Link of the Month

WAC 246-830-500 Equipment and Sanitation

Does your office or clinic comply to the current WAC requirements? Just a heads up, the Board of Massage is in the process of revising the current WACs.  Most likely by the end of 2020, massage therapists will be required to wash their blankets daily.

What We Do For You

The Washington State Massage Therapy Association's Government Relations (GR) Program is vital to the fulfillment of our mission of being an Advocate for Massage Therapy as a Recognized and Respected Profession.

Some of the issues that our GR program is, or will be working on are:

• Influencing the new massage therapy WACs the Board of Massage is revising.  We work very hard to form coalitions with other interested parties to provide a bigger voice to support our agenda in improving the WACs.
• Attending government agency meetings and influencing them to adopt massage therapy friendly and beneficial regulations
• Working through the OIC to require health carriers to keep their network information current so that new LMTs can get into networks when other LMTs leave the networks
• Working with municipalities to improve their ordinances regarding the oversight of massage therapists in their city and county boundaries.
• Networking into the Heath Care Authority to help promote massage therapy as an important part of the healthcare of seniors as it develops the program approved via HB 1087 Long Term Services and Supports Trust Program.
• Working with other professional associations and lobbyists to help reform RCW 48.43.016 Prior authorization standards and criteria—Health carrier requirements—Definitions. This RCW went into effect in 2018 and regulates the preauthorization process that insurance companies must follow.