Workcover changes & Dealing with insurance companys

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I'm not sure how many of you are aware of the changes to the work cover laws but as of 1st July 2003, remedial massage therapists are now required to become registered with them. This involves having a medibank private provider number and completing a 1 day outcomes training course. They will then provide you with a Workcover approval number. The reason for requiring a medibank private provider number is that workcover have the same criteria for providers as medibank. If anyone is looking for more information about the workcover changes contact me by email.

Now here is my problem.... I graduted at the end of 2002 with a Diploma of health science (massage therapy) through TAFE. I am a Senior Level One member of the AMT, have a First Aid Certificate and $1million insurance. The criteria states you have to be a minimum Senior Level two member. What more do I need to do to become a level 2 member? The only thing I can think of is as I am a recent graduate I possibly don't have enough experience in the field.

Also I am interested in completing some kind of course or workshop to refresh our skills on report writing and massage therapy plans so we can better comunicate with insurance companies. I would really like to make sure I am doing everything right when it comes to Insurance companies because I know they can be very difficult to deal with. If anyone knows of any please let me know Thank you Melissa Malone

-- Melissa Malone (meljae2@hotmail.com), August 01, 2003

Answers

There are a couple of points here that need to be clarified: 1) members DO NOT need a Medibank Provider number to obtain WorkCover registration BUT do need to meet those same requirements that Medibank Private have for registration. 2) details about WorkCover will be published in the next edition of our newsletter - due out early September. 3) Members do not need to be SL2 to obtain Medibank registration but DO need to have at least 12 months clinical experience and meet the educational requirements - which the TAFE Diploma does.

-- Geof Naughton (massage@amtnsw.asn.au), August 03, 2003.

I am in a similar position as Melissa. I finished a Dip Remedial Massage (Cert III) from ACNT in June 2002. Whilst completing the Cert III we were informed that the govt. would no longer accept Cert III for clients wishing to receive rebates from their health funds. ACNT organised an "emergency 2 day workshop to upgrade people to a Cert IV level. As ACNT labelled this as a professional course I assumed I was ready for the working world (including worker's comp cases). I have studied Sports Science at Uni which included injuries and pathology + have completed the Dip Sports Injury Therapies but still do not meet the training hours for Medibank Private. Now my worker's comp cases (some of which I was having great success with) will now pay me $11/ hour (I pay rent for my room from a physio). I could probably earn more at McDonalds! Was there any negotiations with Workcover on the matter? If the Govt informed the Teacher's Federation that they were getting sudden paycuts, there would be protests outside Govt. house. I realise that Workcover are standardising the Massage cases for Worker's Comp as they have done with physio's etc... in the past but the swift changes has not prepared us to deal with the income cuts. Does Workcover not look on professional massage associations with respect?

-- Tim Stratford (tstrata75@hotmail.com), August 06, 2003.

Ok I understand where I am lacking but what is classified as 12 months clinical experience? As you may know Geof the TAFE diploma is 2 years, after the first year we can be insured to practice as Swedish massage therapists. During this year I worked for myself as a swedish massage therapist. I also did plenty of voluntary work to gain extra experience, including an A-grade rugby league team. Is this included as clinical experience? or does it all have to be post grad? I know if I have to wait the 12 months from after I finished studying it will only be just over 2 months but during after time I still have to complete paper work and wait for an available workcover course, I could be out marketing to doctors and being workcover accredited would be a great tool.

-- Melissa Malone (meljae2@hotmail.com), August 22, 2003.

AMT understands that Medibank Private requires you to have been practicing as a Remedial massage therapist for at leaste the 12 months prior to the date you sign your application.

-- Geof Naughton (massage@amtnsw.asn.au), September 02, 2003.

Dont forget you also have to have continuing education. I agree that continued education is important and I intend to continue my own, my beef is that non of this information is told to students while they are learning their tools of the trade. I have recently completed my training through tafe. I started work for a sports physio practice which also deals in a high level of workers compensation. I would say that 40% of my clientel are Workers comp and yet I can only be paid $22.00 an hour for my work as I have not had the required 12months experience. What do I do, get paid minimum wages or turn clients away? At my recent graduation a guest speaker said dont be afraid to do Insurance work, he didn't mention the reports and the red tape. We are finally getting massage out in the public, many of my referrals come from physio's, doctors and even specialists but where is the incentive. I feel I probably could have coped better if I were earlier advised and therefore better prepared.

-- Christine Lloyd (Christhetherapist@bigpond.com), May 17, 2004.


Since I recognise at least three out of the four names in this discussion I will put in my two cents worth.

Melissa - we need to remember that we are dealing with three separate entities and their associated criteria:

*Medibank Private - has the highest criteria of all the health funds. You can get a list of their minimum educational and experience criteria directly from them or from the AMT head office

*Workcover NSW - adopted the same criteria as Medibank Private because of its high standard

*AMT membership levels One and Two grade members on their competency in educational and practical skills. All TAFE graduates automatically achieve Senior Level One. Graduates who have been awarded mainly A passes (or now Distinctions) are offered Senior Level Two membership

As Geof has already stated you do not need to become a Senior Level Two member for Medibank and Workcover acceptance. If you are interested in upgrading to Senior Level Two for your own satisfaction and as an acknowledgement for your continued professional development contact Head Office and they will advise you in what you have to do.

On the issue of some kind of workshop to refresh your skills in report writing - I am tempted to say ?read your notes?!!!. Alternately buy a good quality textbook (or go to the TAFE library) and read up the section on report writing - they often even have examples of reports that you can change to suit. I have not taken the Workcover training course but I think it would also assist you. I have often been tempted to run a Client file and Report writing workshop either through TAFE or the AMT but I know that the majority of students think they do not need to know it and the majority of graduates think that they know it all!!

Tim you are not really in a similar position to Melissa. She has done a course of approximately 1300 hours which, when broken down to the various modules, totally meets and surpasses the minimum criteria for both Medibank and Workcover. From what you have written here: *you have mentioned that you finished a Dip Remedial Massage - BUT directly after it in brackets is (Cert III). Unless I am mistaken this means that your College called it a Diploma (because they can call it whatever they like unless it is nationally accredited as a Diploma). The Cert III is probably its level for national accreditation

*your next sentence is that ?we were informed that the govt. would no longer accept Cert III for clients wishing to receive rebates from their health funds? . Here you have mixed up two concepts - health funds and training courses. The Government does not currently set the standards for the Health Funds and each Fund differs in its standards - see the AMT Newsletter and you will realise how confusing it is to follow what is going on with individual Health Funds. So each Fund is independent of each other and the Government.

What does the Government have to do with anything? The Federal Government spent a lot of time and effort in standardising education nationally so that if you do a course in NSW it will be recognised anywhere in Australia. They set levels of training so that everyone could recognise the standard of the awards gained. It goes something like this: *Certificate II people have minimum training and have to be supervised at all times *Certificate III people have a little more training but still have to be substantially supervised *Certificate IV people have still more training and can work by themselves without supervision. Industry and educational leaders took this to be the general Swedish Massage for relaxation level and this is reflected in course content *Diploma ? much higher training, with problem solving etc and the ability of limited supervision of others. Industry and educational leaders took this to be the Remedial level of training hence its title - Diploma of Remedial Massage

Tying the two together - the Government set the AQF (Australian Quality Framework) standards for each profession and the Health Funds decided what level was acceptable to them for rebates

Your College organised an ?emergency 2 day workshop to upgrade to a Cert IV level. The professional course label meant that you could work professionally by yourself rather than that you had been trained to do remedial work

I am not sure how the Heath Funds view a two-day emergency workshop as adequate upgrade from a person who needs to be supervised to a person who can work by themselves.

I am not sure of the status of your Dip Sports Injury Therapies i.e. is it a proper diploma or once again only called a diploma by the college. Have you actually applied to Medibank Private (or to AMT) to see where you are lacking??

It is obviously difficult to go down in income - hopefully you can quickly recognise where you need to upgrade your education. Does Workcover not look on professional massage associations with respect - well I think it does, which is why they have set a high standard so that we can take our place with other health professionals

Christine - come past TAFE and I will show you the overheads I showed your class in Principles of Massage - all about how the future in Massage Therapy is in insurance work, how you have to be responsible for assessment etc !!! Your course cannot teach you everything although modules such as Report Writing, Communications and writing Client Files in Clinical Practicum certainly do. Most students only focus on what they immediately need and unfortunately they do not need this information until they graduate and work in the industry. The 12 months experience is difficult - but look at what you have learned in 1 year! Just after you graduated you were course complete - a year later you are work ready - this is why the Funds insist on one year of remedial experience. What do I think you should do - get paid minimum wages and build up your client base so that by the time your wages go up you would have built up a reputation as a great remedial therapist.

Sam did say that you should not be afraid to do insurance work - and now you know why most people are afraid - the reports, the red tape --- and wait until you try and get some money out of the insurance companies!!

I agree with you that continuing education is important and if you look at some of the workshops AMT has provided they have been geared towards assessment etc. Unfortunately qualified massage therapists are somewhat like students - they are interest in hands on techniques that will give fantastic results without stressing the fingers. A few years ago I tried to put on a one-day workshop on ?back to basics? i.e. filling in client files, report writing, etc. We had to cancel it when there were only three participants a week before - either my reputation preceded me or everyone else thought that they were more than capable!

I have a suggestion for you - once you are a little more established why not come forward and help us with a workshop / forum / lecture to be put on for students and recent graduates of AMT. At least you will know that the ones that come are truly interested in learning and you will have the satisfaction of helping others achieve professional status.

Hope to see all three of you at the AMT Conference and other educational opportunities



-- Diana Glazer (dglazer@zip.com.au), May 22, 2004.


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