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March 22, 2006

The Thorny Issue Of Insurance

American Specialty Health (ASH), the nation's leading complementary health care organization, announced a new agreement with a seven-state alliance of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association licensees in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

I used to be a provider for ASH, but here in north Alabama, the only insurees that were covered by this insurance were some government workers and a handful of private industries. I became a preferred provider by agreeing to offer discounts to their clients so that no paperwork had to be filed. I was listed on their website so that their clients in my area could find me.

I got four clients from this referral system and tomes of paperwork from the company. I had to submit to site inspections, which checked for things that all good massage offices should have, such as a closed cabinet for sheets and a hand-washing station. I also had to provide proof of current licensure and insurance. It was a good experience but I got tired of filling my file cabinet with updated paperwork.

This model was probably the easiest for insurance companies who want their clients to have massage as a covered service. And the headaches of filing for reimbursement with proper billing codes was nonexistent. And I didn't have to wait for my money. However, I didn't like giving a 15% discount off of my services--I have my massage priced affordably in the first place, with costs built in for my overhead.

If this network had brought in more clients with injury related complaints I may have stayed with the network. But with such a low referral rate and two who utilized it for relaxation purposed, I found little motivation for staying as a provider.

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage+therapy bodywork health

Posted by linda at March 22, 2006 8:50 AM