Across the country, a growing number of insurance companies and physicians now recognize the value of massage therapists in the pursuit of health and wellness for their clients and patients. Many physicians refer patients to massage therapists and many insurance companies happily cover massage therapy.
At BBI, we appreciate the value of massage therapists and help them get the massage liability insurance they need. We have also put together this list of ways that massage therapists can increase their visibility in the healthcare and wellness industries.
Learn to bill insurance companies and begin taking on clientele whose bill will be covered by insurance. Billing insurance companies can be intimidating, but once you learn, it will widen your reach.
Keep careful and thorough records and charts. If you do so, you will have data to show the effect of massage on your clients. When you have clients who come to you through physician referrals, this will allow you to show the physician their progress.
Become active in your community. Know and network with business leaders in your city and county. You can become involved by sending marketing materials to local businesses and suggesting that they refer their employees to you.
The Harvard Business Review argued that corporate wellness programs have the biggest potential for change in the country because corporations are microcosms of larger communities. “Thanks to their reach and influence on employees, workplaces have a unique power to reframe the mindset around health itself—from one of sickness to wellness.”
Find allies in the medical profession. Through sending letters, attending healthcare fairs, and reaching out to physicians on professional networking sites like LinkedIn. When you reach out, it might help to pitch yourself as a professional seeking to help them and offer them a resource rather than someone who is just seeking to find new clients.
Keep up with what former instructors, classmates and coworkers do to prove the value of their profession to doctors, local businesses, and insurance companies.
As you build your professional image with doctors, businesses, and insurance companies, you will be doing good for the massage profession, and you deserve that recognition. So carry on!
