Complementary medicine, tariff 590
Tariff 590 for alternative treatments covers therapies, procedures and techniques with the corresponding billing codes. This tariff ensures that uniform terminology is used for the services that therapists provide.
Guidelines of complementary medicine
The CSS insurance is committed to working in partnership in the healthcare sector. Transparency and professionalism play a central role in this. In the interests of transparency, these guidelines (valid since 1 May 2020) therefore set out important standards and basic considerations.
Recognition as of 1 January 2024
From 1 January 2024, we will only recognise therapists who have one of the following qualifications:
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Federal diploma
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OdA KT certificate
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OdA Artecura certificate and EMR registration of years of professional experience
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OdA AM certificate
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Federal Diploma of Higher Education
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BSc or MSc in Osteopathy
Therapists practising recognised methods for which there is not yet any professional development and respective qualification are not affected by this rule.
Transitional period for already recognised therapists
Therapists recognised by CSS on 31 December 2023 who do not have any of these qualifications will be granted a transitional period, during which they will continue to be recognised. Their recognition will lapse at the end of this transitional period if they do not have the required qualification by then.
The length of the transition period has not yet been decided but will be published here as soon as it is known.
Benchmark & maximum reimbursement
CSS is committed to providing clients with attractive offers at affordable premiums in the long term. This means that therapeutic treatments must be both effective and cost-efficient.
To ensure cost-efficiency, CSS sets maximum prices for the reimbursement of therapy costs: the maximum cost may not exceed the price for 5 minutes. You can find the current list of methods to which a maximum price applies, here.
We reimburse costs to our clients in line with our maximum prices.
Therapists may nevertheless continue to apply the tariff that corresponds with their treatment concept and costs.
Tariff 590 is binding
Since 2018, all complementary medical services must be billed in accordance with tariff 590. The tariff may be adjusted at the beginning of each new calendar year. We therefore ask you to keep yourself regularly informed.
In addition, a team of insurers continues to work on the tariff together with the umbrella organisations serving the complementary medical sector in an exchange designed to ensure that the tariff provides optimum cover.
Sample bill
| Date | Tariff | Code | Number per 5 min. | Rate per 5 min. | Tariff point value | VAT | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/06 | 590 | 1025 Connective tissue massage | 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 | CHF 40 |
| 17/06 | 590 | 1066 Lymph drainage | 12 | 10 | 1 | 0 | CHF 120 |
Billing
Service providers are expected to use professional software that complies with the latest accounting standards.
Billing in times of coronavirus
Urgent measures can still be charged using the usual tariff numbers under tariff 590. However, body-oriented treatment can no longer be provided by Skype/phone to the same extent as before.
Specifically, this means that advice/support falling within the job classification of a complementary therapist that is provided by phone in urgent cases will be reimbursed; a treatment period of 15-30 minutes is considered reasonable. When billing this service, please enter “online consultation” in the “Remarks” field. At present, this continues to apply to clients who still prefer not to see their therapist in person.
Complementary therapy practitioners remain responsible for ensuring compliance with the COVID-19 Ordinance currently enacted by the Federal Council.
Further information is available from the professional associations for complementary medicine:
Contact
Do you have any questions about tariff 590? Or do you need any other information about complementary medicine?