Massage as a Cash Profit Center
Insurance benefits can be incredibly restrictive when it comes to massage therapy. Payer policies dictate what services are considered medically necessary, who can perform the service and the maximum benefit amount per year. This leaves practice owners with a big decision to make—is it better to play the insurance game and take whatever you can get or make massage a cash service? The opportunities are endless, so the choice is yours!
The saying goes, “Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket,” and that statement could not be any more accurate than for a chiropractic office. Being completely reliant on a single stream of income from insurance payments is a dangerous trap. Insurance payments can be sparse in the winter months as claims are going to patient deductibles. Another issue is the Jack/Jill-of-all-trades doctor who is the chiropractor/ acupuncturist/ massage therapist/ sports therapist… you get the idea. In an office like that, there is no time for the doctor to take a vacation, let alone get sick or injured. When the success of the practice relies on a single person, the office is limited in the number of patients that can safely be seen. This can affect the financial potential of the practice as well.
By offering massage as an adjunct cash service that is not tied to the patient’s chiropractic treatment plan allows the office more flexibility by:
Deciding to make massage a cash service has major implications from tax, legal, and compliance perspectives. Talk to a tax consultant, healthcare attorney, and/or a compliance specialist to determine if this option is the best one for you and to learn how to implement it properly.