How do I go about getting speech therapy for my child?
First, we will need a referral from your primary care physician stating the clinician may "evaluate and treat" your child
A recent evaluation (less than 6 or 12 months depending on your insurance company's policy) must be on file. If your child needs an evaluation, a comprehensive assessment will be completed by a certified speech-language pathologist
A written treatment plan will be created, with your input, that addresses your child's specific needs
Families will be asked to actively participate in home based therapeutic activities to ensure carryover of skills being learned in treatment
Frequently asked questions:
Will my insurance cover an evaluation and/or therapy?
Most of the time insurance will cover either a portion or all of the evaluation. Treatment is often determined by medical necessity. If insurance does cover treatment, many policies have a cap on the number of allowed benefits a year. It is each family’s responsibility to verify insurance benefits prior to receiving services. Currently Way With Words Speech Therapy does not accept insurance, however we will provide you with an invoice and relevant procedure codes that you can submit to your insurance.
How long can I expect my child to be in therapy?
It depends on your child's disorder as well as their response to treatment. A plan of care will be established, in conjunction with the parent, that has time line to it. Generally that time line is either 6 or 12 months and may be dependent on the requirements of your insurance company. A re-evaluation may be completed after a year of treatment to measure progress and update treatment goals.
What should I expect my first therapy session?
You'll meet with your clinician either via a Zoom telehealth session or face-to-face visit. Visit type will be determined together by clinician and parent. Plan to arrive 10 minutes early. The first session is generally spent reviewing initial paperwork, establishing rapport and determining goals. Remaining time is spent in engaging, educational activities with your child. This is a fun and safe place for your child!
Should I verify insurance benefits with my company?
Yes, of course. Every insurance policy is different and there is no way for our clinician to have knowledge of every insurance plan. Clinician will provide you with diagnosis and procedure codes so that you can verify your benefits prior to the initiation of treatment.
Way With Words Procedures and Attendance Policy:
Appointment times
We aim to keep our appointments running smoothly and on time. If for some reason, we are running late to your appointment, we will make up the time difference. If you are running late, we kindly ask that you notify the clinician as soon as possible. However, we cannot guarantee that your child will be seen for the entire specified time as children are frequently scheduled back to back. It wouldn't be fair to the next child on the schedule to lose their time because you were late.
Illness/Vacation: Occasionally your clinician may get ill or go on vacation. Should that happen, your child will either be re-scheduled or will skip a visit depending on parent preference.
Cancellations:
We kindly ask that you call as soon as possible if you cannot make a scheduled appointment. We will charge $25 for a no-show appointment.
Cancellation Policy: Families must call to cancel their appointment by at least 8 am on scheduled treatment day. If a client/family doesn't call or no-shows for a scheduled appointment, a $25 fee will be assessed. Please call or email to cancel as soon as possible when short-term cancellations arise.
Therapy Termination Policy: It is the policy of Way With Words Speech Therapy, LLC that treatment can be terminated based on no showing for 3 consecutive sessions without contacting the therapist, showing for fewer than 80% of treatment sessions over a 3-month period, and/or payments due in excess of 60 days. Treatment may be canceled based on behavioral concerns as well. However, it is the policy of Way With Words Speech Therapy, LLC that we will work cooperatively with families to resolve any issues that may arise.
All payments are due at the time of service. We do not file insurance claims on your behalf however we will do everything we can to provide supporting information should your insurance company require it.