Are Osteopaths covered by insurance in Ontario?

Group health insurance (extended health) benefits, which are paid by private health insurance companies, often include the services provided by Osteopathic Manual Practitioners who are members of the Ontario Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners.  

Group health insurance contracts may permit employees of health plans to be reimbursed for the services of OAO members, in addition to osteopathic physicians, thus allowing broader access to the osteopathic benefit.  The private health insurance industry understands that with so few osteopathic physicians practicing in Ontario, access to osteopathy services would not be possible without access to the services of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners.  Although there is no provincial licensing body in Ontario, the OAO is a provincial association which sets out guidelines and requirements for members. 

Please contact your benefits administrator for information about your group plan, benefits and limitations with respect to coverage for the services of an Osteopathic Manual Practitioner.

What is Osteopathy?

What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a 100 year old healing system which was developed by Andrew Still in the USA in the early 20th century. Students of Andrew Still took Osteopathy to the United Kingdom where it grew slowly in popularity and developed a small but loyal following. It was only towards the end of the 20th Century that Osteopathy was formally recognized in both the USA and the UK. In both countries the term osteopath is a protected title under law. Osteopathy in Canada is a growing profession but still not widely known by the population. There are only 800 osteopathically trained practitioners working in Canada, the majority of those in Ontario and Quebec.

Osteopathy is a whole body approach to diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal pain conditions. Osteopathic manual practitioners as the majority of osteopaths are known in Canada diagnose and treat using their hands. Using a highly developed sense of palpation they are able to feel areas of dysfunction in the body's muscles and joints. These areas are seen as blockages to your body's innate ability to heal itself (your immune system). Osteopathic manual practitioners are taught to gentle remove these blockages by manipulation of the fascia, muscles joints and spine. It is important to note that the whole philosophy of Osteopathy is to help the body help itself. This means you get a much deeper and longer lasting healing to the body.

To find out more about Osteopathy in Ontario you can go to the Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners of Ontario website. If you have any queries or questions regarding this article please leave it in the comments below.

What is an Osteopath?

What is an Osteopath?

In Ontario, where I practice, the only people who are legally allowed to call themselves an "Osteopath" are members of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario as per the Medicine Act of 1991. To become a member of the College you must have completed a Doctor of Osteopathy or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. At present this degree is only available in USA and not Canada. Hence, only a handful of US educated practitioners who are members of the CPSO can legally call themselves an Osteopath or Osteopathic Physician.

The majority of practitioners practicing Osteopathy in Ontario are called Osteopathic Manual Practitioners and are members of the Ontario Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners (OAO). The membership of the OAO is made up of Canadian and Foreign trained in Osteopathy. I am a United Kingdom trained and have a Degree in Osteopathic Medicine. Osteopathic Manual Practitioners that are trained in Ontario will have the designation DOMP or DOMTP after their name, which signifies that they have a Diploma of Osteopathy. In the UK, as in Ontario, the title Osteopath is a protected in law by the 1991 Osteopaths Act. The regulating body for Osteopaths in the UK is the General Osteopathic Council (GOC). Only registered members, of which I am, can use the title, Osteopath in the UK. As a member of both the OAO and GOC, it is mandatory that you complete a minimum amount of continuing education to maintain a strict code of practice. The OAO, unlike the GOC, is not a regulatory body but it's  membership are working towards this goal with the Government of Ontario and Canada.

When looking for a therapist practicing Osteopathy in Ontario it is important to check their qualifications and to what professional associations they belong.

If you have any questions regarding the above blog or general queries about osteopathy please leave them in the comments below.