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Learning Coach LLC Practice Policies

Learning Coach LLC - Bellingham, WA - LearningCoachWA.com - 360-207-4560

 

Practice Pledge

Learning Coach LLC pledges to use the following standards of practice to help children, adolescents, and families show measurable improvement in outcomes related to learning:

  1. Family Coaching for clarity and engagement in goal-setting and methodologies.

  2. Positive Rapport with students and families by using contexts of play, problem-solving, and student-centered interests and language.

  3. Expertise in Developmental Learning for applying up-to-date, evidence-based methodologies appropriate to a student’s age and development.

  4. Holistic Analysis for viewing all aspects of a problem related to learning, and identifying an accessible target for improving overall outcomes.

  5. Everyday Integration for integrating therapeutic goals and methodologies into the student’s everyday contexts.

 

Service Process and Timelines

  1. Initial Interview. Learning Coach LLC offers free initial phone calls for clients to explore whether services meet their needs, and also offers resources for clients to read about services.

  2. Intake information. Clients acknowledge they have reviewed Practice Policies, Notification of Privacy Policies, Informed Consent for Occupational Therapy, Electronic Communications Policy. Additionally, clients submit information regarding client needs, insurance information, and physician referral information. Learning Coach LLC will then return an Estimate of Benefits Coverage Form.

  3. Initial Evaluation. Learning Coach LLC conducts a 105-minute evaluation of the client in their home or other familiar location based on information provided in the intake information, and then collaborates with clients to create goals and treatment strategies likely to show progress.

  4. Monthly Scheduling. Clients and Learning Coach LLC review dates, times, and locations of all appointments for the following calendar month before the first service occurs. Appointments take place in locations most relevant to the client’s goals, and may include the client’s home or a simulated classroom environment; social environments such as a cafe or outdoor play area; a private office or clinical space; or other location agreed between the client and provider during treatment planning.

  5. Quarterly Treatment Planning. Every 3 months (a “quarter”) Learning Coach LLC and clients collaborate to review goal progress and treatment strategies. If the client shows a continued need for services, services may continue after Learning Coach LLC and clients agree on updated goals and treatment strategies. 

  6. Termination of Services. Services are terminated for any of the following reasons: clients have met their goals and show no continued need for services; clients are not showing progress despite multiple strategies attempted; client attendance rate has fallen below 80% of what is expected in the treatment plan; person financially responsible has not paid for services; or other reasons accompanied by good faith explanation. Learning Coach LLC will notify clients of risk of service termination by reminding clients of specific practice policies, giving a notification of “final warning,” and then a notification of termination.

 

Client Portal

Learning Coach LLC uses an online portal where clients can view their scheduled session times and available times for rescheduling, accessible on personal computers and mobile devices. It can be accessed from a personal computer on www.LearningCoachWA.com by clicking Scheduling Portal at the top-right of the screen, or by going directly to www.LearningCoachWA.com/account/my_bookings. It can be found on a mobile device via the application Spaces (by Wix) and the invite code LCOACH.

 

Cancellations and Rescheduling

Learning Coach LLC affirms the importance of consistent practice to meet therapeutic outcomes and also recognizes the urgency of unexpected health changes, and therefore operates under the following cancellation policies:

 

Rescheduling. Any cancellations to scheduled appointments require a make-up appointment within 14 days of the canceled appointment, or are subject to a $45 missed session fee. Clients can cancel and reschedule sessions via the client portal.

 

Alternative Appointments. Clients may choose to reschedule an appointment as an alternative appointment, such as a virtual session for the client, a phone consultation with a person on the client’s plan of care, or the transmission of therapeutic materials and activities (e.g. videos or worksheets). Please note that all alternative appointments are billed as a full session and may not be covered by a third-party payer.

 

Late cancellations. Illness-related cancellations should be made before 9:00am the day of the appointment or are subject to a late cancellation fee of $45. Non-illness-related cancellations within 24 hours of the appointment are subject to a $45 late cancellation fee and rely on good-faith honest reports from clients about the nature of the cancellation.

 

No Shows. Appointments in which the client does not arrive to the appointment location within 15 minutes of the agreed appointment time, or gives less than 30 minutes’ cancellation notice, are charged as a completed session. (This is the worst-case scenario, but accounts for therapist travel and preparation time.)

 

Contact and Communications

Learning Coach LLC’s standard business hours are Mondays through Fridays, 8am to 5pm, in which Learning Coach LLC makes good faith attempts to return missed calls or electronic communication within 2 business days. 

 

Learning Coach LLC occasionally uses social media to seek feedback from the community on local learning-related needs, as well as to dispense information detailing best practices regarding learning. Learning Coach LLC reserves the right to provide general guidance to the community without accepting networking requests such as friend requests, follows, or other networking.

 

Clients may use the contact field on www.LearningCoachWA.com or the email chris@learningcoachwa.com for general inquiries. The use of electronic communication that involves protected health information being sent, received, or stored electronically carries a level of security risk. Learning Coach LLC recommends, and in some cases requires, the use of secure (encrypted) forms of communication to minimize the security risk, though this does not always guarantee or eliminate the risk of a potential breach of information. Conversations involving protected health information or therapeutic content are most secure via a phone conversation or in-person session. More information can be found via the Electronic Communications & Telehealth Consent Form.

 

Routine versus Professional Calls

Learning Coach LLC provides virtual (phone or video conference) consultation and coaching, and makes distinctions about when phone calls are billed as a service:

 

There is no charge for brief exchanges of routine information, typically under 10 minutes. There is no charge for initial calls to discuss whether services are appropriate for a prospective client. 

 

There may be a charge for calls requesting therapeutic information, opinion, interpretation, planning, or other professional service. Learning Coach LLC therapists will inform the client when their response will constitute as a billable service and reach an agreement on whether to continue with the consultation, schedule a separate phone consultation, exchange information during an upcoming in-person service delivery, or another option.

 

Payment Policies

Learning Coach LLC strives to make services accessible to clients by utilizing payment sources that reduce the financial cost to the client. However, all services require a designated person to assume financial responsibility for services not covered by insurance. 

 

Learning Coach LLC’s standard service fee is $120 per hour of service, billed in 15-minute increments. This rate applies to therapeutic sessions provided in the client’s home or community, as well as scheduled phone consultations and coaching calls. Learning Coach LLC also periodically provides group classes, prices of which are posted on the Learning Coach LLC website at learningcoachwa.com/groups.

 

Learning Coach LLC offers: 

  1. A good faith estimates of service costs after scheduling an evaluation;

  2. An estimate of benefits to clients who provide insurance verification; 

  3. A statement of insurance reimbursement (“superbill”) at the end of every service month for those opting to use a third-party payer source; 

  4. Commitment to furnishing complete, accurate records of medical necessity for third-party payer sources.

  5. Notification if a third-party payer source determines that a rendered service is not covered.

 

Payment is due at the time of service, or upon notification that a third-party payer source has not covered services. If fees are not paid in full, services may be postponed or canceled until payment is received.

 

Court Proceedings and Legal Fees

Learning Coach LLC understands that focusing on learning outcomes for students may require navigating tensions involving schools, healthcare, social services, families, and other entities. Learning Coach LLC encourages navigating tensions within the context of coaching services, working with families to identify challenges, possible solutions, and committed courses of action. To preserve coaching as the preferred avenue for resolving tensions, Learning Coach LLC charges fees associated with involvement in court action at a rate higher than the standard professional fee:

  1. Preparation time (including submission of records): $150/hr (billed in 15 minute increments, rounded up)

  2. Phone calls: $150/hr (billed in 15 minute increments, rounded up)

  3. Depositions: $150/hour

  4. Time required in giving testimony: $150/hour

  5. Mileage: $0.63/mile

  6. Time away from office due to depositions or testimony: $150/hour

  7. All attorney fees and costs incurred by the therapist as a result of the legal action.

  8. Filing a document with the court: $100

  9. The minimum charge for a court appearance: $1000

 

PLEASE NOTE: A retainer of $1000 is due in advance. If a subpoena or notice to meet attorney(s) is received without a minimum of 48-hour notice there will be an additional $250 express charge. Also, if the case is reset with less than 48-hour notice, then clients will be charged $500 in addition to the retainer of $1000. All fees are doubled if any out-of-town travel is superseded by the court action.

 

Release of Information

Learning Coach LLC evaluation and treatment is informed holistically by the client’s educational, medical, social, and developmental history. Learning Coach LLC recommends clients complete a release of information form for Learning Coach LLC to receive information from the client’s primary care physician, school, and other relevant  therapeutic services received.

 

Complaints 

Clients with complaints about services received or rights violated are first encouraged to bring the complaint up with Learning Coach LLC at 360-207-4560 for informal resolution. If clients determine the complaint has not been adequately resolved, they can also contact the Washington State Department of Health’s complaints department at 360-236-4700.

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