Clinic Policies

While we attempt to verify your insurance plan for services prior to your appointment as a courtesy, it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to verify insurance eligibility and benefits, and facilitate referrals & prior authorization before the patient’s appointment.

All balances not paid within 30 days will incur a late charge of $10 per month. Balances not paid within 120 days may be forwarded to a collection agency and incur a $50 processing fee. There will be a $25 service charge for any returned checks. Patients with a balance over $500 will be required to make a payment towards the balance, or set up a payment plan before continuing therapy.

I understand and acknowledge First Step Pediatric Therapy’s financial policy and authorize First Step Pediatric Therapy to release any information necessary for insurance processing and authorize my insurance to pay First Step Pediatric Therapy directly.

Your insurance carrier will determine final benefits after claims are processed. To ensure clarity on your benefits prior to therapy, you may verify them by accessing your insurance’s online portal or contacting your insurance company directly. It is your responsibility to notify First Step Pediatric Therapy immediately of any changes to your child’s insurance carrier or coverage while receiving services.

I understand that I am responsible for determining whether prior authorization is required for therapy services and for submitting the request to my insurance provider, if necessary. I am also responsible for tracking my insurance plan’s physical therapy visit limits and notifying First Step Pediatric Therapy if adjustments to my child’s therapy frequency are needed due to approaching or reaching the visit maximum. If additional paperwork or documentation from First Step is required to extend the visit limit, I understand it is my responsibility to request this in advance.

I understand that I am responsible for any balances remaining after insurance claims are processed. I acknowledge that First Step Pediatric Therapy is not required to verify my insurance benefits or to obtain detailed information about my coverage prior to providing therapy services. It is my responsibility to ensure that First Step Pediatric Therapy has accurate and up-to-date insurance information. I also understand that I am responsible for payment of any services not paid by insurance due to a failure to notify First Step of insurance changes, reaching the maximum benefits, not providing your insurance with any documentation required for coverage, or not submitting prior authorization in a timely manner.

Please read and adhere to our no show, late cancel, and late arrival policies. These fees are an out-of-pocket expense and cannot be billed to insurance:

• In the absence of an illness, family emergency, or inclement weather, canceling or rescheduling an appointment must be made at least 24 hours prior to the start of your child’s appointment.

• Patients will be billed a $40 late cancellation fee if cancellation is made less than 24 hours in advance.

• Patients who miss a scheduled appointment without providing the office advance notice will be billed a “No Show” fee of $75.

• Patients who are 10+ minutes late to a scheduled appointment will be billed a $20 late arrival fee.

• Patients who “No Show” to three appointments within a 3-month period will be taken off of the therapist’s ongoing schedule and must call weekly to schedule an appointment.

Patients with regularly scheduled weekly appointments will not have their time slot reserved if they cancel four or more consecutive weeks. However, they may choose to retain their appointment time by paying a hold fee of $50 per session beginning from the 4th consecutive missed session until the patient returns.
We will not offer a holding option for patients that will be out for more than 12 consecutive weeks.

I acknowledge that I have read, understand, and agree to the policies above, and that I may ask questions about these policies at any point during my child’s care.

The safety and health of our children and staff is our priority, as many of our patients are very young and/or medically fragile.

If the patient, or any person who will be present during the patient’s appointment, is demonstrating any of the following symptoms, please call or email our office to cancel your appointment out of caution and courtesy to our staff and fellow patients. We can change your in-clinic visit to a virtual visit or reschedule your visit to a later date.

Symptoms include:

• Fever or chills in the past 24 hours

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Fatigue

• Muscle or body aches

• Headache

• New loss of taste or smell

• Sore throat

• Congestion or runny nose

• Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

I acknowledge that I have read and understand the policies above, and that I may ask questions about these policies at any point during my child’s care.

To ensure the safety of patients and staff during adverse weather conditions, we have created a policy that can be referenced during extreme weather conditions. The following will only apply to in-clinic appointments, not aquatic therapy appointments.

When inclement weather conditions are anticipated or occur, patients scheduled for in-clinic appointments will be switched to a telehealth appointment. In the event of inclement weather, families are expected to attend their scheduled telehealth appointments as planned.

Exceptions will only be made if:

• Power outages in the area prevent the patient or the therapist from participating, or

• Families have spoken with First Step and have agreed that telehealth is not suitable for the patient.

• Families are responsible for contacting First Step Pediatric Therapy via phone call or email if they do not have access to a camera, wifi connection, or hotspot.

By continuing services, I acknowledge that I have read, understand, and agree to the policies above and that I may ask questions about these policies at any time.

You can request a copy of our comprehensive Inclement Weather Policy by contacting our office.

Intensive Deposit Policy

Please read thoroughly!

To reserve a spot for an intensive session, a $250 deposit is required per session (ex. Fall, Winter, Spring, etc. are considered separate intensive sessions). This deposit secures the therapist's time for your child and is separate from payment for therapy services.

1. Deposit Amount

• A $250 deposit is required per intensive session.
  
  

• The deposit will be applied as a credit to the patient’s account. Any remaining balance after applicable fees are deducted and insurance claims have been processed will be refunded after the intensive is complete.

2. Deposit & Paperwork Deadline: 30 Days Prior

• The deposit must be paid in full at least 30 days before the first day of that intensive session (whether or not your child begins on that day or a later day during that session).
  
  

• Intensive spots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. If the deposit paperwork is not received by the deadline, the spot may be released to another family.
  
  

• New patients are required to fill out our intake paperwork, and current or returning patients may need to fill out intake paperwork. Paperwork will be sent via Ensora Health, where you can create / log into our Patient Portal and submit the necessary forms.
  
  

3. Reserving Without Immediate Payment

• Families may apply for multiple sessions in advance without paying all deposits at once.
  
  

• While we will try to hold your child’s spot without a deposit, unpaid spots may be released to other families after the 30 day deadline.

  • If you are signing up within 29 days of the session, the deposit will be required as soon as possible to confirm your spot.

  • If you booked your session far in advance, you may submit your deposit any time before or by the 30-day deadline.
    
    

• We encourage families to submit deposits as early as possible to secure their child’s placement and ensure a smooth scheduling process.

4. Refund Policy

The deposit will not be refunded in the following cases:

• Canceling two or more days of the intensive within 7 days of the start date, regardless of reason (including illness or emergency).
  
  

• Missing two or more days of the intensive.
  
  

• Arriving 10+ minutes late to any session will cause a $20 late fee to be applied, and $20 will be deducted from your deposit refund to pay that fee (if applicable).
  
  

If a therapist becomes unavailable (due to illness, etc.) and any portion of your child’s intensive is canceled, the deposit will be refunded in full, after any applicable fees or insurance claims are processed.

Important: If your child is ill and showing symptoms, you are required to cancel in accordance with First Step’s sick policy to protect our therapists and medically vulnerable patients who may also be receiving treatment at our clinic. Please note that this will still result in a non-refundable deposit as outlined above.