The purpose of medical massage service therapy is to treat and assist the healing process in acute and chronic pain related to connective tissue disorders. Incorporating medical massage therapy services into your holistic practice can provide significant relief to your community while boosting your overall revenue cycle. Keep reading to learn more!
A type of integrative medicine, massage therapy involves a certified massage therapist who manipulates the soft tissues of the body, including muscle, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, and skin. By using varying degrees of pressure and movement, the massage therapist can induce pain relief for health conditions or relaxation for overall well-being.
Massage service therapy offers numerous benefits for people seeking treatments for relaxation and health issues. According to the American Massage Therapy Association, some of the benefits of massage therapy include alleviating:
There is also limited evidence that massage service therapy can help improve various health conditions including, but not limited to dementia, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic headaches, post-surgical and burn recovery, fibromyalgia, and reducing the effects of chemotherapy and nausea.
There are a few ways that a medical massage differs from therapeutic—or “spa”—massages. One key difference is the technique used. Medical massage therapy incorporates many of the same techniques as therapeutic massage, but with more advanced modalities. In a spa massage setting, you might receive a general Swedish massage technique versus a more intense, localized technique in a clinical setting.
Another difference is the overall purpose of each type of massage service. General discomfort in an area usually responds well to a therapeutic session, whereas the goal of utilizing medical techniques is to produce permanent changes or to maintain the health of the body’s tissue. For example, long-distance runners might implement medical massage service into their holistic wellbeing plan to maintain their muscular strength and prevent injury.
Since medical massages happen in a clinical setting compared to a franchise spa practice, the medical massage therapist will have a more specific, targeted treatment plan for your visits versus making an appointment for relaxation at a spa whenever you want to.
Incorporating medical massage services to your holistic practice can provide a handful of benefits, including:
A medical massage practice provides a daily, hour to hour, diversity of conditions and patients treated. Since there are so many types of massage therapy techniques and solutions, this diversity helps to prevent therapist burnout. By adjusting their methods for each patient, the medical massage therapist can stay nimble and not get ergonomically stiff.
By offering another aspect of holistic wellbeing to your practice, you demonstrate a commitment to serving the overall wellness of your community. Adding an additional element of holistic healthcare means you can attract patients who are looking to find a massage therapist in their area and find your practice.
Due to the fact that massage therapists can treat a wide variety of ailments and conditions, your holistic practice can gain a bigger presence in your community. Some examples of where you can plug the massage therapist feature of your holistic practice—and thus gain referrals—include:
When massage therapists deliver treatments, medical billing processes ensure that they receive reimbursements for their care. While medical billing is an integral function of the reimbursement process, it can be very complex; the slightest error can delay payments for weeks, if not longer. Ensuring the most accurate medical billing allows medical therapists more time to spend doing what they love: delivering care to their patients.
When hiring a massage therapist, let your patients know about it and post an announcement in your reception room. You’ll find that the word-of-mouth of your patients is a great referral source! There are massage schools in most major markets, plus you can post a job notice on the school bulletin board or in their newsletter.
Wherever your holistic practice is based, there are probably a handful of massage franchises in your area that you’ll have to compete with when you include massage therapy as part of your services offered. Competition in any market is normal and to be expected; you can distinguish your practice from those chain operations by delivering quality services and educating your patients on the difference between so-called spa massages and medical massage therapy.
While massage therapy has traditionally been a cash-based treatment in the United States, there is a growing trend toward practices accepting insurance. Expanding your business model by adding insurance billing for massage can increase your revenue while protecting your business from economic downturns.
Balancing your practice’s insurance enrollments, billing, and coding while delivering care to your patients can be overwhelming, but outsourcing your massage therapy insurance billing can save you time, energy, and streamline your revenue cycle management!
At Holistic Billing Services, we’ve helped thousands of practitioners and owners expand their practices by adding insurance billing for massage therapy. With an expert partner by your side, you can focus more on treating patients to help your practice grow rather than worrying about insurance billing. To learn more about our massage therapy billing services, talk to one of our billing and coding experts today.
At Holbie, we offer complete and innovative Holistic Billing Services for acupuncture, massage therapy, and chiropractic providers.
At Holbie, we offer complete and innovative Holistic Billing Services for acupuncture, massage therapy, and chiropractic providers.
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