If you carry Pacific Blue Cross (PBC) coverage and are looking for a clinic in Richmond that handles direct billing without making you front the cost, Artemis Wellness Clinic at 5911 No. 3 Rd #130, Richmond BC — three minutes’ walk from Brighouse SkyTrain — direct bills Pacific Blue Cross for every regulated discipline we offer.
That includes Registered Massage Therapy (RMT), Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Physiotherapy, Chiropractic, and Kinesiology. You don’t pay upfront, and most patients with extended-health coverage pay between $0 and $30 out of pocket per visit.
This page explains exactly how PBC direct billing works at our clinic, what your plan typically covers, what you’ll actually pay, and how to verify your coverage in two minutes before you book.
📞 Want to skip ahead and book? Call 604-242-2233 or use artemis.janeapp.com — reception will confirm your PBC eligibility while you book.
How Pacific Blue Cross Direct Billing Works at Artemis
Direct billing means we submit your treatment claim to Pacific Blue Cross at the time of your visit, and Pacific Blue Cross pays the clinic directly for whatever portion your plan covers. You only pay the difference — if any — at the front desk.
The flow at Artemis looks like this:
- Before your first visit, you tell reception your PBC member ID and policy number (printed on the card your insurer issued you, or visible in your PBC member portal).
- At your appointment, your practitioner provides the treatment. You sign one short authorization form so we can submit on your behalf.
- At checkout, our front desk submits the claim electronically to Pacific Blue Cross while you’re standing there. The response comes back within seconds.
- You pay only the uncovered portion — typically $0 to $30 depending on your plan, the discipline, and where you are against your annual cap.
You leave with a printed receipt showing exactly what PBC covered, what you paid, and your remaining benefit balance for the year. No paperwork to mail, no waiting four to six weeks for reimbursement, no fronting the full session price.
What Pacific Blue Cross Plans Typically Cover
Pacific Blue Cross is the largest health-benefits provider headquartered in British Columbia, and the most common extended-health insurer we direct bill at the clinic. Plan benefits vary widely depending on whether your policy is an individual plan, an employer group plan, or a union/association plan — but the typical patterns we see across our patient base are:
- Registered Massage Therapy (RMT): Most PBC plans cover between $300 and $1,500 per year for RMT, with per-visit caps in the $60–$120 range. Some premium employer plans cover 100% up to a higher annual maximum.
- Acupuncture / TCM: Typically covered under a “paramedical” pool that may be shared with naturopathy, podiatry, or other professionals. Coverage often falls in the $300–$1,000/year range with similar per-visit caps.
- Physiotherapy: Usually covered at the same percentage as RMT under your “extended health” benefit; common per-year limits are $500–$1,500.
- Chiropractic: Typically a separate benefit pool with its own annual cap, commonly $300–$800/year.
- Kinesiology: Coverage varies more — some plans include kinesiology under a broader “active rehab” or “registered health practitioner” pool; others do not. We can verify this for you.
⚠️ Important: these ranges describe what we typically see — your specific plan may differ significantly. The two-minute verification below tells you exactly what your plan covers before you book.
What You’ll Actually Pay — Three Worked Examples
To make this concrete, here are three real-world examples based on common Pacific Blue Cross plan structures we direct bill weekly:
Example 1 — Typical employer group plan, 100% up to $80/visit, $500/year RMT cap
You book a 60-minute RMT session at our standard rate of $135.
- Pacific Blue Cross pays: $80 (direct billed at checkout)
- You pay at the desk: $55
- Your annual benefit reduces by $80; remaining cap will be visible on your receipt.
Example 2 — Premium plan, 80% coverage up to $1,500/year
You book a 75-minute Acupuncture and TCM session at $160.
- Pacific Blue Cross pays: $128 (80% of $160, within annual cap)
- You pay at the desk: $32
- Plan annual remaining decreases by $128.
Example 3 — Comprehensive plan, 100% coverage up to $1,000/year RMT
You book a 60-minute RMT session at $135.
- Pacific Blue Cross pays: $135 (direct billed)
- You pay at the desk: $0
- Annual cap reduces by $135.
The pattern that almost every PBC member at Artemis shares: with direct billing, your real out-of-pocket cost is dramatically lower than the listed price, and you don’t need to front any cash to find out exactly what that number is.
How to Verify Your Pacific Blue Cross Coverage in Two Minutes
If you’d like to know exactly what your plan covers before booking, two paths work:
Option A — Use the Pacific Blue Cross member portal. Log in at pacificbluecross.ca with your member ID. Navigate to “Coverage” → “Paramedical” (or “Extended Health”). You’ll see your per-visit cap, your annual maximum, and the dollar amount you’ve already used this year for each professional category (RMT, Acupuncture, Physio, Chiro, Kinesiology).
Option B — Phone PBC directly. Call the member services number on the back of your card. Say: “I’m booking treatment with a registered practitioner. Can you tell me my coverage cap and remaining annual maximum for [Massage / Acupuncture / Physiotherapy / Chiropractic]?” The agent will read it out within two minutes.
If either of those feels like more than you want to do, just call us at 604-242-2233. Reception can pre-flight a coverage check while you’re booking — we do this several times a day.
Why Patients Choose Artemis for Pacific Blue Cross Claims
Three structural reasons our PBC patients tend to stay with us:
1. One clinic for five disciplines. RMT, Acupuncture and TCM, Physiotherapy, Chiropractic, and Kinesiology — all under one roof, all direct billed to PBC. If your treatment plan needs more than one discipline, you don’t restart benefits paperwork at a new clinic.
2. Practitioners share patient charts. When Mandy Tam, R.Ac hands a fertility patient over to RMT, your file moves with you internally. There’s no re-explaining your case.
3. We’ve direct billed PBC since the clinic opened. PBC’s submission system, error responses, and benefit-pool quirks are routine for our front desk. You’re never the test case.
Patients also routinely mention the clinic’s location — 3 minutes’ walk from Brighouse SkyTrain, directly across from Pricesmart Ackroyd — and that we offer evening and Saturday appointments to fit work schedules. See our complete clinic overview for hours, parking, and accessibility details.
What to Bring on Your First Visit
Quick checklist for a smooth first PBC direct-bill visit:
- Pacific Blue Cross member card (physical or digital screenshot — both work).
- A photo ID (driver’s licence or BC services card) — required for any new patient file.
- List of any current medications — your practitioner will ask, especially for RMT and acupuncture intake.
- A short note about what you’d like help with — even one sentence helps. Pain location, sleep, stress, post-injury — whatever brought you in.
You’ll fill out a 5-minute intake form on arrival (or online beforehand). The first appointment runs the full session length plus that intake — so book a 60-minute slot if you want a full first treatment.
About Pacific Blue Cross
Pacific Blue Cross is the largest health and dental benefits provider in British Columbia, headquartered in Burnaby BC. It’s a non-profit, member-driven insurer founded in 1940, originally as the Hospital Service Society of BC. It now serves more than one in three British Columbians through individual plans, employer group plans, retiree plans, and union/association group benefits. Pacific Blue Cross is part of the broader Canadian Association of Blue Cross Plans, which means a PBC card is also recognized by Blue Cross plans across most provinces.
For policy questions, member portal login, or claim history, visit the official Pacific Blue Cross website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Artemis direct bill Pacific Blue Cross for every service?
Yes. We direct bill PBC for Registered Massage Therapy (RMT), Acupuncture and TCM, Physiotherapy, Chiropractic, and Kinesiology — every regulated discipline we offer.
Do I need to pay upfront and get reimbursed by Pacific Blue Cross?
No. Direct billing means we submit the claim electronically to PBC at the time of your visit, and you only pay the uncovered portion at the front desk. Most patients pay $0–$30.
What if my Pacific Blue Cross plan doesn’t fully cover my visit?
You pay only the difference between what PBC covers and the session price. For a $135 60-minute RMT session with an $80 PBC cap, you’d pay $55 at the desk.
How do I find out my Pacific Blue Cross annual maximum and per-visit cap?
Log into the PBC member portal under “Coverage” → “Paramedical,” or call the member services number on the back of your card. Or just call us at 604-242-2233 and reception will check while you book.
Can I direct bill Pacific Blue Cross for both RMT and Acupuncture in the same visit?
Yes — but they’re billed against separate benefit pools on most PBC plans, and each session is its own claim. If your treatment plan includes both, we coordinate scheduling and billing so you’re not paperwork-overwhelmed.
Does Pacific Blue Cross direct billing work for spouses or dependants on my plan?
Yes. Each family member booked under your PBC policy can be direct billed against their share of the benefit pool. Each appointment is billed under the patient’s name, but reimbursement runs through your shared family policy.
What if my Pacific Blue Cross plan is exhausted for the year — can I still book?
Yes. If your benefit pool is fully used, you pay the standard session rate at the desk. We provide a detailed itemized receipt you can save for your tax records or for a Health Spending Account (HSA) reimbursement.
Do I need a doctor’s referral for Pacific Blue Cross to cover my treatment?
For most PBC plans: no. RMT, Acupuncture, and Chiropractic generally don’t need a referral. Physiotherapy and Kinesiology occasionally do, depending on plan type — your member portal or our front desk can confirm in 30 seconds.
Book Your Pacific Blue Cross Direct-Bill Appointment
Ready to use your Pacific Blue Cross benefits at Artemis? Book online at artemis.janeapp.com or call 604-242-2233. We’re at 5911 No. 3 Rd #130, Richmond, BC V6X 0K9, three minutes from Brighouse SkyTrain.
We also direct bill: ICBC, WorkSafeBC, Sun Life, Manulife, Canada Life, Green Shield Canada, and TELUS Health.
For our complete RMT and acupuncture cost breakdowns, see Richmond RMT Direct Billing & Cost Guide and Richmond Acupuncture Cost & Direct Billing 2026.
This page was prepared by the Artemis Wellness Clinic team for patient education. Coverage details described here are typical patterns observed across our PBC patient base — your individual plan benefits may differ. Always verify with Pacific Blue Cross or your benefits administrator before relying on any specific figure. Pacific Blue Cross® is a registered trademark of Pacific Blue Cross. Artemis Wellness Clinic is independent and not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Pacific Blue Cross.
Reviewed by Artemis Wellness Clinic team · Published 2026-05-15
