The Washington State Massage Therapy Association (WSMTA) is conducting a Medical Insurance Survey to determine if they are maintaining an accurate provider directory of contracted, active licensed massage therapists in our state. This directory must be updated monthly and certified with the OIC that it is current and accurate in accordance with WA state law. This directory is also the foundation to know if there are enough credentialed massage therapists with current, signed contracts in each region of our state with each medical insurer. 

With the input of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC), the WSMTA is going to conduct a survey in November to check the accuracy of these directories. We need volunteers to help. There will be a brief training the first week of November via Zoom, volunteers will be given the entire month of November and part of December to call as many practitioners listed in the directories as they are able and they will document the accuracy of the information. The more volunteers we have, the more practitioners we can call, the more regions we can cover and a more accurate accounting will be gained. You will not need to travel to volunteer. Training will be done via Zoom. You will need a phone, computer and internet connection to participate in the project. Calls can be made in your free time. The project has a hard deadline in mid-December when your time will no longer be needed. You do not need to be a massage therapist to volunteer. If you know of anyone that may be interested in helping – clients, friends of massage therapy, retired parents, they are welcome as well. 

To volunteer or for more information, please contact Julie Johnson at jjohnson@myWSMTA.org with the subject “Volunteer for WSMTA Insurance Audit”.

If you are unable to volunteer for this project, you can still be an active participant in our efforts with medical insurance companies. 

-  Make sure your information in the Provider Directories is accurate and get it updated if necessary. 

-  Canceling your contract? This must be in writing and tell them WHY. If you do not cancel in writing, you are still considered a contracted provider.

-  Unhappy with your agreement, communicate and negotiate. Assume they need YOU. Don’t give up!

-  Unhappy Clients/Patients, tell them why you’ve stopped accepting the insurance or are no longer accepting new patients. Encourage them to contact their insurer. If they are experiencing a delay in their care or are unable to find a practitioner in their area, they should contact the OIC.  The OIC is there to advocate for the insurance consumer - not the practitioner -  not us. Until patients complain about their inability to get access to massage services, nothing will change. YOU need to explain this to them and ask them to act. They can also volunteer for our insurance survey. Have them contact Julie Johnson at jjohnson@myWSMTA.org. . 

-  Go forth and share this with all WA Massage Therapists!

Jane Brooks wrote an excellent article on Insurance Network Adequacy which inspired this insurance survey effort. 

For more information, visit WSMTA and our Clinical Practices Committee page.