The Importance of Establishing Licensure for Massage Therapists in Minnesota

Patients and clients of massage therapists seek care for reasons ranging from general well-being and stress relief to help with a variety of medical conditions – most often pain, injury recovery and headaches.

In recent consumer surveys reported by the American Massage Therapy Association, between 19 and 24% of adult Americans received at least one massage in 2016-17 and, of those, 43% reported receiving massage for medical or health reasons – especially pain management – and 18% had discussed massage therapy with their doctors or other healthcare providers.

Massage therapy is increasingly recognized within conventional medicine as an important care component due to the wide range of health benefits. This is described by Mayo Clinic physician Brent Bauer, MD, in this Massage is Good Medicine video message. Massage therapy is recommended as a first-line treatment for back pain, according to the 2017 Clinical Practice Guideline published by the American College of Physicians. In its standards for hospitals and other accredited healthcare organizations, the Joint Commission recommends massage as one of several nonpharmacologic modalities for pain management.

Licensure will potentially lead to expanded public program and private insurance plan coverage for massage and bodywork therapy as a result of further recognition of the health benefits associated with this service. This would be advantageous to primary care clinics, hospitals and health systems who desire to include massage and bodywork therapy services for the benefit of patients they serve.

To illustrate this point, beginning in 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will provide insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans with the option of including therapeutic massage as a supplemental benefit. And, in a 2017 letter to the President and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans, 37 State Attorneys General encouraged coverage for alternatives to opioids in the treatment of pain—including massage therapy.

State licensure is an important step for the recognition and inclusion of massage therapies more broadly in Minnesota’s healthcare delivery system. Like all other licensed health professions, there is a compelling need to standardize regulations for the practice of massage therapy which is currently left to local jurisdictions rather than a state agency.

Licensure will provide added assurance to consumers that their therapist has the qualifications and professional credentials necessary to practice and that there is a single state agency with the necessary resources to investigate and adjudicate patient complaints. In the case of pending legislation here in Minnesota, that responsibility would fall with the Board of Nursing which supports and is committed to serving in this regulatory role – and can function through a single fee structure and with minimal financial impact on providers.

Bringing massage therapists into the company of other licensed professionals may also lead to their recognition and inclusion in innovative care delivery programs – particularly new clinical initiatives designed to address pain management – and increase the likelihood of financial support from government and private funding sources.

Massage therapy licensure will also help to strengthen and support local municipalities in state-wide efforts to control and eliminate human trafficking by shifting primary responsibility for provider credentialing, complaint investigation and, when necessary, sanctioning and licensure revocation to a state agency that serves the same role with regard to other healthcare professionals.