Financial Policy

We want billing arrangements to be as straightforward as possible
  1. Services provided by the Children’s Program are billed on an hourly basis. Charges are
    submitted under the client’s name. If a child is the client, billing is submitted under the child’s
    name.

  2. Medical and Psychological services provided at the Children’s Program may be covered
    under the mental health benefits of your health insurance contract. Extended phone calls,
    follow-up correspondence, and out-of-the office consultation cannot be billed to health insurance.
    Speech and Language services insurance coverage vary greatly. It is your responsibility to
    understand these insurance benefits before your visits occur. We cannot guarantee services will be
    covered/paid for by your plan. Educational services are not health insurance covered. We do
    not submit claims for these visits.

  3. Our office maintains a direct billing relationship with many, but not all, health insurance
    companies (click here for insurance information).
    It is important for families to educate themselves about the mental health
    benefits of their health insurance policies. Determine if your company provides a managed
    mental health benefit, whether you must meet a deductible, the amount of your copayment/coinsurance, and whether pre-authorization is required. In most cases pre-authorization
    is initiated by the family/client and NOT the primary care physician/pediatrician. Coverage is
    limited for specific diagnoses e.g. Attention Deficit, Autism Spectrum, or for particular
    services, e.g., psychological testing, family therapy.

  4. We will do our best to inform you of your financial obligation when scheduling your
    appointment. When a child is the client, the parent/guardian seeking services is responsible for
    the account. A Child Information form and a Consent for Healthcare Operations form
    must be completed prior to your first appointment. A credit card must be maintained on file.
    Credit card information is maintained in StoredPay, a service that allows your client
    payment information to be securely stored on file with the Children’s Program payment service,
    BillFlash. All payments incur a $1 administrative fee.
          a) If we are NOT contracted to bill your health insurance, payment in full is due at the
    time of the appointment. Fees are collected on the day of your appointment. Families
    using an out-of-network benefit can request copies of fee slips and a guide for selfbilling insurance.
          b) If we are billing your primary/secondary health insurance company we will attempt to
    gather information about your mental health benefits. However, this information does
    not guarantee payment. The agreement with your insurance carrier is a contract
    between you, your insurance company and, in some cases, your employer. Please
    remember, billing insurance is not a guarantee of payment. If your insurance plan does
    not cover a service, a procedure, or a diagnosis, you are responsible for these charges.
    A credit card must be maintained on file. Your financial responsibility for your visit,
    whether it is a deductible, copayment/co-insurance, will be charged to this credit card
    on the day of your appointment.

  5. Financial arrangements between divorced parents must be handled independently of the
    Children’s Program. In cases of divorce, the parent seeking service is responsible for the
    account and must sign the Consent for Healthcare Operations form. If the other parent
    holds the insurance, they, too, must sign a Consent for Payment and Healthcare Operations form.
    This gives us permission to bill the health insurance. Fees due on the day of an appointment must
    be collected at every visit regardless of who brings a child to the appointment.

  6. We will bill a clients insurance carriers if we are provided current and correct information.
    Our policy is to allow insurance carriers 60 days to pay a claim. Please notify us prior to your
    next appointment if you have a change in insurance. The Children’s Program will not bill
    retroactively for changes in insurance.

  7. Accounts unpaid after 60 days will be assessed a re-billing charge. If a payment has
    not been received from an insurance company within 60 days, we encourage the client to
    work actively with the insurance company to secure payment. Accounts with unpaid
    balances after 90 days will be referred for collection action. To avoid collection action
    and re-billing charges you will be contacted to use your credit card number. This will
    be kept on file and can be used to settle the balance. We make every attempt to contact
    you prior to charging an unpaid balance.

  8. Please call our Billing Office at (503) 452-8002 (Option 3 for billing) or (503) 452-0307 if
    you need a printout of your account or to answer any questions.

  9. In the event of non-payment of charges, the Children’s Program shall be entitled to recover all
    costs and expenses incurred in seeking collection of such charges, including, without limitation,
    court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees, whether such claims are pursued through court
    proceedings, appellate or bankruptcy proceedings, arbitration, and/or mediation.

  10. Please note our cancellation policies outlined below.
          a) If you must cancel an evaluation appointment, please notify us at least 5
    business days in advance. We may elect not to reschedule evaluations canceled
    without sufficient notice. A mandatory fee up to 100% of the full charge may be
    assessed.
          b) To cancel a scheduled therapy appointment, please call during office hours and
    give at least 48 business hours advance notice. A mandatory fee of up to 100%of
    the charge will be assessed for missed appointments or appointments cancelled
    without this notice.
          c) Cancellations left on voicemail after business hours will be considered received as
    of the next business day. Reminder phone calls are not guaranteed.
          d) Cancelled appointments are not billable to insurance.

Click to download a copy of this financial policy page   PDF

Click to download a copy of therapy group financial policy  PDF