By Pete Whitridge
Hello everyone, Happy New Year! I imagine we’re all pleased to be closing the door on this past twelve months. May 2022 be the beginning of a time of healing and abundance for us all.
This past year saw some legal changes to our Massage Practice Act and the rules governing massage therapy that I’d like to share with you.
Massage to “Massage Therapy”
As of July 1, 2021, new statutory language was added to every section of the law and rules governing our profession. The word “therapy” has been added everywhere that the word “massage” was formerly used in Chapter 480 Massage Practice Act and Rule Chapter 64B7. Massage is now officially “massage therapy” (no news to us who have always known that massage is therapeutic!) You can download a copy Chapter 480 at this link:
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-
0499/0480/0480.html
Required classroom hours can be taken online again this renewal (2021-2023)
This BIG development allows you once again to take all of your continuing education hours by “distanced learning”. Like last renewal, you will be able to complete your 12 hours of required massagerelated learning in any format (in-person, online, recorded webinar, live zoom) IF the class is registered in the CEBroker system as “relevant to massage therapy practice”.
Reminder: Do not try to use GENERAL hours to fulfill your required MASSAGE RELEVANT classroom hours! General courses are often in areas supportive of your practice (eg. marketing, risk management, communication skills, infection control etc.) and don’t meet the criteria for being directly related to the actual hands-on practice of massage. As some of you unhappily found out during this past renewal period, you will be REQUIRED to take additional hours in the “relevant to massage” category to complete your renewal requirements.
Rules Workshop
With so many statutory changes approved by the Governor, the Board of Massage Therapy held a Rules Workshop in September and adopted new rules language to implement all new statutory language at the December 2021 Board meeting.
Important considerations as we go forward:
We are now required by statute and rule to assess each client guided by “health goals” and by using a “treatment plan”. We must document our treatments, maintain health records, and assess “patient(s)” for appropriate treatment.
Many of you already do this in your private practice and many franchise locations have some version of documentation and assessment. These statutory requirements and the new rules codify your responsibilities. Most of you are already assessing clients, at least informally, for suitability of treatment that day. You are gaining informed consent for treatment and you are documenting your progress with a medical record or SOAP notes.
The assessment and documentation rule changes are designed to modernize and update the massage practice act. They include:
(1) informing the patient of the nature of the proposed treatment, the benefits and risks of the treatment, and any contraindications…
(2) informing the patient of your education and experience in the relation to the massage treatment to be provided as a complementary or alternative healthcare treatment; and
(3) creating and maintaining a patient care record pursuant to 456.41.(4).
(Complementary or Alternative Healthcare Treatment)
There have been many discussions about assessment and documentation on various social media platforms. Rest assured; most of you are meeting the minimum requirements of the new rules. It would be helpful if you reviewed your intake process, how you determine appropriate treatment (assessment), whether you and the “patient” have a “health goal” and a “treatment plan”, and finally, are you keeping thorough enough records of your treatments? If you feel you can meet the requirements, great! If you need to improve your systems, go for it! Use this time to deepen your commitment to your work and the work of helping others.
I will continue to review and write about the new law changes and their effect on the practice of massage therapy. I’ll outline the changes and updates to the DEM requirements, Establishment Operations, various record-keeping requirements, and misconduct/negligence issues in future newsletters. I’ll be attending the January Board of Massage Therapy meeting in St. Augustine, FL on January 27-28, 2022.
Maybe you’d like to attend so you can see how the Board operates and to get started on your CE hours! You can earn up to 2 hours of Laws and Rules and 2 hours of Professional Ethics. Just sign in, observe the proceedings, and sign out to receive up to 4 hours of CE, automatically reported to CEBroker.com.
Lee and I will be updating our online Laws and Rules class listed in CEBroker.com to keep you updated on all the new statutory requirements and rules changes. This course, as well as Professional Ethics and Prevention of Medical Errors courses are available as “Take it now” classes embedded in the CEBroker.com system. Within that system classes can be purchased, completed and automatically posted to your CE account.
I will be back at FSM a few times this year 2022. Once in late February and again in Mid-October. You can register for these classes on our website: www.whitridgewellness.com.
Have a great New Year and enjoy your practice. Be safe, take good care of yourself, and most of all, have FUN!
