World Massage Festival &
Massage Therapy Hall of Fame


Read our Philosophy - The Bridge Builder


Our Mission Statement: To honor those who built the bridges for our profession,
to educate the general public about massage, to educate therapists
about different types of massage and to have fun.
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>>>>>>>>>>>		 Previous Festivals * 2010 Festival * 2011 Festival * 2012 Festival





Vivian Madison-Mahoney
2008 Massage Therapy Hall of Fame Member


Vivian Madison-Mahoney knows first-hand the challenges & problems you face beginning your massage practice and incorporating medical referrals and accepting insurance for payment. She began just like you. After about a year of working out-calls at the rate of 6 to 8 (full hour or more) treatments a day, she opened a massage therapy practice that specialized in injury, disability, physician referrals, & insurance related cases.

She is a regular columnist for "Massage Today" Magazine. She also writes articles for the "AMTA Florida Chapter Journal" Newsletter and the FSMTA's "Massage Message" Magazine, Massage News and advises many associations about insurance related issues, including the World Massage Festival.

Vivian says, "I guarantee there's no one instructing massage therapists in insurance billing with this level of hands-on experience & knowledge working with medically prescribed, insurance cases. I do not teach how to get rich. I teach how to increase your income, help others who would otherwise not be able to have your services and to protect our profession!"

Website: Massage Insurance Billing


Insurance Billing Procedures, Laws & Rules
6 CE Contact Hours

The class will cover the following:
* Advanced preparation, what it takes to get started * Tools of the Trade You'll Need
* FORMS, covering all forms, broken down into 5 categories * Files, folders, how to set up forms, files and folders
* Is accepting insurance worth it? * 9 simple steps to accepting insurance cases
* Cases to accept * Cases to avoid
* How to find out if there are loopholes you might get through * Current FL Laws as they pertain to PIP /auto insurance
* Interviewing patients * Treating patients what to be aware of and why
* Communicating with insurance adjuster, what to ask for * Documentation & know documentation is legal evidence
* 3 magic things to prevent delays, denials & reductions. * All about codes, CPT & ICD-9 Codes, when & what to use
* Fees, Legal, Ethical, and UCR * Can I charge more for insurance cases? If not, why?
* NPI (National Provider Number) How to obtain and why * Filling out the NEW 1500 Claim Form, what goes where on the form
* Knowing the claim form, what goes with it in the mail * Submitting claim form, how to prevent denials and delays
* Explanation of Benefits, what is it, what do you do with it? * HIPAA Laws & Privacy Rules, do they affect you, if so how?
* Should I submit claims electronically? If not, why not? * Collections made easy, how to limit collection processes
* Main causes of problems & how to prevent them up front. * What it takes to be a success in one sentence
* Any unfinished business * Questions and Answer session.



IRS & Taxes
3 CE Contact Hours

"To avoid is legal, to evade is illegal"

  • You will learn to keep more of your own money!!
  • Let the IRS help you advance and expand your massage establishment & clientelle.
  • Purchase new supplies and equipment at the expense of the IRS.
  • Learn what you can and cannot deduct from your taxes.
  • Also covered are a myriad of other concerns such as IRS, Dept of Labor, Independent Contractor & Employment Taxes.

"I recently purchased your manual, the cost was worth it just because of the IRS & Taxes Chapter. I was told my my accountant that as a massage therapist I was unable to deduct the many items I had listed. I showed her your book. She read the IRS & Taxes Chapter, she deducted all I had listed!! Thank you for saving me on my taxes!! " -- D.D.W.


Marketing, Advertising & Promotion
4 CE Contact Hours

  • This course will cover all sorts of ideas on how to increase your clientelle.
  • 25 Subtle Strategies that help improve your business to keep people coming back to you.
  • I'll share ideas with you that helped me build my massage practice to 500 client visits a month.
  • How to increase physician referrals for insurance related cases.
  • Simple and effective, "how I did it and you can too ideas".