The difference between Remedial Massage and Massage for claiming Private Health Insurance

The main difference for you depends on whether you are claiming on your Private Health Insurance or not.  If you are not claiming, then your choice is open and the difference will be in our style & technique and what works for you.  However, if you are claiming on Private Health Insurance you will need to know whether your Provider specifies Remedial or accepts Massage. 

At The Health Exchange we have six Massage Therapists with various types of qualifications.  Moyez, Kathryn & Rachelle are qualified with a Diploma in Remedial Massage while Sophia holds the Certificate IV Massage Therapy and Evelyn along with Alysha hold the Certificate IV in Massage Therapy Practice, for Alysha her qualification is within her Sports Therapist Course.  The difference between the Remedial Diploma and the Certificate IV is length of study and this has changed over the years. Sophia & Moyez were trained in the 1990's when the Remedial Diploma was 2 years and the Certificate IV was a one year qualification. More recently, the Remedial Diploma can vary from a 3 month upgrade (from the Cert IV) into a 12 month separate qualification.

Medibank Private holds the gatekeeper role of issuing Provider numbers which enables Diploma qualified therapists to be on a HICAPS machine that allows you to electronically claim your benefit and just pay the gap. Medibank Private have never issued such numbers for Certificate IV holders and so for those of us with this qualification (Sophia, Evelyn & Alysha), you will need to pay in full and claim your refund directly from your Private Health Insurance Provider.  But wait, there is more ...

Medibank Private have recently changed their rules so that some therapists with a Remedial Diploma qualification will not be issued a Provider number. This will include Rachelle & Kathryn.  The saviour is that they can be issued a HICAPS number and still be available electronically but some of the Health Funds have chosen to follow Medibank Private and exclude these therapists altogether.

The other difference is that in 2009 a line was drawn in the sand and all Certificate IV holders qualified prior to that date were "Grandfathered in" to be as if they were Remedially qualified.  What this means is that although Sophia holds the Certificate IV  in Massage Therapy, all but 3 Health Funds (Medibank Private, BUPA & HCF) now accept her (but not electronically!!!).

The difference between Remedial Massage and Massage as a Massage Style.

I have given myself the sheer delight of trying out as many massage therapists as I can, to try to answer this question!  My conclusion is that there is no clear answer.  

Every Massage therapist has their own style that has evolved from their training.  When I was studying the Clinic component of my course I am sure all my fellow students and I massaged similarly which would have reflected how our lecturer taught us.  However, for me it is many years down the track and my style has adapted to include techniques I have picked up from other therapists (I had a stretch I once called the Mildura Neck Stretch because I picked it up from a Massage Therapist in Mildura!) and techniques I have found to work more effectively! 

​While I could (attempt to) describe the types of Massage the six of us perform, your experience of it is what will be the decider.  Some people like a firm massage, some like it soft ...

My suggestion would be to check us out.  Try all six massage therapists (if your Private Health Insurance allows all three of us) and decide for yourself which style you prefer.  We are available all days except for Mondays (until after Easter 2016).