By this time many of you have received information from Healthways and Medversant that you will need to communicate with them and your massage patients/clients through secure electronic means (all part of HIPAA compliance). Here at AMTA-WA we wanted to make sure that you have all the information you need to make a sound and wise choice for your business. Here is an excerpt of what AMTA-WA counsel, attorney John Conniff, has been hearing:

I am continuing to receive telephone calls at my law office from health care practitioners engaged in the re-credentialing process with Healthways being told and hard sold on purchasing HIPAA compliant services (Email) through Healthways vendors. Just to be clear, I understand that Healthways has advised network providers that future communications will only be electronic through HIPAA compliant email and that fax notification will end. However, many practitioners have already purchased HIPAA compliant accounts for this purpose. Furthermore, not every communication involves ePHI or similarly sensitive content and can be sent through "normal" Email.

Healthways/Medversant/ProMailSource must clearly communicate and clarify these requirements. For example, any of the following vendors used by providers satisfy HIPAA standards:

• Microsoft business Office 360
• Luxsci HIPAA Compliant Services [used by my law firm]
• Email Pros
• MD Office
• Safety Send

After the misleading communication by Healthways last week and the panic expressed by health care practitioners, I have been asked to create an alternative to the HIPAA Email "recommended" by Healthways. I have also asked Healthways to communicate to practitioners the method for demonstrating compliance through an account other than that sold by Healthways. Network practitioners must eventually be able to demonstrate HIPAA compliant Email sooner or later; so those who do have a HIPAA compliant Email account should contact their vendor for a statement as to how the account complies.

Please let AMTA-WA members know that Healthy Patients has changed their membership plans and AMTA-WA members can now sign up for a HIPAA "Email only" account for $15 per month that will give them compliant Email and a method for HIPAA compliant file and information sharing. 

Here is the link to the new plans: https://www.healthypatients.net/memberships/

As a massage practitioner, you never know what kind of people will lie on your table. Your favorite back routine might not work on someone unable to lie prone. The needs of a long-term client will inevitably change; requiring the massage practitioner to adapt the massage techniques as each client faces new injuries, health conditions, pregnancy or old age. New research may prove the efficacy of certain modalities over others. This is why it's important for all practitioners to learn well beyond our initial training.

New techniques can help us specialize as well as diversify. The more tools in your massage toolbox, the greater your ability and creativity to find the best way to help each and every client, and the knowledge of what kind of practitioner might be best suited to a client that stumps you. If you choose to specialize, there is always a next course to compliment your specialty. It can also be fun to explore something new and different to keep your routine refreshed.

This doesn't mean a practitioner needs to drop thousands of dollars on a two-week certification course. You can easily take a one or two-day workshop every year or two to meet the 8 hours of "direct supervised massage skills training" required continuing education to renew your license.

Need an idea where to start? Check the latest Washington Massage Journal sent to mailboxes in July, or click here to read online.