In-Home Massage Therapy for Veterans

Zeel provides in-home health and wellness services delivered by a network of over 11,000 healthcare providers. Through our technology, we offer a streamlined scheduling experience and more personalized care, all in the comfort of home. The Zeel Provider Network has delivered more than 2 million appointments to date nationwide.

Zeel medical massage is available to Veterans through their VAMCs across the United States—in most cases both in the home and in office-based facilities. We are actively working with VAMCs in California, Florida, New York, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Louisiana, Washington, Arizona, New Hamshire, and elsewhere, with more facilities referring to Zeel every day.

All massage therapists delivering in-home treatments are vetted using the strict credentialing requirements set by the TPA on behalf of the VA, including the following:

• Massage therapists (“MTs”) are all licensed in their state, with license expiration dates on file
• Credentialing
  protocols are consistent with NCQA & URAC standards
• MTs are background-checked and ID-verified using SAM & OIG
• MT’s are qualified medical professionals with individual NPI numbers
• After scheduling an appointment, the patient will receive a confirmation that includes the provider’s full name, photo, and license number, so they always know exactly who is coming to their door.

Initially, the patient may indicate his or her preference of therapist gender (or lack of preference), and Zeel will select a top-rated, skilled, practitioner. After the patient completes their first appointment, that therapist will be shown to the patient when scheduling future appointments, or they can opt to be matched with a different therapist.

Massages are available through Zeel between the hours of 8:00 AM and 10:30 PM in the patient’s local time, every single day of the year – including weekends and holidays.

The patient should clear a space about 6′ x 10′ in a quiet, private area and have sheets (preferably twin-sized) available for the table. The therapist will bring their own massage table and set it up upon arrival. Most importantly, the patient’s treatment environment should be comfortable and relaxing.

The length of an in-home massage is recommended in the patient’s initial diagnosis and evaluation by his or her Primary Care Provider. It may be 30 to 60 minutes per treatment.

Yes. At the conclusion of the patient’s first treatment, he or she may schedule subsequent treatments directly with the same therapist.

If for any reason a different therapist is preferred, Zeel will happily accommodate the request.

Eliminating travel and wait time increases and hastens patients’ access to care—especially for those with limited mobility. That said, nearly all patients benefit from the increased comfort and compliance of receiving care at home.

For those concerned about environmental factors like COVID-19, in-home treatment from a single provider limits their exposure and gives them control over their treatment environment.

To learn more about medical massage therapy for Veterans or to get started with Zeel, contact Amy Wegel – Director, Medical Massage Therapy Program – at amy.wegel@zeel.com.

Massage therapy referrals can be assigned to Zeel directly through HSRM, using the following info:

Group NPI: 1679197123

Care provider: ZEEL IN HOME MASSAGE THERAPY

Care site: 45 W 45th St. New York, NY 10023

Veterans with an approved referral can schedule appointments online at va.zeel.com or by contacting Zeel’s dedicated Veteran Support team at (877) 438-9335 or va@zeel.com.

The va.zeel.com scheduling portal was designed and built to provide a fast, easy, and seamless experience for viewing confirmation details, therapist info, and more. However, Zeel can also assist Veterans, their caregivers, or healthcare providers with booking by phone if preferred. Vets can call (929) 552-4189 to book by phone.

Yes, if the Veteran has a referral from their VA doctor for an in-home massage and needs assistance with booking, a family member, caregiver, or healthcare provider can schedule the appointment on their behalf. This proxy will need the patient’s name, birthdate, mobile phone number, and it would be helpful for them to have the patient’s ICN number to match against the referral.

When booking an in-home massage with Zeel under the VA program, appointments can be requested as soon as 48 hours from the time of booking.

When the patient submits a booking request, he or she will be able to indicate their preferred date of appointment, along with a time range on that date that works best. Zeel appointments are available 365 days a year (including weekends and holidays) from 8:00 AM to 10:30 PM in the patient’s local time.

Yes. When making a booking request, the patient (or their proxy) will find a field in the Appointment Location screen where they can provide logistical information for the therapist, like parking details, special requests, or other notes the therapist should be aware of.

Additionally, the massage therapist will have access to any notes provided by the referring doctor in the referral itself and will also do a brief intake with the patient prior to beginning the first appointment.

Once Zeel has received the patient’s referral from their doctor, scheduling their first massage (which includes a one-time account creation, address confirmation, and other preferences) takes approximately 10 minutes. Future appointments will be booked even faster!

The patient’s first appointment may take place as soon as 48 hours from the referral’s arrival in the Zeel system—or at any time that’s convenient for the patient, in accordance with his or her doctor’s instructions for how quickly treatment should begin.

Massage is a manual therapy that improves health in a variety of ways via its ability to trigger both a relaxation response in the nervous system and healthy mechanical responses in soft tissue. Some specific results include (but are not limited to) reduced pain and tension in muscles and joints; lowered levels of stress and anxiety; interruption of pain responses in nerves; reduced inflammation; improved circulation; and more restful sleep.

While the patient may feel pressure at certain points, or greater tension in certain muscles (which massage is intended to relieve), massage should never be a painful experience. The massage therapist will check in with the patient frequently during treatment to ensure he or she is comfortable.

Numerous studies and meta-analyses have demonstrated massage’s measurable efficacy in treating MSK pain and promoting injury recovery—even when compared against NSAIDs, opioids, surgery, and corticosteroid injections.

Massage provides a safe alternative to opioid and NSAID medications for many pain conditions, limiting patients’ risks of contraindications, side effects, addiction, or overdose. Massage has a high rate of patient compliance—as high as 93% in one study—compared to pharmacological treatment, which ranges 7–85%.

For mental health comorbidities that often accompany pain, such as depression, massage can offer significant relief, as demonstrated in multiple peer-reviewed studies.

Massage techniques vary in physical pressure and focus and have been developed over centuries to target different types of physical conditions and needs.

Some common massage types include Swedish or “classic” massage (the most common massage modality), deep tissue massage (which incorporates stronger pressure), sports massage (similar to deep tissue, with added focus on movement/stretching and injury prevention/recovery), and pre/post-natal massage (optimized for the unique circumstances surrounding pregnancy and birth).