Practice patterns of massage therapists.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the practice patterns of licensed massage therapists (LMTs).


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
One hundred and twenty-six (126) massage practices randomly selected from the Greater Boston Area yellow pages.


METHODS
Practitioner demographics, training, practice characteristics, and fees.


RESULTS
The response rate was 65%. Most respondents were Caucasian (95%) and female (80%). Their mean age was 41 years old. Half held a college degree; on average, practitioners received 1000 hours of training in massage therapy. The majority were in group practices (59%) and saw an average of 20 patients per week. The typical visit lasted 50-60 minutes; the cost was $60 and rarely covered by insurance (5%). Half of respondents offered sliding scales to patients, but only 11% accepted Medicaid patients. Respondents reported less than 1 visit per week from pediatric and adolescent patients (<21 years old).


CONCLUSIONS
Most LMTs are female and Caucasian. The costs of massage therapy are almost entirely paid out-of-pocket by patients (95%). LMTs infrequently care for children.
Lee
A C
AC
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Kemper
K J
KJ
D000328:Adult; D001900:Boston; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005382:Financing, Personal; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016526:Workload