Health News
Changes in Blue Cross eligibility – Alberta

Previously, Alberta Blue Cross administered all massage therapy claims for those plan
members with eligible coverage through employer-sponsored health benefit plans.
Blue Cross regularly reviews provider eligibility criteria to ensure it meets
the industry’s standards and to ensure the safety of our plan members.

Alberta
Blue Cross has a contractual obligation to group plan sponsors to manage
benefits to ensure both plan viability and the quality of service provided. To
meet the needs of group plan sponsors while ensuring the massage services
provided to plan members are legitimate, therapeutic and medically necessary,
Alberta Blue Cross will require massage therapists to meet either the 2200
hours of formal education or the 2200-hour competency equivalency requirement
as of May 1.

Alberta
Blue Cross announced this requirement in 2012, a year in advance to allow
existing massage therapy (MT) providers of Alberta Blue Cross plan members time
to receive the necessary upgrading to be considered an eligible massage therapy
provider

by
Alberta Blue Cross. Beginning May 1, 2013, all claims received by Alberta Blue
Cross from massage therapy providers who do not meet Alberta Blue Cross massage
provider eligibility requirements will be denied.

Any MTs
who have questions regarding this change in eligibility criteria are asked to
call Alberta Blue Cross Health Services Provider Relations at 1-800-588-1195 or
visit www.ab.bluecross.ca/providers/massage-therapists-home.html