Procedures and Policy Information
EVALUATION SESSION:
To make an appointment, please call the office at 540-446-2654 or fill out the online form. You will be asked to provide personal and insurance information (if applicable). At the same time, feel free to download our Intake Forms, fill them out and bring it with you to the evaluation.
Prior to the evaluation, parents complete the intake forms, which provide information regarding their concerns, the child's medical, developmental, and educational history, as well as the review of our policies. These forms can be found on the website under Forms, or will be given to you at the time of the appointment. If filling out at the appointment, please arrive an extra 20 minutes early to complete the paperwork. If the child is receiving other services and/or school related services, please bring a copy of the reports and/or IEP (individual education plan).
During the evaluation, Your child's medical, developmental, and educational history is carefully reviewed. Parents are interviewed regarding their concerns and the child's history. This information helps the Speech-Language Pathologist identify areas to evaluate more closely.
A variety of methods, including formal and informal tests, observation, parent/caregiver interview, and play-based activities will be used to evaluate your child's speech, language, cognition, and voice. Selection of testing methods is based on your child's individual needs.
Following the evaluation, Initial results of the evaluation and recommendations will be reviewed with you. A written report detailing evaluation results and recommendations will be given to you, mailed to your home and faxed and/or mailed to your child's physician (if requested).
SCHEDULING THERAPY SESSIONS:
We will make every effort to find a day and time that works best for you and your child. However, please note that during the school year, there is a high demand for the evening sessions, and they may be limited in availability.
THERAPY SESSIONS:
We offer 30 minute therapy sessions.The clinician will brief the parent and recommend homework if appropriate the last few minutes of the session. **Copays and/or due payments will be collected prior to the session. We accept checks, cash, debit cards, as well as Visa, Mastercard and Discover.
FEE SCHEDULE:
Please call our office for more information regarding fees. The billing specialist is also here to support our families, as well as create payment options in order to make therapy possible for all families. Our fees are subject to change without notice.
Billing Specialist Contact Information
G & G Medical Billing
Stephanie Gayle, CPC
10500 Wakeman Drive, Suite 105
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Phone:540-898-2202 Fax:540-898-2242
email: sgayle@ggmedicalbilling.com
Attendance policies:
*REGULAR ATTENDANCE:
It is important for your child to have continuity by consistently attending therapy sessions. If the current schedule is not working for you, please let us know.
*CANCELLATIONS:
Cancellations must be made with 24 hours notice or a “cancellation fee” of $25.00 will be charged. We understand that due to illness or other unexpected events it may be necessary for you to occasionally cancel a therapy appointment. You can leave a message if you reach voicemail. We appreciate two weeks notice of vacation plans. Make up sessions are encouraged.
*NO SHOWS:
Two uncancelled appointments may result in discontinuation of services for your child, and they will be removed from the therapy schedule. PLEASE CALL if you cannot come to therapy.
*LATENESS:
Children arriving late for an appointment will be treated for the remainder of the scheduled treatment time.
*THERAPIST CANCELLATIONS:
Your child’s therapist will notify you as soon as possible if your appointment must be cancelled. If possible, we will make every attempt to schedule a make up session.
OFFICE CLOSURES
Our office will be closed for the observation of the following holidays:
Presidents Day
Memorial Day
Fourth of July
Labor Day
Good Friday
Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Friday following
The week of Christmas Eve through New Years Day
Inclement Weather Policy
In the case of Inclement Weather, please call the office at 540-446-2654 to see if we will be open for services. If you are unsure if we will be open or closed on any particular day, kindly call us to inquire.
INSURANCE BENEFITS
Unfortunately, very few insurance companies reimburse parents for speech therapy to treat "developmental articulation disorders" or "developmental language disorders," limiting coverage to rehabilitative speech therapy (e.g. due to traumatic brain injury, surgery, or to treat congenitally related speech problems, such as cleft palate). Children with a diagnosis of autism are occasionally covered for limited services. All clients using insurance benefits are asked to contact their carrier directly regarding their benefits. It is the responsibility of the child’s parents to contact the insurance carrier and to understand their own benefits. Our billing specialist is happy to submit claims to insurance carriers for their review and determination of benefits. However, we are responsible for collecting your deductible amounts, co-payments, co-insurance payments or the cost of denied claims.
If you are planning to utilize your insurance benefits, we strongly recommend you contact your carrier and ask the following questions:
Do I have speech therapy benefits available under my plan?
Will an assessment be a covered benefit?
What is included in my benefits for speech therapy?
What is excluded from my benefits for speech therapy?
Do I have developmental delay coverage for speech therapy?
Do I have a limited number of visits per calendar year or per insurance benefit year?
If I have a limited number of visits, are they combined with other therapies such as physical or occupational therapy?
TERMINATION OF THERAPY
If you need to terminate therapy, for any reason, please give us two sessions notice so that we can wrap up therapy and complete final counseling with you. If your termination is due to financial concerns, please consult with the billing specialist as they are here to support our families, and create payment options in order to continue the needed services.
