Certified Lymphedema Therapists (CLTs) are qualified to screen for, treat, provide compression garment measurements for lymphedema, and work with providers to facilitate medical orders, regardless of their other credentials.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the cost of garment measurement with providers who participate with insurance can be extraordinary depending on where you go. Too often patients are referred to physical therapy, which absolutely has its place on the survivorship continuum. 

However, depending on where you live, what you need, and the lymphedema treatment skills of the provider you are referred to, it may not be the best option. Any practitioner who has undergone a 135 hour certified lymphedema therapist training can provide these services. You can identify them with a CLT in the initials after their name. They may be like me or my colleague Steven Minson (https://www.facebook.com/steven.minson) a licensed massage therapist who has added this additional credential. They may be a nurse, or an occupational therapist, or physical therapist. The most important part is that they have earned this credential and they have worked with cancer survivors at risk for lymphedema.

One of the challenges with getting people to the right resource is the diversity of professions who can sit for the credential. As a CLT who does not take insurance, the fee is based on my hourly rate. For measurements 30 minutes should be sufficient. If you are being measured for garments, that should include a manual lymph drainage treatment to make sure you are being measured at the smallest size for the arm being measured for garments. This lets the garments do their job in the most effective way. 

The only difference between insurance versus no insurance is that you will pay a flat fee with a professional who does not take insurance. We all need to help you facilitate the medical order to fulfill your garments that will come from any of your medical doctors. Want more info about how this works and how I make this happen for you? Drop a comment or DM me and I can outline what you should expect from the process, regardless of who you see!

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