Massage referrals no longer required starting Monday

By GILLIAN SLADE on January 15, 2021.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade

A provincial requirement that anyone wanting a massage therapy appointment must first provide a referral letter is about to be lifted.

On Dec. 22 Alberta Health announced that under the COVID restrictions anyone making an appointment for a massage needed to first see one of the healthcare professionals designated for the referral.

Judi Coombes of Judi Coombes RMT says it dramatically affected the appointments that she had already booked. At that stage, just days before Christmas, it was extremely difficult for clients to get appointments for a referral letter.

“I had a dozen people cancel their appointments,” said Coombes.

Minister of Health Tyler Shandro announced on Thursday afternoon that a number of restrictions were being lifted effective Jan. 18. While Shandro specifically announced the reopening of hair salons he made no mention of the referral letter requirement for massage therapy.

A spokesperson for Alberta Health did confirm via email to the News, late on Thursday, that the referral letter requirement will be gone.

“That will no longer be required come Monday,” said Tom McMillan, assistant director communications, in an email.

That is welcome news for Brittany Boon-Marchand, massage therapist at Spoiled Rotten where the number of appointments dropped dramatically after the requirement was put in place.

“I’d say at least 90 per cent of my clients complain to me directly or reception about how much of a hassle it is to get a doctor’s note,” she said, noting that those without a family doctor found themselves paying at walk-in clinics for the referral note.

Coombes said she has heard of people who had to pay $10 and as much as $50 for a referral note.

McMillan says the referral requirement was put in place after concerns were expressed about not allowing massage therapy at all.

Regarding the fees for the referrals, McMillan says such visits were never covered under the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan and so have to be paid by the patient or their private insurance.

Coombes says the timing of this requirement affected the opportunity for clients to use private health-care benefits for massage that are often allocated per calendar year. Those who could not get an appointment for a referral over Christmas lost out on a health-care benefit that would otherwise have been covered.

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