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FAQ

What will happen at my first visit?

An initial evaluation will take place over one or two sessions. We will spend time talking to the client and/or caregivers while observing a variety of activities such as play, communication, movement, writing, and/or eating. An evaluation typically includes a combination of standardized assessments and informal, play based measures. If a client qualifies for therapy, we will discuss recommendations and share a plan of care to support initiating therapy services. An initial plan of care is typically written for a six month period and we will continually discuss progress towards goals as part of therapy. 

Does my child always need to be present? Do I?

In order to bill insurance for therapy, the client must be present for the session. For safety purposes, we ask that an adult be present with pediatric clients for both in person and telehealth sessions. We require a caregiver to remain on site at our clinic and encourage participation in sessions to facilitate home practice and maximmize progress towards goals.  

Our professional consultation appointments are designed to give caregivers the opportunity to meet with their therapist without the client present to have frank conversations about concerns or their plan of care. Professional consultations are an out of pocket expense as they cannot be billed to insurance. Please contact the clinic at 206-763-0352 or stop by the front desk to schedule a professional consultation visit. 

I had an evaluation at another clinic. Do I need to do another one?

Maybe....we'll need to check to see if it meets criteria for insurance billing purposes. We don't want you or your child to have to do any more testing than necessary. Once scheduled, you will have an opportunity to provide us with a copy of any recent evaluations. A clinic director will review the evaluation and determine if it can be used to begin services.

Please note that IFSP's and IEP's cannot be used for medical billing purposes and that the first appointment would be set as an evaluation.  

Why do you focus on play?

Play is known to promote development and facilitates physical, social-emotional, language, and cognitive development. Play is an important activity for therapy because play helps to facilitate positive growth and development. We strive to make therapy fun for all clients! 

Do parents participate in sessions? What about siblings?

You know your child best! When we partner with you, your child's progress will be faster. We encourage you to be part of every session. We require that a caregiver is on site at all times.

We take a family approach to therapy! Siblings are welcome to engage in session as you and the therapist feel is appropriate. If a sibling is in our clinical space, they must be directly with the therapist. Siblings are the responsibility of the parent/caregiver to supervise at all times.

My child is sick, can we still come to our session?

To keep all of our families and children healthy, we kindly ask that clients and their caregivers to utilize our telehealth services and avoid in-person care for 48-hours when you observe the following:
 

  • Fever: Temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees C) or higher. Individuals need to be fever free for 48 hours before returning to the clinic without medications to reduce the fever.

  • Diarrhea: 2 or more watery stools in 24-hour period.

  • Vomiting: 2 or more times in 24-hour period.

  • Lice: All live bugs/knits must be removed from hair and hair must have been treated.

  • Cough: Persistent cough of greater than 2 weeks with discolored discharge from eyes and/or nose.

  • Eyes: Drainage, vision change, redness of the eyelid, itching, pain and/or sensitivity to light may be a sign of pink eye(conjunctivitis) and the individual should be checked by a physician.

  • Rash: Bothersome body rash, especially with fever or itching, may spread to others and should be checked by a physician.

  • Unusual Behavior: Please consider your child’s appearance and behavior, such as if they are unusually tired, pale, hard to wake, or confused.

  • Symptoms of COVID-19

 
For the safety of our staff and other families, if an individual at the clinic arrives with any of the above conditions or was reported to have these symptoms in the last 24 hours, you will be asked to reschedule therapy or pay the $75.00 late cancellation fee. Telehealth services may be available for those that are well enough to participate.

If you are not well enough to participate in services, and need to cancel with less than 24 hours notice, you will have the opportunity to reschedule the session within 2 weeks in order to waive our $75.00 late cancellation fee. 

It's snowing! Are you open?

The clinic is open except in cases of severe weather conditions requiring businesses to close.
 

  • Seattle Therapy Network's physical clinic space will be closed if Seattle Public Schools are closed. Appointments will be transitioned to telehealth when physical operations are closed.

  • For delays, STN follows Seattle Public School late starts. For 2-hour delays, we will open the physical clinic at 10:00 am. In the event of a 2-hour delay, 8:00am and 9:00am appointments will be cancelled or transitioned to telehealth. We will start our in-person day with our 10:00 am scheduled clients.

  • Appointments will be provided via telehealth during delayed operations. It is the responsibility of the caregiver or client to call the clinic or check online to determine whether changes in the scheduled time of treatment are needed and if the opening of the clinic has been delayed. We will do our best to reschedule your missed appointment based on availability.

  • Our Instagram and Facebook accounts will relay all delays or closures.

Are you closed for any holidays?

Seattle Therapy Network is closed for the following holidays:

  • New Year’s Day

  • Memorial Day

  • Juneteenth

  • Independence Day

  • Labor Day

  • Thanksgiving

  • Christmas Day

What happens if I need to cancel a session?

Please call the office at (206)763-0352 to let us know. If it is less than 24 hours from your scheduled appointment, we assess a $75.00 fee. If you want to waive this fee, simply reschedule your appointment within the next two weeks. If you've given adequate notice of cancellation we will still reach out to see if you would like to reschedule to maintain a 75% attendance rate.

Why do I get two bills from your office?

Seattle Therapy Network is made up of two collaborative businesses: Giant Steps Children’s Therapy and Sound Pediatric Therapy. You’ll be billed by the individual business/es you work with, not by Seattle Therapy Network.

Each business has independent financial policies and may accept different insurance plans. Please ask if you have any questions about our fees, financial policy, or your responsibilities. No matter your economic situation, we’ll do our best to help.

How can I pay my bill?

Invoices can be viewed by logging into the patient portal. The patient portal is part of our Electronic Medical Record System called Fusion Web Clinic. You may need to check your spam or updates folder for invoices that have been sent via email. All clients keep a credit card authorization on file, so that we can process any remaining balances monthly. You will receive an invoice electronically at the beginning of each month with any amount that is outstanding. Our speech and occupational therapy services are billed separately, under Giant Steps Children's Therapy or Sound Pediatric Therapy.

Do you accept insurance?

Both disciplines submit claims on your behalf to most third party payers. Our insurance coordinator will complete a benefit check prior to beginning services. Clients are encouraged to connect with their insurance payer to understand the specific benefits of their plan. Health insurance is an ever changing system and we do everything we can to partner with you to get you the care you need. For a list of insurance providers we bill, see our billing page here.

I've met my insurance plan's visit limit! What do I do?

We can partner to see if your plan will allow more visits. Some insurance plans have a hard cap, meaning that the visit limit is set for the year. Other insurance plans have a soft cap, meaning that we can request more visits based on medical necessity.

Once you have run out of visits for the year, you will be given the option to continue services as an out of pocket expense or wait until your insurance plan renews to resume therapy.

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