Inviting all HTPA Active Members to attend the 

June 21, 2012, 9pm Eastern 

As we soar to new heights, we are working on new benefits to bring you. Using the Member Surveys we conduct yearly, we establish goals for expanding your member benefits. We hear your requests and keep working to find ways to bring those requests to you.

You will find updates on our progress in this newsletter each quarter.  

If you have new benefit requests please send them to [email protected].

Keep us informed if you have news that you would like us to share in the Newsletter - we would love to do that! Let us know how you like this new format and please understand that this is a work in progress so you will be seeing various changes in the format as we learn how best to deliver the information. Again, we are always open for your suggestions - send them along any time

FAQs Gleaned from our Monthly Chats

It has been our desire to transcribe the monthly Chats about HT Practice and bring them to you as a help to learn what your peers are finding out about what practice techniques have benefited their patients and clients for specific conditions. It is a time consuming task and has been on our "to do" list for some time. Recently we have been offered help to achieve this goal from our HTPA member - Bethlyn Gerard, HTCP. Bethlyn is a whiz at transcription and we expect she will have us establishing the FAQ pages on our HTPA website before the next Quarterly Newsletter - keep a lookout.

Members Making News

In future newsletters you will see this header. We do currently have Members Making News on our HTPA website, and we will be bringing you the latest of those entries each quarter. If you know of a member who should be included in this report please send that information on to us and we will gladly post it.

 Group Health Insurance Update

Yes, this is a popular request and we continue to look for providers. This past year we needed to focus on a change in our Liability Insurance carrier (see Liability Insurance Update below) so it took our effort off this benefit. But we are back at it and will keep you posted on our progress. If you have any leads please send them to us or call the office (210) 497-5529 with your referral.

Opportunities for Active Participation

In answer to many requests for announcements of activities that exist for member's to participate in providing HT service, we are in the process of compiling information about one time and on-going activities that you can tap into. In some instances these will be opportunities that exist away from your local area so we will also be bringing you information on opportunities to participate in various "voluntourism" projects (these involve the combination of volunteering and vacation). We will have this information posted on our HTPA Community Connections site as well so you can look there for up-to-date listings.

Listing of Local HTPA Chapters

With the launch of our HTPA Community Connections, we have embarked on establishing Local HTPA Chapters. This offering has been met with great enthusiasm (see the Community Connections Featured Project article below). In the near future we will be including the growing list of those Chapters so you can join in; network; have fun with them; expand and add strength to your Community.   

Links to Other Professional Organizations

HTPA has aligned with many other organizations that have high professional standards like we do. Now that we have established long-standing relationships and trust the sources of their information, we have decided to approach several of these organizations and ask if we can link you (through our Quarterly News) to their websites and newsletters so you can easily benefit from their informative articles and news. We are in the process of establishing those links now. Watch for this new offering in our next Newsletter. If you know of an organization that you think we should align with; please send your suggestion(s) to Sharon at [email protected].   

The Scoop on "Why We Do It" and "What We Get Out of It"

Interview with Melinda Chichester, HTCP and Dawn Warnaca, HTCP/I

Tuesday June 12, 2012, 9pm Eastern 

Melinda Chichester

Just exactly what drives us to "be of service" remains a mystery, like the burning question "why are we here?" But the drive definitely does exist, and in many cases guilt for not doing enough or not serving in a bigger way comes right along with it.

Our June live interview will bring us personal insights from Melinda and Dawn. They both LOVE to volunteer for very different reasons. Each will share why they are driven to do so and tell us what they get out of it.

Dawn Warnaca

HTPA is busy launching Community Connections - the avenue through which we intend to offer and support unlimited opportunities for giving service, expanding Community and actively being involved in local volunteer activities such as Healing Touch for the Military, their families and for under-served populations such as the elderly, homeless and the poor. Our Volunteer Bank is accepting applications.  Click here to fill out your application.

Both Melinda and Dawn are volunteers with Community Connections so we will explore their experience and be open for any questions you might have about their service and about how you too can be involved. If you pine to be of service but don't know how to get started, have fears about setting boundaries or feel you just don't have enough time, join us for this call and you just might find the inspiration to clear the way and get actively participating to solve your innate desire to give back. Registration is necessary - for more information or to register, click here.

We are happy to announce changes to our Healing Touch Professional Association Liability Insurance Program that bring more benefits to our subscribers.

As of April 2012, we have a new insurance carrier, Philadelphia Insurance Companies. They have been in operation since 1962 and A.M. Best Company has assigned Philadelphia Insurance an A++ (Superior) rating. A.M. Best issues financial-strength ratings measuring an insurance company's ability to pay claims

The good news, for you and us, is that we were able to expand our HTPA Insurance Program to now include Alaska. Another plus is that this is an annual policy that renews every year on April 1st so your premium is prorated based on the month you enroll. Coverage renews for a full year each April 1st. What hasn't changed is that coverage for a practitioner that is a member of HTPA is under $12 per month.

Healing Touch Program and HTPA believe that all students, volunteers, practitioners and instructors need to carry Professional Liability Insurance for their practice.

Bottom line - when you have Professional and General Liability Insurance you are free to provide your services, teach, make recommendations, volunteer whenever/wherever knowing that you and your interests are protected. Click here to learn more.

Getting Active in Your Community - Local HTPA Chapters  

In response to member's requests for help to establish more Healing Touch presence in local communities, HTPA's Community Connections is providing support to all who would like to establish an HTPA Local Chapter.

We will assist you in gathering information about other HTPA members in your area so you can get together to create a variety of activities based on your individual ideas.

For a full description of why HTPA is supporting the development of Local Chapters and some of the potential activities the Chapters can provide, visit the Community Connections Local Chapters Purpose & Vision. 

Please send an email to [email protected]  if you are interested in forming a Local HTPA Chapter.

NO Time to Volunteer? There's an alternative for YOU:

You can help bring Healing Touch Volunteer Services worldwide by donating to the HTWF Fund for HTPA.

Contributions to the HTWF Fund for HTPA, enables HTPA's Community Connections to expand opportunities for active participation in Special Interest Projects like Disaster Preparedness Training and Disaster Response. With these funds HTPA will be able to help send Disaster Relief prepared HT practitioners to local, national and worldwide disaster events.  

Contributions also support our on-going efforts to offer Healing Touch Service to the Military and their families.

We Provide Volunteer Service to Local and Worldwide Communities

Donations to the HTWF Fund for HTPA are tax deductible, as allowed by law. It is now possible to set up an automatic monthly donation. If you don't have time to volunteer this is a great way to help spread Healing Touch Service.

Click here to learn more about the Fund.   

Is 3rd Party Reimbursement on the Way Out?

This is a continuation of the Column piece in the May/June 2012 Energy Magazine. 

What a great discussion topic! We have heard from practitioners who have had clients that used Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flex Accounts to pay for their treatments.

Each state has its own criteria for use of HSA monies. One story out of Georgia is that a client was able to pay for all sessions in the year, which amounted to $1,000, without a problem. We have also heard from another HT practitioner in PA that has a client who has gotten HT sessions paid for the past year that amounted to approx. $2,600. And another in Colorado whose clients have success in getting their submitted invoices paid. See the May/June 2012 Energy Magazine for the link to their sample invoices.

California has raised the limit for depositing to an HSA. You can use it for Wellness purposes too like installing a jacuzzi. We all should be educating our clients about the value of creating and contributing to their HSAs and Flex Accounts. It makes sense.

Our goal is to bring you the information you need as it unfolds - unfortunately right now insurance reimbursement is still a mystery. It seems every carrier, mixed with state regs, creates complexity. Through Voice for HOPE we are trying to correct this.

LATEST UPDATE

You will find the column we published about this topic in the May/June 2012 issue of Energy Magazine. With the article we have a link that gives you examples of invoices that other HT practitioners are using. After the column came out, we received an additional informational piece from an HT practitioner in NY - she included her invoice sample (look below for her experience recap).

These Savings Accounts are beginning to get very popular and all reports we've received are positive in regards to Healing Touch being a covered service. In other words, YES, invoices submitted to HSAs and Flex Accounts for Healing Touch sessions are being paid. To date, the most we know of that has been paid is $2,600 in one year. It may be higher, we just have not been made aware of anyone who has submitted higher - yet. Please inform us if you have information on this topic. We will share it with the Membership.

Here is information sent to us by Susan Romeo, MS, RN, HTCP, Central New York Healing Touch, www.cnyhealingtouch.com.

I am writing in response to the piece on FSA/HSA accounts May/June 2012 Energy Magazine™, page 15. I have used the FSA personally for years. With insurance changes this year, I now have an HSA instead.

I have several patients who regularly submit statements for reimbursement. For FSA reimbursement as a patient myself, I was first required to have a statement from my primary care clinician stating that services such as integrated therapies and the nutraceuticals I used were required for my health. With that on file, the FSA managing company then allowed for reimbursement.

For patients just getting started on this, I have a form letter that I give them. Sometimes if the computer is open, I will simply enter their information and print them out a copy ready to go. Click here to download the customizable form template. I write for the term of the latter to be remainder of lifetime so that it does not have to be repeated for each tax year. Although if one changes companies, it will have to be repeated.

As a former NP in the primary care trenches, completing forms and paperwork takes terrible amounts of time away from patient care, so I advise bringing paperwork prepared and ready for a signature. The office staff can photocopy once done to keep on record and it is ready to take home to be mailed or faxed.

I also keep a folder on my computer of all the patients who file for reimbursement under FSA accounts. I keep a running account of their visits and payments with account balance and give them a copy, some want it after each visit, others once a month.

Watch for Susan's complete communication in the Sept/Oct 2012 issue of Energy Magazine.

     August 2 - 5, 2012  

Visit the conference website for more information