Extended Referral to 60 Minutes

For all massage therapy sessions under VA referrals, treatment duration is tightly regulated by VA protocol. Providers must follow these scheduling guidelines and document medical justifications appropriately when recommending a change in treatment length.

📌 Initial Appointment: 30 Minutes Only

• The first appointment in every VA referral is limited to 30 minutes.

• This allows time to complete the initial evaluation, including:

  • Subjective interview

  • Objective exam

  • Goal-setting discussion

  • Initial treatment

⚠️ The system will automatically set the appointment to 30 minutes for the first visit.

🔁 Subsequent Appointments: 30 Minutes by Default

• All follow-up appointments are also set to 30 minutes in accordance with standard VA protocol.

• However, providers may recommend extending the session length to 60 minutes if clinically indicated.

📋 Recommending a 60-Minute Treatment

You may request a treatment extension for future sessions based on the clinical needs of the patient.

✅ When and How to Recommend:

• Complete and check out of the current appointment.

• In the Treatment & Checkout section, indicate whether 60-minute treatments are medically indicated.

• Provide a brief clinical justification based on:

  • Condition severity

  • Functional limitations

  • Response to previous treatment

  • Complexity of treatment required

⏳ Requests are subject to review and approval. You are not guaranteed 60-minute approvals solely by recommendation.

❌ Back-to-Back Treatments Not Allowed

• Only one session per day is allowed under VA policy.

• Patients may not schedule multiple or back-to-back treatments on the same day.

• If the patient requests this, kindly explain that 60 minutes per day is the maximum allowable treatment duration.

💡 Best Practices

• Use objective clinical language when recommending extended sessions.

• Avoid generalized statements like “patient prefers longer sessions.”

• Track progress toward goals to support future extension requests.

• Document any improvements or limitations that justify the need for additional treatment time.