Massage therapists

Do you provide registered massage therapy treatment to customers injured in a car crash? Here are a few things you need to know.

A better, more affordable ICBC

The B.C. government and ICBC have announced changes to auto insurance coming in May 2021. Under Enhanced Care coverage, British Columbians injured in a crash will have significantly enhanced recovery benefits whether or not the injured person was responsible for the crash. To learn more, visit ICBC and ICBC changes to insurance.

Changes to invoicing

ICBC has simplified the way you request and invoice for treatment through our new web-based application, also known as the Health Care Provider Invoicing and Reporting (HCPIR) application. In order to use the HCPIR, a vendor number is required.

If you have been paid by ICBC before, you likely already have a vendor number. To find out how to locate your vendor number, please visit our Invoicing and reporting page. If you do not already have a vendor number or you need to make changes to your information, visit our Vendor number page.

Fees

Effective April 1, 2019, the provincial government updated the treatment fees that ICBC will cover for care and treatment after a crash. This has been outlined in the Insurance (Vehicle) Act and is highlighted in the table below.​

Fee table

​Initial visit*	​$109.00 (billable once)
​Standard treatment	​$82.00 per treatment
​Pre-authorized number of treatments	​12 (within 12 weeks of the accident causing the injury)

These fees apply to all treatments administered on or after April 1, 2020, regardless of the date of the accident that caused the injury

*The initial visit fee includes the assessment and treatment provided that day. A standard visit is not to be charged for the date the initial visit took place.

Notes

• ICBC does not require registered massage therapists to complete medical reports.
• ICBC customers who choose to visit a health care provider that charges a higher rate than what ICBC funds under accident benefits (indicated above), will not be able to recover the user fees from ICBC for claims with a date of loss on or after April 1, 2019. This will mean that the patient is responsible for paying the user fee portion, which they may submit to their private health insurer for consideration of coverage.
• Treatments are based on sessions provided and fees reflect fair market rate for a standard industry visit. Treatment frequency will be based on clinical recommendations and should reflect best practice. However, multiple sessions provided by the same discipline, on the same day, will not be funded.
• In the case of a no-show, the clinic’s no-show and cancellation policies should apply. ICBC will not pay for no-show appointments.
• Under ICBC’s temporary telehealth policy (announced March 20, 2020), massage therapists are unable to access telehealth services due to the nature of the billable services provided. Please see the Telehealth FAQ.

To see the current list of fees applicable to all treatments up to and including March 31, 2019, please refer to the BC Medical Services Plan schedule.

Webinar recording

To help you navigate through the changes, a webinar for registered massage therapists was hosted on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. This webinar covered fees, invoicing & reporting, contact & support, learning resources, scenarios, and had an open Q&A.

If you were unable to attend this session, you can listen to a recording of the webinar (to access the recording, enter your name and email address at the prompt and click “register”).

If you attended the webinar or watched the recording, please share your feedback with us.  

Contact & support

The Health Care Inquiry Unit (HCIU) is available to address questions Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. PST

• Lower mainland: 604-587-7150
• Toll free: 1-888-717-7150

For additional support and information, visit the Support and resources page.