay for neuromuscular reeducation or soft-tissue therapy for a client with a diagnosed disease or an accident-related injury. • eep accurate, complete K progress records of all your work, including the date, procedures performed, and specific findings. • ubmit the correct forms properly S filled out. As a matter of good business and professional practice, you must also communicate regularly with the doctor so each of you is aware of what the other is doing, as well as follow up with the insurance company so you receive the money you are owed. We Are Pioneers The position and status of our profession is changing as consumers become more demanding of adequate health-care services and insurance companies recognize our value. But we are only beginning. Consumers, doctors, and insurance company executives all need to understand the benefits of our work and its role within this complicated system. As health-care professionals, we need to learn how to make the system work for us, since we clearly have great benefits to offer and can receive great benefits in return. SPH Christine Rosche, MPH, CNS, CBT, is the author of The Insurance Reimbursement Manual and an authority in marketing and insurance reimbursement. For additional details, refer to the "Massage Insurance Billing Resource" in the Business Management section of www.abmp.com.