Referral and Intake FAQs
the first steps
Exploring therapy services for your child? We’re here to help! Please contact us if we can answer any questions or assist in coordinating your child’s therapy referral.
Getting Started
Parents are encouraged to speak with their child’s primary care provider about any concerns related to their child’s development and overall health. Many insurances require a referral for a therapy evaluation, and it is helpful for us to receive your child’s most recent medical records. We invite you to call us if you have questions about therapy or need assistance coordinating a referral. Once we receive the referral, we will call you to clarify your concerns and to schedule the initial evaluation.
We will contact you as soon as we receive a referral for your child’s therapy evaluation(s). If we are at capacity and unable to offer you an evaluation appointment at the time of the initial call, we will provide an estimated timeline for scheduling. Please consider your child’s routine to optimize their participation in the initial visit. We will make every effort to accommodate your child’s daily routines and your family’s busy schedule.
Therapy Evaluation FAQs
what to expect
During your first visit, we will ask questions about your child’s birth history, health history, daily activities, current challenges, and goals. The evaluation process typically includes both clinical observation and completion of a pediatric standardized assessment. One hour is reserved for each evaluation, and we strongly encourage a parent or primary caregiver to attend.
A pediatric physical therapist will observe your child’s movement during play, recreational activities, and other everyday motor tasks. Please have your child dress in comfortable clothing that allows for free movement with supportive, non-slip shoes. If your child wears an orthotic device or uses adaptive equipment, please bring these items (or information about these items) to your child’s evaluation.
A pediatric speech language pathologist will engage your child in play and observe his/her communication ability, language development, and speech sound characteristics. Depending on the age of your child, he or she may also be asked to answer specific questions from a standardized assessment.
A pediatric occupational therapist will evaluate your child often in way that will look and feel like play. While this is happening the therapist will be making clinical observations about muscle tone, coordination and motor planning, fine motor skills, sensory processing, activities of daily living skills, problem solving and other functions related to neurological and motor development. Various standardized tests may be administered depending on the age of your child.
A pediatric speech language pathologist will ask questions about your child’s food intake, food preferences, and eating history. The therapist will also give your child something to eat and drink to observe how he or she bites, chews, and swallows. You may be asked to bring a few of your child’s favorite foods. Please do not feed your child 1-2 hours before the feeding evaluation so he or she will be hungry and ready to eat.
A pediatric physical therapist will review your child’s toileting habits, assess their ability to isolate their pelvic floor muscles, complete a posture and breathing assessment, and discuss recommendations and treatment goals. The therapist will ask about parent and child comfort levels throughout the evaluation. Nothing will be performed without verbal consent from both the parent and the child.
Treatment FAQs
maximizing outcomes
A licensed therapist will work one-on-one with your child while educating and instructing you in home program activities to support targeted therapy goals. In some cases, our therapists work in partnership with other healthcare or community providers to achieve the goals in your child’s plan of care. If this is necessary, we will help to coordinate referrals to the appropriate healthcare professionals or community services.
Consistency is important for your child’s progress, so standing appointments are offered on a weekly basis at the frequency and duration recommended by your evaluating therapist. We typically reserve 55 minutes for PT and OT appointments and either 25 or 55 minutes for ST appointments.
Therapists begin by taking time to connect with your child and build rapport. Therapy is designed to allow for success during every visit. As your child progresses, activities will be modified to remain challenging, yet achievable. Our therapists utilize evidence-based practice, incorporating research findings with clinical expertise. We draw on extensive training and experience to tailor treatment to your child’s specific needs and interests.
Evaluation findings and parent input will guide the development of your child’s individualized plan of care. This plan will include measurable and functional goals designed to improve your child’s participation in daily activities at home, school, or in the community.
Payment FAQs
financial considerations
It is important to understand your child’s medical insurance benefits for each therapy and your payment options prior to beginning therapy services. Please contact us prior to your evaluation visit if you have questions or need any assistance. We’re here to help!
We attempt to make our therapy services accessible to all children in need. We accept cash, check, debit, credit, and third party insurance payments. We are an in-network provider for many major insurances, including Idaho Medicaid.
We encourage you to carefully review your insurance policy’s benefits to understand the details of the contract between you and your insurance company. We are happy to assist if you have questions about your benefits for outpatient therapy. However, we are unable to guarantee the accuracy of the information we receive from your insurance company. For your convenience, we will submit insurance claims on your behalf and mail you monthly account balance statements. Per our financial policies, you are ultimately responsible for full payment of your account.
If you do not have medical insurance that provides a benefit for outpatient therapy, or if you prefer to pay privately, we offer a prompt pay discount for payment made in full at the time of service. Please contact our office for details.
Please contact our office as soon as you know your child will have a change in insurance. We will explore your child’s new therapy benefits with you and prepare for any changes in out-of-pocket responsibility. Failure to notify our office of insurance changes results in delayed and denied claims, potentially increasing your out-of-pocket costs. Per our financial policies, you are ultimately responsible for full payment of your account.