PRACTICE POLICIES: APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS
Please remember to cancel or reschedule 24 hours in advance. You will be responsible for the entire fee if cancellation is less than 24 hours. The standard meeting time for therapy services is 30 minutes. Therapy duration is driven by the plan of care, following an evaluation. Requests to change the 30 minute session needs to be discussed with the health care provider.
You are expected to pay for your service in full immediately after each session. A service charge will be charged for any checks returned or any declined payments for any reason for special handling.
Cancellations and re-scheduled sessions will be subject to a full charge if NOT RECEIVED AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you. If you are late for a session, you may lose some of that session time. Since we are a service based company, there are no refunds for services rendered or provided.
TELEPHONE ACCESSIBILITY If you need to contact me between sessions, please leave a message on my voicemail. I am often not immediately available due to providing services; however, I will attempt to return your call within 24 hours. Please note that Face- to-Face sessions are highly preferable . However, in the event that you are out of town, sick or need additional support, phone or virtual teletherapy sessions are available. If a true emergency situation arises, please call 911 immediately or any local emergency room.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATION Due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, I do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). I believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship.
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION I cannot ensure the confidentiality of any form of communication through electronic media, including text messages. If you prefer to communicate via email or text messaging for issues regarding scheduling or cancellations, I will do so. While I may try to return messages in a timely manner, I cannot guarantee immediate response and request that you do not use these methods of communication to discuss therapeutic content and/or request assistance for emergencies. Services by electronic means, including but not limited to telephone communication, the Internet, facsimile machines, and e-mail are considered telemedicine. If you and your therapist chose to use information technology for some or all of your treatment, you need to understand that:
- You retain the option to withhold or withdraw consent at any time without affecting the right to future care or treatment or risking the loss or withdrawal of any program benefits to which you would otherwise be entitled.
- All existing confidentiality protections are equally applicable.
- Your access to all medical information transmitted during a telemedicine consultation is guaranteed, and copies of this information are available for a reasonable fee.
- Dissemination of any of your identifiable images or information from the telemedicine interaction to researchers or other entities shall not occur without your consent.
- There are potential risks, consequences, and benefits of telemedicine. Potential benefits include, but are not limited to improved communication capabilities, providing convenient access to up-to-date information, consultations, support, reduced costs, improved quality, change in the conditions of practice, improved access to treatment, better continuity of care, and reduction of lost work time and travel costs.
Effective treatment is often facilitated when the healthcare provider gathers within a session or a series of sessions, a multitude of observations, information, and experiences about the client. The provider may make assessments, diagnosis, and interventions based not only on direct verbal or auditory communications, written reports, and third person consultations, but also from direct visual and observations, information, and experiences. When using information technology in services, potential risks include, but are not limited to the provider’s inability to make visual observations of clinically or therapeutically potentially relevant issues such as: your physical condition.
MINORS If you are a minor, your parents may be legally entitled to some information about your treatment. I will discuss with you and your parents what information is appropriate for them to receive and which issues are more appropriately kept confidential.
DISMISSAL OR DISCHARGE Adjusting to dismissal or discharge can be difficult. Therefore, it is important to follow your home program recommendations during and after therapy services have concluded. True Voice, LLC may dismiss or discharge the client if: goals and objectives are met in the plan of care, the client is functioning within normal limits, the client is no longer demonstrating progress and has “plateaued”, excessive absences or cancelations negatively impact client performance/progress, or if the paying party is in default on payment. I will not dismiss or discharge therapy services without first discussing and exploring the reasons or purpose. If treatment is discharged for any reason or you request another provider, I will provide you with a list of qualified Speech/Language Pathologists or clinics as a recommendation for you. You may also choose someone on your own or from another referral source.
Should you fail to schedule an appointment for three consecutive weeks, unless other arrangements have been made in advance, for legal and ethical reasons, I must consider the professional relationship discontinued.