Complementary therapy Recognition & reimbursement

CSS guidelines for complementary medicine

CSS is committed to working in partnership in the healthcare sector. Transparency and professionalism are very important to us in this respect. That’s why we set out key standards and basic considerations in our CSS guidelines (valid as of 1 May 2020).

Osteopathy

Anyone wishing to work as an osteopath in Switzerland under their own professional responsibility must have a professional licence from the canton in which the activity is to be carried out by 1 February 2025 at the latest. If they do not have a professional licence, the therapist’s recognition by CSS will automatically cease.

Recognition with qualification

As of 1 January 2024, we only recognise therapists who have one of the following qualifications:

Recognition without qualification: If you practise a recognised method for which there is not yet any professional development path and respective qualification, you aren't affected by this rule.

Transitional period for already recognised therapists

For therapists recognised by CSS on 31 December 2023 who don't have any of these qualifications, we’re granting a transitional period. The transitional period runs until 31 December 2039. You will continue to be recognised by us until the end of this period provided your EMR registration remains active throughout the entire period. Recognition will lapse after that if you don't have any of the required qualifications by then.

Tariff 590 is binding

Complementary medical services must be billed in accordance with tariff 590. A team of insurers and the umbrella organisations serving the complementary medical sector continue to work on the tariff to ensure optimum billing.

The tariff may be adjusted at the start of each new year. So, keep yourself regularly informed about the tariff and whether anything has changed for you.

Maximum prices: maximum reimbursement per five minutes

CSS wants to provide its clients with attractive offers at premiums that remain affordable in the long term. This means that therapeutic treatments must be both effective and cost-efficient.

To ensure cost-efficiency, we set maximum prices for the reimbursement of therapy costs (maximum reimbursement of five-minute price). 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 their own tariffs in keeping with their treatment concept and costs.

Billing procedure: How to submit your bills to us

It’s important to submit bills that comply with the latest invoicing standard. You’ll find acceptable software providers in the following list:

Contact

Do you have any questions about tariff 590? Or do you need any other information about complementary medicine?