Question
Do you have any tips for getting reimbursed for animal assisted therapy?
Answer
I get this question asked all of the time. Animal assisted therapy uses an animal as a modality to treat their clients, just like other equipment (ie. games, putty, cones). A therapist needs to properly document how the modality is assisting the client to reach specific goals such as: upper extremity strengthening, balance retraining, range of motion. For instance, in the "Doga" (Yoga with dogs) classes that I teach, I might document, "The client was able to maintain three inverted positions, for 15-20 seconds, using upper extremity weight bearing with minimal assistance to increase his/her overall balance. I will document the use of an animal as a modality, but the focus of the treatment is on the individual.
I bill 90% of my treatment through insurance in this manner. The key is good documentation focusing on the individual and the outcomes versus the particular modality.
A good resource to learn about this type of therapy is Pet Partners. They offer classes and information on how to become an instructor in this type of therapy.
https://www.petpartners.org/
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