Cancelation Policy: 

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:

• Cancellation 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.

Please read thoroughly!

A $250 deposit is required to reserve a spot in each intensive session. This deposit secures your child’s spot and the therapist’s time, and is separate from payment for therapy services.

Deposit Amount

• A $250 deposit is required per intensive session (ex. Fall, Winter, Spring, etc. are all separate intensive sessions).
  

• This amount will be applied as a credit to the patient’s account. After applicable fees are deducted and insurance claims are processed and paid, any remaining balance will be refunded once the intensive is complete.
  

• Deposits must be paid using a debit or credit card and cannot be made using HSA or FSA cards.

  • If you plan to use an HSA or FSA card to pay for treatment, we can arrange to charge that card separately for the cost of services. Any applicable fees will still be deducted from the deposit credit on your account if needed, and any remaining credit from the deposit will be refunded.
    

Refund Policy

Deposits will not be refunded in the following cases:

• Canceling two or more days of the intensive within 21 days of the start date, regardless of reason (including illness, emergency, etc.).
  

• Missing two or more days of the intensive, with or without planned notice.
  

• 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 a therapist becomes unavailable (due to illness, etc.) and any portion of your child’s intensive is canceled due to the therapist being unavailable, the deposit will be refunded in full after any applicable fees or insurance claims are processed, unless we are able to reschedule any missed session(s) within the week of the missed session(s).

Deposit & Paperwork Deadline: 30 Days Prior

• The deposit must be paid in full by or before the due date for that session. The paperwork is also due within this timeframe.
  

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

• Intake paperwork will be sent via OceanFriends EMR. New patients are required to complete intake forms, and current or returning patients may also be asked to do so. Forms can be submitted through our Patient Portal.

Reserving Without Immediate Payment

• Families may apply for multiple open 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 if deposit is not received in a timely manner.

  • If signing up within after the due date of the session, the deposit is due as soon as possible to reserve your spot.

  • If booked far in advance, you may submit the deposit anytime before the deadline.
    

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

Important: If your child is ill or showing symptoms, you must cancel in accordance with First Step’s sick policy to protect our therapists and medically vulnerable patients.

Please note: this will still result in a non-refundable deposit, as outlined above.

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. 

Monthly Invoices:

Invoices are sent out via email on the 1st of the month (or the following business day, if the first falls on a weekend or holiday). If a patient wants a paper copy of their billing statement or invoice, they may contact the office via phone, email, or in person to request it at any time. 

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.

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.

We ask that Parents / Caregivers arrive 10 minutes before the end of the patient’s appointment for pickup. This allows the child’s therapist to discuss how the session went, home exercises, answer any questions, etc. We ask that children would not be left unattended in the waiting area or building.

• A $20 late fee will be charged if pickup occurs after the clinic closes. Business hours vary by day and can be found on our website or by asking the front desk.

• A $10 late fee will be charged if pickup occurs more than 10 minutes after the scheduled pickup time. Example: If an appointment begins at 2:00 PM, pickup is expected at 2:50 PM. Pickup at 3:10 PM will incur a $10 late fee.

• An additional $1 per minute will be added for pickups more than 10 minutes late. Example: Pickup at 3:15 PM will incur a $15 late fee.

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 as we are able.

• Fever or chills in the past 24 hours

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Fatigue

• Muscle or body aches

• Headache

• Recent 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.