So insulting that someone stated "miscellaneous healthcare" LMT's are State Licensed, Massage THERAPISTS. In Florida, our licensure, to practice manual medicine and corrective soft tissue treatment for injuries and chronic pain predates the existence of physical therapy professional licensure in our state. The PT's gave up their right to practice without doctor's prescription after the AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION BLOCKED their bill to become a new profession in Florida. They acquiesced and gave up their ability to be " self employed". NOT SMART, 15 years later, after the doctors made up a new profession called physical therapy assistant, limited education and weekspweeks of training rather than years and paid them $10 bucks an hour in a rehab facility. They fired all the physical therapists who were earning $50.00 pr hour for the previous twenty years and who had increased their level of education to a 4 year degree. Then the doctors/hospital rehab facilities only kept one or two PT's on staff to do all of the notes required for the medical billing /manual medicine procedure codes billing your insurance at the rate of $150 per 30minutes of therapy. Paying a well meaning but uneducated and inexperience PTA $10.00 per hour and pocketing $290.00 per our for physical therapy that wasn't even provided by a licensed physical therapist. That's bc why you are still in pain after rehab in Florida. Those PT' s were virtually drummed out of business. They couldn't call their own private practices "Physical Therapy" and had to advertise under weight loss and exercise physiology as though they were personal fitness trainers. The Brilliant and Highly trained MASSAGE Therapists in Florida were protected because,we refused to join the medical profession or allow them to own us! WeTWe alignhalign ourselves be withbwith them treat tyeothe same patients and we the goals set forth in our treatment programs for disability in pain. We had more than 80 years of licensure in Florida in 1987 when I obtained my license. In my profession the education required for licensure is considered "entry level" into the profession. California has separate licensure for massage therapists that do what I do and thetthe "entry level " L.M.T. Licensed Massage Therapist therefore, in California it's been easier for the public to understand the difference inbin thesthe scope of practice of an entry level L.M.T. or someone who practices corrective treatment and does not provide Swedish Massage Treatments or get paid by the hour. Massage THERAPISTS are not hookers. We are licensed Heath Care Professionals under the MEDICAL QUALITY ASSURANCE BOARD. We are not miscellaneous. The person asking bc the question may have rephrased it better by saying, I am a licensed, Massage Therapist. Rather than saying " I do massages." In my experience it is only an unlicensed lay person who make statements like, " I do massages". My question is are you an L.M.T.? You don't sound like one. What kind of treatment do you provide? Are you a sole practitioner or are you providings massage therapy in someone else's establishment or medical office? If you are a subcontractor you receive W-2 income. Or if you be own your own business, such as , S Corp, sole proprietor, etc, then the code is the same as any other licensed health care provider including: Osteopathic physician, speech therapist, physical therapist, massage therapists, etc , etc..
