Policies

Insurance 

Purple Heron our billing specialist is committed to providing the best experience possible. We will file your insurance claims for you, along with working with you and your insurance company to obtain payment for services. We do ask for you to keep in mind that we are considered a third party to your relationship with your insurance company and with the everchanging insurance climate, situations may arise that are out of our ability to predict. Your insurance benefits for therapy services will be checked and reviewed with you in detail prior to the first appointment. Please note that benefits which are quoted to you are not a guarantee that therapy will be covered. Your child’s diagnosis and treatment plan of care are unique, so never assume the benefits will ensure payment for services rendered. 

Any Co-payment/co-insurance/session deductible is due at the time of service. If services are not covered for any reason by your insurance company, you will be responsible for payment in full. 

All members receiving services at Purple Heron must agree to our Insurance Agreement. 

Insurance Agreement:

This will be completed prior to the initial evaluation. The insurance agreement is as follows. This Insurance Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into between the patient  (“patient”) or their  (“Legal Guardian”) and Purple Heron LLC. 1. I, the Patient or Legal Guardian must make sure the office is aware of any name, address, phone and/or insurance information changes before the appointment. 2. I , the Patient or Legal Guardian am responsible for contacting my insurance company and understanding speech-language coverage terms before evaluation or therapy begins at Purple Heron 3. I, the Patient or Legal Guardian agree to pay for any and all medical/therapy services  received from Purple Heron including those that my insurance company refuses to pay, for whatever reason. Purple Heron will file a claim on my behalf (if contracted with my insurance company), however, if my insurance company denies payments for any reason (e.g. non-covered services, services not medically necessary, my failure to obtain a referral, etc.), I will pay these charges promptly upon written/verbal notification of this refusal. If the insurance company requests additional information for processing your claim, Purple Heron will promptly comply only one time; there will be no multiple re-filing of claims. It is further understood that no appeals will be filed by Purple Heron on my behalf. 4. I, the Patient or Legal Guardian understand that failure of my insurance company to pay within 60 days of claim filing date will be considered a refusal to pay and I will be responsible for payment in full due upon receipt of notification. 5. If your account is delinquent, your balance will be turned over to a collection agency and a collection fee of $75.00 or double your balance will be added. 6. I, the patient or Legal Guardian understand that is company policy to require a credit card on file for all clients, regardless of insurance types, which will be used to pay account balances after insurance adjudication and in certain cases to charge a fee of $50 for  late cancellation for no-shows (see attendance/cancellation policy). Please see attached Card on File Policy and FAQs.

Private Pay:

Full payment is due at the time of each appointment. We accept card payments only. We do not accept checks or cash. 

A credit card is required to be entered on file to allow for easy collection of payments and to collect no-show/ late cancellation fees . Please see Card on File Policy and cancellation/ no show policy. 

Private pay clients may be able to be reimbursed for sessions by submitting a claim to your insurer, if we are out of network and you have a policy that covers this service. We are unable to bill your insurer directly in this situation but we will provide you with a receipt (“superbill”) detailing the medical codes applied that you can submit to your insurer for reimbursement. 

Our current session rate for Speech Therapy is $85.00 per individual treatment session (25 minutes).  Evaluations costs are $150- $200 depending on the type of evaluation. You will be informed of this at the time of scheduling. 

Fees are subject to change at any time without notice. 

Discounts: For clients wishing to benefit from the monthly pre-pay package,  we offer a discounted rate of approximately 20% off. For a  Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) the cost would be $70.00 per session.  Our Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA) rate is $40 per session (when utilizing an SLPA; at least 1 session per quarter with an SLP is required at the current SLP rate). See details and restrictions for more information. 

Private Pay Details & Restrictions. 

● Pre-pay treatment packages are for private pay contracts only. 

● Payment will be processed on the first of the month unless prior arrangements have been made in writing.

 ● Cancellations and no-shows will not be refunded. 

● Reschedules are allowed (based on availability) for cancelled appointments as follows: 

o 1x/month for the 5 session package 

o 2x/month for the 9 session package 

o 3x/month for the 13 session package 

● There will be no reschedules of no-shows. 

● Reschedules must be made within one week of missed appointment unless special circumstances prevent it (please speak with the clinical director for special arrangements).

 ● All cancellations must be made with the front desk with 24 hours advance notice whenever possible (cancellations made after appointment start time are considered a no-show).

 ● All past due balances must be paid in full in order to receive this special package rate.

Group Services 

Groups Services are designed to generalize  speech and language needs, including cognition and memory, and are offered as determined by your  therapist and subject to availability.  Group services are private pay only (unless you are receiving STEP UP). The total cost for group services is currently $250 per 8 week block. Our Easy Payment Plan for group services allows you to spread out your enrollment costs. Initial payment of 50% due at registration, with full balance due on the start date of the 8 session block. Your spot will not be reserved until your initial payment is processed. We will email you a receipt with the dates and times as well as the parent information packet. 

Florida Family Empowerment Scholarships (“STEP UP”):

FFES (“Step Up”) fees and policies are  the same as for private pay, with the exception of advance booking discounts, which are not available to STEP UP students since direct pay sessions cannot be billed in advance. If you wish to take advantage of the advance pay discount, you may pay out of pocket and submit your own claim for reimbursement to FFES. 

Otherwise, in recognition that many families in receipt of the STEP UP scholarship cannot afford to wait for reimbursement from the scheme, which can take up to 60 days, Purple Heron has partnered with STEP UP as a direct pay provider. You must have sufficient funds left in your wallet for the evaluation and monthly cost of treatment before onboarding with us. Please log on to your account and reserve the funds before attending your first session. 

Parents or legal guardians will be required to have a credit card on file, and are subject to the same cancellation/ no show policies as all other clients, including fees and payments will be due at the time of service if there is insufficient funds in your wallet to cover these costs.  See Card on File policy. 

Refund Policy: Evaluations & Individual sessions 

No refunds will be made for services already rendered. If at any time, it is determined that a refund should be appropriate for a prepayment of services that are no longer going to be utilized, the client should speak with the clinical director to make arrangements. Group services A refund (minus a $20 processing fee) will be issued for group services if the client cancels less than one week prior to the start date. A full refund will only be issued for the following reasons: if the group is cancelled, client cancels more than one week prior to the start date. No refunds are given for missed sessions. Refunds will be made by the original payment method when available, or by check. Refunds are only available by phone, or in person. Please note we do not accept refund requests by email and if you cancel your registration with less than the required notice, no refund or credit will be given.

Scheduling 

Patients will be required to sign up for recurring/standing appointments weekly/monthly. Reschedules are allowed and are detailed within our Attendance Policy. All schedule changes must be made through the front office either via phone, email, or secure messaging. 

Attendance/Cancellation Policy

 Regular attendance of scheduled therapy sessions is crucial to your progress. Therefore, to better serve our growing number of patients and their families, we require everyone to follow our 85% attendance policy and respect our “24 Hour cancellation” policy regarding appointment cancellations and rescheduling. No shows and late cancellations (later than 24 hours)  are subject to a $50 fee.  No-shows should happen only in the case of a dire emergency, since in most cases, you are able to call, email, or text to cancel an appointment. 

In the rare event that a patient has 3 no-show appointments in one quarter, they will be removed from the schedule so that another patient on the waiting list may be seen. 

Purple Heron understands that unexpected circumstances can never fully be avoided and we are more than willing to work with each of you on a case by case basis to resolve any unexpected scheduling issues that may arise from time to time. This may mean working with another therapist when rescheduling occurs. 

Please make sure you notify the clinic when you are unable to keep scheduled appointments. If you have any questions, or need to reschedule an appointment please do not hesitate to call the clinic. We will be more than happy to work with you.

Our attendance policy is as follows: 

• All clients must maintain 85% attendance for all therapy appointments. Three no shows for scheduled appointments results in immediate discharge.

•  Purple Heron reserves the right to discharge patients who do not maintain 85% attendance or violate the “no show/no call” policy. 

 ● Cancellations must be made by phone or secure message or email,  with 24 hours advance notice whenever possible. 

● We understand that people get sick, and emergencies happen. So, if 24 hours notice is not possible, please just call as soon as you can, because we often have clients waiting to

 ● 1 cancellation per month is allowed, as long as it is rescheduled within the following week (upon availability). 

● We strive to provide 25 minutes of productive treatment each session. Should you arrive more than 15 minutes late, Purple Heron reserves the right to cancel your appointment. If there has been no phone call prior to the appointment start time, that will be counted as a no-show for that day.