Important message to Massage Therapists
Payments issued on May 19, 2010 include adjustments to message therapist fees retroactive to April 1, 2009. Both regular payments and retroactive adjustments may be included on the same cheque. If you have an @WCB Online Services account, you can look up your payment details. If you do not have an account, register for an @WCB Online Services account now.
Before you can provide massage therapy services to WCB clients and bill the WCB directly for those services, you must meet all the following criteria:
- Be accredited by both the Massage Therapy Association of Saskatchewan (MTAS) and the WCB.
- Have a referral from a licensed practitioner (physician, chiropractor or physical therapist) that identifies the goals and objectives of the injured worker's treatment.
- Confirm the worker is receiving concurrent active treatment from a chiropractor or physical therapist.
- Have a written authorization to treat from the worker's WCB representative.
Accreditation
Authorization to treat
Treatment and Services
Reporting
WCB Standards and Requirements
Billing
Payments
Accreditation
To apply for accreditation with the WCB:
- Read the Practice Standards for Massage Therapy Service Providers.
- Complete, print and sign the Accreditation Request form.
- Attach evidence of your educational credentials.
- Attach evidence of current registration with the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan (MTAS) to practice in Saskatchewan.
- Mail this information to the WCB's Health Care Services department at address on the form.
note: The WCB can not process incomplete applications.
The WCB's Health Care Services department will review your application after receiving it. You will be notified by mail if your accreditation request was accepted or not. If accepted, the WCB will add your name to the WCB's Approved Providers List and will mail your WCB billing number to you.
Your accreditation is non-transferable; you can only bill for services from clinics you listed on your application. If you want to add a clinic to your portfolio, submit a separate accreditation request for that clinic before you begin treating clients there
Authorization to Treat
Authorization to treat an injured worker is obtained on a file-by-file basis. Do not rely on clients' belief they have prior approval for treatment.
First, the injured worker's primary care provider (physician, chiropractor, or physical therapist) must provide a written referral to include massage therapy treatment. The referral will identify the goals and objectives for massage therapy.
Next, Massage therapists must include this referral, along with a completed
Primary Authorization to Treat (MCARE) form to the client's WCB representative before any treatment begins. If treatment is approved, the WCB representative will sign the form and fax it back to the massage therapist.
Note: If you don't receive approval before treatment, any services you provide may not be paid for by the WCB.
Treatment and Services
The WCB limits the number of massage therapy treatments to five sessions per claim. Payment for additional massage therapy treatments will not be reimbursed by the WCB.
If the injured worker's recovery does not progress, contact the worker's primary care provider who can request
advanced assessment and treatment, or
expedited appointments, if required. See also
Disability Duration Guidelines.
Return to work should generally be part of each worker's treatment plan. For more information, see our
Recovery and Return to Work brochure.
Reporting to the WCB
Under provincial legislation, care providers do not require a signed release from an injured worker in order to provide medical information to the WCB.
Massage therapists report to the WCB using the following TX coded forms that provide information about treatment, functional recovery, and response to treatment:
Information about the worker's functional ability may be given to the employer so a return-to-work plan can be created.
The WCB is committed to investigating any reports of suspected fraud. To learn more, visit our
Fraud & Abuse page.
WCB Standards and Requirements
When treating WCB clients, health care providers assume
certain roles and responsibilities.
The WCB relies on all health care providers to ensure that:
- all workplace injuries requiring medical aid are promptly.
- all treatment is necessary and consistent with established agreements.
- all invoices accurately reflect the services provided.
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When treating WCB clients, you should:
- Know the guidelines listed in Practice Standards for Massage Therapy Service Providers, as well as WCB Billing and Reporting requirements.
- Get approval before treating WCB clients on a file-by-file basis.
- Follow the practice standards and fee schedule created for massage therapists.
- Show ethical practice standards on a day-to-day basis. This includes informing any potential WCB client of business relationships you may have with their employer, so the worker can decide whether they want to choose you as a care provider.
- Avoid mentioning in either your clinic's advertisements or personal advertisements that you treat WCB clients or you are affiliated with the WCB in any way.
To ensre that Practice Standards for Massage Therapists are being followed, WCB may conduct compliance surveys. You will receive a notice from WCB at least 2 weeks before you, your clinic, or your treatment centre receives its compliance survey so you can review the
survey form and
guidelines. (It will take about 1.5 hours for you to complete the survey.)
Billing
Directly bill the WCB for approved services provided to WCB clients. Do not bill the worker, employer or other insurance plans for amounts in excess of the Massage Therapist fee schedule. (Note: The WCB will not pay for treatment given before your accreditation date or for treatment provided at a clinic not listed on your accreditation form.)
To submit your bills:
- Retain your daily record of the services you provide to our clients in case an audit is required;
- Summarize all services provided during the billing period using the Therapist's Billing (THER) form. Fill in all fields listed in the form and submit it to the WCB. Incomplete invoices will be returned to you to complete and resubmit for payment.
- If you prefer to use a different format, make sure to include all the information requested on the sample form.
- You can make adjustments to previous billing periods using the THER form. See sample adjustment.
If a claim is subsequently denied following approval for treatment, the WCB will only pay for approved treatment given to date of notice of termination. The WCB will also pay reporting fees to date of the termination notice.
Payments
Each week, the WCB issues payment to caregivers and provides vouchers explaining those payments. The vouchers may include
explanatory codes to provide detail regarding specific services.
If you wish to receive your payments faster, sign up for Direct Deposit. Instead of waiting for a cheque to arrive in the mail, the WCB will deposit your payment directly into your bank account. If you work at more than one clinic, you can have payments from each clinic deposited into a different bank account; just fill out a Direct Deposit application for each clinic you work at.
To sign up, fill out this
Direct Deposit application and submit it to the WCB.
If you want to track your business transactions online, register for a
secure @WCB e-business account today. (Read the disclaimer, check the box at the bottom and click "I agree". Provide your email address and a security password.) Once your @WCB account is approved, you can:
- view payment history
- view file information about clients the WCB has referred to you
- update treatment lists
- report an injury
- report injury progress
- review forms you have submitted and
- give your billing clerk, accountant or others access to your account.
Clinics may also apply for @WCB secure access to:
- view Voucher Details
- download Voucher Details
- search for cheque information
