Office Policies
Welcome to Brookfield Speech and Language!
Please take the time to read through the following information. When you have finished reading, please sign acknowledgment and return to me. These policies have been established to ensure the smooth running of this practice and avoid any potential misunderstandings. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask either myself or your assigned therapist.
Please note that the associates in this office are not my employees but “independent contractors” who come with their own styles, rules, and manners of running their sessions. However, there are certain rules which pertain to the OFFICE ITSELF which must be maintained. Everyone is expected to comply with these basic procedures. I appreciate your understanding and cooperation! We look forward to working with you and your family!
Therapy Sessions:
Please come prepared with equipment and/or the speech folder you will be given. Therapy sessions run 45 minutes unless other arrangements have been made. That time is divided into 40 minutes of direct contact with your child and five minutes speaking with/reporting back to parents unless parents have sat in on the session or the client is an adult. Please note that clients are typically scheduled back to back (so that we can accommodate a maximum number who are seeking services). This means that we need to begin and end sessions as promptly as we are able. If we are running late, we will make up the time so that you get your full 45 minutes. However, please keep in mind that if you are late, we cannot cut into someone else’s period.
Some parents like to “run errands” or sit in their cars while their child is in therapy. This is not generally a problem but please check with your therapist before doing so. You may want to remain on the premises if your child is in the process of potty training and/or needs assistance in the bathroom. If you do leave the building, you must be back five minutes before the end of the period or you will risk forfeiting your chance to speak with the therapist about the session. If you must leave be sure that your therapist has your cell phone number in case of an emergency.
If you have something you need to discuss that exceeds the amount of time allotted during the session (and you don’t want to take time away from the session itself), please phone or e-mail your therapist at another time so that you can speak at length and in private. If you have something special or more urgent that you wish to speak about (such as an upcoming PPT, results of testing of other professionals, etc.) that is beyond the realm that particular session, please bring this up at the START of the session so that you don’t impact the next client’s time.
Therapists will try their best to keep to their schedules. Please be respectful of their time and understand that if you keep them beyond your allotted slot, they will be late in starting and finishing with all subsequent clients. This can throw off a schedule for the entire day and/or evening! On that note, please take care of toileting needs (especially of siblings) at the beginning or toward the end of your child’s session so that people are not running through as therapist’s begin with another client.
Payment Procedures:
Payment should be made via check to Brookfield Speech and Language, LLC and rendered at the start of or upon the completion of each session. Checks can be placed in the black box at the reception desk for your convenience whenever you are ready. Please have checks ready by the end of the session so that therapists can make smooth transitions between clients. Waiting until the session is complete to begin writing the check will result in dividing your attention between that task and the therapist who will be relating information about the session and homework activities to be done.
You will be provided with an account statement at the end of each month which you can submit to your insurance. This will include dates of service, types of service, payments received, and all appropriate diagnostic and procedural codes. You will most likely need to submit this with a HCFA form available on your insurance company’s website.
Waiting Room:
We ask that you NOT bring food or beverages into the office. This includes SIPPY CUPS and bottles as they tend to be the biggest offenders for spillage. The ONLY exception is food that is being used for feeding therapy and even this should not be removed from containers until therapist does so in the treatment rooms.
There are plenty of safe toys and books for your child’s (and their sibling’s) enjoyment. Please try to keep the room tidy. I would prefer that toys be contained, within reason, in the “play” corner of the room so that other clients and clinicians entering and exiting the waiting area are not tripping over toys. T
If you notice your child mouthing a toy, please bring it to a therapist’s attention so that it so that it can be properly sanitized to prevent the unnecessary spread of germs. We do periodically clean the toys in the waiting area but obviously are not able to do so between clients.
If you happen to find a small object or toy (i.e. paperclip, a push pin, a smaller toy that an older child brought in and left behind, a broken crayon, etc.) which could pose danger to a young child who might still put things in their mouths, please place on top of the reception desk and/or let me know so that I can remove it from the room.
Please try to keep noise levels in the waiting room to a minimum. The walls are thin and we have had comments from professionals in adjoining offices. I want the kids to enjoy themselves but also try to be respectful of other professionals and merchants in the building. In addition, excessive banging of toys or loud conversations in the front can be distracting for children who are engaged in therapy!
Out of consideration for others and due to hygienic concerns, please do not change diapers in the waiting room and/or leave dirty diapers in the trash cans. The bathroom is of sufficient size.
Please keep an eye on your children (including siblings). Please discourage them from playing with blinds, business cards, the ink stamp, and other objects on the reception desk. For their safety, do not allow children to move or climb on chairs. For numerous reasons, NO ONE is permitted behind the reception desk! This will be strictly enforced. Finally, please do not alter climate control or the sound system. Rather, let someone know if you are uncomfortable.
It is important that parents be able to discuss their child’s session privately with their therapist. Please be considerate of others’ private conversations!
Cancellations/Illnesses:
Client: Please let your therapist know as soon as possible if you need to cancel a session (e.g. - if you have a scheduling conflict, special appointment elsewhere, taking a vacation, transportation issues, child-care issues, etc.) as this allows them to schedule make-ups and make other plans. The majority of my associates will be coming from other jobs and will be hustling to get here. Again, please be respectful of their time. If you know you will not be able to make a session, give them adequate notice so that they don’t arrive here unnecessarily! Although a minimum of 24 hours notice is preferred, we obviously understand if last minute cancellations occur in the event of emergency, illness, or inclement weather. We will not charge you for a last minute cancellation for other reasons or no-shows (e.g. - you forgot, “something came up” and you forgot to let us know, etc.) the first time. However, if this happens on more than one occasion, then we will either have to begin to charge for these missed sessions or you will be at risk for losing your spot. Most therapists exchange cell numbers and welcome texts.
Therapists:
If a therapist must cancel a session due to illness or illness in her family, she will most likely phone you early in the morning so that they don’t take the chance of “missing” you as you go about your daily routines. Afternoon clients may be phoned later in the day if therapists or their family members becomes ill during the course of the day. In the event of a last minute emergency (and hopefully this will never be an issue), we will make every attempt to reach you.
Make-ups:
We do not guarantee make-up sessions due to limited availability of therapy rooms. However, make-ups can be scheduled into “cancellation” slots if possible at the convenience of you and your therapist. See your clinician if you are interested in making up missed sessions.
We try to be as flexible as possible! Since I am here in the office more than my associates, I have more options with respect to changing days or times and will myself, on occasion, request that people alter their schedules. If you need to make a change on a certain week, please don’t hesitate to ask and I’ll see what I can do.
Summer Sessions:
Office hours will generally remain the same as they are for the rest of the year. If you have a conflict (due to camp, summer school, etc.) and need to make a change, please let us know well in advance so that we can try to accommodate you.
Please keep in mind that we cannot promise to “hold your spot” if you want to “take a break” from therapy for the summer. In addition to being therapeutically inadvisable to the possibility of “regression”, this is not fair to the therapist. Also, we sometimes have waiting lists. If you terminate therapy for the summer, individuals on that list will be given priority.
School Transitions:
If you anticipate that you or your child will be experiencing a change in schedule (i.e. change in work days/hours, transition from EI to PK, transition from PK to Kindergarten, transition from Kindergarten to full day 1st grade, etc.), please let me and/or your therapist know as soon as you can so that we can try to find a new slot for you. The availability of my associates is limited at this time so switching days and times might result in having to change therapists. We would like to have to avoid this for the purpose of continuity and rapport.
Calendar Change:
We will let you know in advance if we plan on closing due to a holiday or vacation break that follows the school calendar here in Brookfield. If we have failed to mention a closing to you, and you are unsure as to whether or not we are open, please do not hesitate to ask! It is possible that some therapists will choose to work while others take off. Always confirm with your individual therapist! Do not assume that there is no therapy because it is a holiday or there is no school.
Progress Reports:
If you need a progress note for any purpose (i.e. insurance companies, PPT meetings, Annual or Triennial Review, transitions from EI to preschool CSE, etc.) we would be happy to write something for you. Please give us plenty of advance notice to ensure that we will be able to do so. If you wait until the last minute to ask us, we cannot guarantee that there will be adequate time to prepare something. Speech and language pathologists are generally swamped with respect to paperwork!!!!!!
Privacy:
This office is in compliance with the current requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). All of your records are kept confidential and will not be discussed with others without your express permission. That being said, it is possible that your child MAY be discussed AMONG ASSOCIATES IN THIS OFFICE FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPROVING SERVICES, BRAINSTORMING, BOUNCING OFF IDEAS, GETTING A SECOND PAIR OF EYES, ETC.
If you would like your therapist to communicate with teachers, school personnel, EI-based therapists, physicians, insurance companies, or other professionals, you will need to sign a written release so that they may do so.
You will be given a Privacy Notice and corresponding “Acknowledgment of Receipt of Notice” form which also contains a release to communicate with professionals outside of this office. If you have not received and read this document, please see me. We need to have this for our records.
Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any other questions which I have neglected to answer herein. I look forward to working with you and your family!