Jan 28, 2014 - MAD
Feb 13, 2014 - MAD
Olympia Capitol Building
(scroll down for details) 
|
|
____________________________
|
Mar 15, 2014 - Annual Membership Meeting, Officer & HOD Elections @ The Golf Club at Echo Falls, Snohomish
|
|
____________________________
|
May 1-3, 2014 - Chapter Convention @ Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center
|
website sign in instructions have been sent to all chapter members
|
All AMTA Washington Chapter members have been sent an e-mail with website Sign In instructions. The mailbox which we sent this message to, is the e-mail address you used when you registered at AMTA National.
Please check the mailbox you used for AMTA National registration. The message will originate from noreply@amta-wa.org
Check your junk or spam folder for the message, and make sure that the domain @amta-wa.org is an approved sender.
|
Massage Awareness Day is an opportunity to show our lawmakers what we do by letting them experience massage themselves. LMPs volunteer a day to come to Olympia and do massage. Once again, it is a very important year for us to have a strong presence in Olympia.  Click here to sign up for Jan. 28th MAD Click here to sign up for Feb. 13th MAD
|
Trivia Question #1
There are 365 days in a year. What number is Christmas day?
Trivia Question #2
What is the biggest selling Christmas single of all time?
Trivia Question #3
Lucy charges how much for her psychiatric service in the animation "A Charlie Brown Christmas"?
Trivia Question #4
Which country created eggnog?
Trivia Question #5
What river did General Washington cross on December 25, 1776?
(answers below)
|
Washington Massage Journal
|
Click here for the Fall 2013 edition of Washington Massage Journal Choose from a digital or pdf version at the above link. (member sign in required) 
|
- 359
- "White Christmas"
- 5 cents
- England
- The Delaware River
|
below are photos from WSMT
Seattle Marathon
12/1/13
|
below are photos from
WSMT
Oktoberfest Marathon
Leavenworth
10/5/13
|
|
WSMT photo credit & special thanks to Steve Wooding
|
|
 |
|
e-news
keeping amta-wa members connected & informed
|
Greetings!
Welcome to the latest edition of e-news - the monthly newsletter from AMTA Washington. In each issue we keep you up to date on the latest industry news and AMTA Chapter events. We hope you enjoy our newsletter and feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.
Sincerely,
AMTA Washington Chapter
|
|
|
|
Happy Holidays from AMTA-WA!
 Your AMTA-WA Chapter Board of Directors (CBOD) works hard every day to uphold the mission of AMTA and AMTA-WA, to ensure the congruence between decisions and the core values of the organization. Your CBOD is continuously engaged in strategic thinking to hone the organizations direction. The Board works from a culture of inquiry, mutual respect and constructive debate. They are results oriented. They measure the organization's progress towards mission and evaluate performance of major programs and services. They engage efficiency, effectiveness, and impact and calculate return on investment. They are all volunteers and, above all else, they give to this organization and to you the gift of their passion, intelligence, thoughtfulness and love of the massage profession.  2014 will bring in many new changes for AMTA-WA. The biggest change will be in the cost to you of joining AMTA. In the past, to join/renew your AMTA membership it cost $235 plus $30 Chapter fee. The AMTA National Board of Directors voted to make the Chapter fee optional when joining or renewing on or after January 1 2014. The Chapter fee has been VERY important to the ability of AMTA-WA to do all that we do for you and the massage profession in WA. Many years ago, AMTA-WA members voted to charge themselves a Chapter fee of $30 and they voted on how they wanted AMTA-WA to spend that money. Every two years since then, AMTA-WA members have voted to maintain that Chapter fee. We have always spent the money according to the wishes of our members. It is my sincere hope that you will continue to see the value of all that AMTA-WA has done and will continue to do long into the future, to promote AMTA members, LMPs in WA and the massage profession as a whole. I hope that you will continue to want to invest in and support your Washington Chapter at a level that is significant to you. Investments can be made in any dollar amount and at any time during the year on the AMTA national website. More information about this will be available on the AMTA National website and in the next Washington Massage Journal. In the first quarter of 2014 make sure to keep an eye out in your inbox for the AMTA-WA Life and Times. This is a report of all of the AMTA-WA activities, programs and accomplishments for 2013 in an easy to read format. Also, just after the first of the year watch for information about the AMTA -WA Annual Meeting (March 15, 2014) and the Annual Chapter Convention (May 1-3 2014).  | | Fall Leadership Retreat 2013 |
On behalf of the AMTA-WA Board of Directors, Program Directors, Delegates and other volunteer leaders, this is our wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays! -- D.M. Dellinger Happy Holidays from AMTA-WA and me. Marybeth Berney AMTA-WA President
|
|
|
|
Wow, 134 Shoulder Comment Submissions!
(Thanks to Dari Lewis for initiating action & all who wrote!)
Dear Ms. Berney and members of the WA Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association:
 The Department of Labor and Industries appreciates your review of and comments on the Shoulder Conditions Diagnosis and Treatment Guideline. The 134 massage practitioners who submitted comments are obviously very committed to their profession. We appreciate the time it took to write and submit these letters. The public comments and responses to them will be published on our website. I thought this might be another good way to get the word out to your members.
The Industrial Insurance Medical Advisory Committee recently met on October 24 and discussed the public comments on the updated shoulder guideline. We read with interest the numerous comments from the massage therapy community. Many members of the committee have expressed anecdotal stories of patients who have indeed improved from massage therapy when addressing shoulder conditions.
To be clear, as the guideline stands, massage therapy may still be part of an injured worker's treatment plan if deemed appropriate by the attending provider. "Conservative care" may include, among others, physical therapy, chiropractic or massage. We did not, however, find strong enough evidence in the literature to support the mandated use of massage therapy for a specific shoulder condition. The letters listed a number of articles to support the use of massage therapy, but of the articles suggested, only one is listed in PubMed, suggestive of a peer-reviewed article. And in that article there were only 29 patients (with various musculoskeletal conditions including back, neck and limbs); too small and varied a patient population to warrant changing our guideline.
Another provider advisory group, the Industrial Insurance Chiropractic Advisory Committee (IICAC) has also noted the comments of the massage therapy community. The IICAC has developed a comprehensive resource on conservative care options for work-related shoulder conditions (attached). Included in the review of literature is soft tissue techniques, i.e. massage. The IICAC will be doing a re-review of this practice resource in early 2014, and your concerns have been forwarded to them for consideration in this review.
The department and the committee thank you for taking the time to participate in our guideline process. We look forward to continuing to work with you.
Sincerely,
Teresa Cooper, MN, MPH, RN
Occupational Nurse Consultant
Department of Labor and Industries
PO Box 44321
Olympia, WA 98504-4321
|
|
|
|
legal advocacy
from John Conniff, PLLC
(partial repeat from Oct. e-news)
IMPORTANT NOTE for all WA LMPs:
We will have Attorney John Conniff presenting at the AMTA-WA Annual Meeting on March 15, 2014. Topic will be, "HIPPA Compliance for LMPs." He will also be presenting at our Chapter Convention in Tacoma, May 1-3, 2014.
 Because I am discovering that HIPAA compliance is abysmal, I have posted a free "risk assessment" on my Healthy Patients site to raise awareness of the legal exposure and give practitioners a sense of their legal obligations.
I recommend that you distribute the link and advise practitioners to find out how they measure up. I am finding that many practitioners have not adopted the HIPAA policies and procedures upon which the notice of privacy practices rest; have never conducted the mandatory risk assessment; and have never obtained any training on the HIPAA privacy requirements - hence the abysmal compliance. Those who have actually done any of these things and documented their compliance as required by law last reviewed their compliance many years ago - so much for the "annual review."
Healthy Patients HIPAA Risk Survey
Apart from the survey, practitioners should at least READ the free material posted on the HIPAA page and decide if they need help before it's too late.
Just ask the Gig Harbor psychologist who lost his license after a prostitute stole his laptop what he thinks of risk assessment now. Of course, that kind of problem may not be resolved with HIPAA compliance.
Best regards,
John S. Conniff, Attorney
Update to Federal Reform Rules (72 pages long)
Attached are proposed new federal reform rules issued 12.2.2013. The rules would somehow subsidize the new right to keep old 2013 coverage for 2014, modifies small group risk adjustment, and other changes.
|
|
|
news releases from DOH and L&I
 Attached is the CR 102 Notice of Rulemaking that that was filed November 14, 2013. The proposed rules amend WAC 246-12-010 (definitions) by defining who may place a health care credential in "military" status or "inactive military-related" status. The proposed rules also amend chapter 246-12 WAC, Part 4 by directing affected practitioners to chapter 246-12 WAC, Part 13. Chapter 246-12 WAC, Part 13, also created by the proposed rules, sets out the eligibility requirements for military status and inactive military-related status credentials; the process for obtaining and maintaining each; and how to return each to active status.
The public hearing will be held January 16, 2013 at the Department of Health, 111 Israel Road SE, Room 145, Tumwater, Washington at 1:30pm. If you are unable to attend you can provide written comments to:
Billie Jo Dale
111 Israel Road SE
PO Box 47852
Olympia, WA 98504-7852
Email: billiejo.dale@doh.wa.gov
Click here for the lastest news releases from DoH
|
|
|
AMTA Elects National Board
12/13/13
Congratulations to Glyn Desmond of Washington!
 The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) announces the results of its 2013 national election, conducted electronically among its Professional members. Jeff W. Smoot of Oklahoma was voted President-Elect. He will serve in that position from March 1, 2014 through February 28, 2015 when he will assume the position of President. On March 1, 2014 current President-Elect, Nancy Porambo of Pennsylvania, will become AMTA President. Kathie Lea (LA) and Dolly Wallace (MI) were elected Vice Presidents and will serve two-year terms beginning March 1, 2014.
Three Members-at-Large of the Board of Directors also were elected: John Lauren Combe(OR), Glyn Desmond (WA) and Joan Nichols (GA).
Suzie Lindberg (ID) Trisha M. Pennell (ID) and Becky Schwoebel (IL) were elected to the Commission on Candidacy and will coordinate the candidate search for the 2014 national AMTA election. A report on election results is available for AMTA members. Photos of those elected to the Board of Directors also soon will be available. The American Massage Therapy Association is the largest non-profit, professional association for massage therapists, massage students and massage schools. The association is directed by volunteer leadership elected by the membership and fosters ongoing, member involvement through its 51 chapters. AMTA works to advance the profession through ethics and standards, the promotion of fair and consistent licensing of massage therapists in all states, and public education on the benefits of massage. The association actively promotes its members to the public and potential employers. P.S.Thank you to all AMTA-WA members who voted! Click here for more info
|
|
|
|
|
