Service Agreement
Summary of main points
- Responsibilities of FFT
FFT will be as open, honest, and transparent as possible in all communication and decision making. FFT fully recognise parents and carers as knowing participants best. FFT clinicians will always act in what they deem to be the best interest of the client based on experience, knowledge and research.
- Responsibilities of Participants and/or their carers
Participant’s and their representatives will:
- Be open and honest with FFT staff.
- Understand that therapy is dependent on goals and once goal(s) have been reached are accepting that discharge will be completed.
- Be aware of the information in this service agreement.
- Understand that session times are rarely flexible and agree to be at their scheduled appointment
- Keep their accounts settled per the payment terms and conditions
- Give no less than 2 weeks’ notice for termination of service.
- Appointments
The client’s appointment time is scheduled for them at a weekly (sometimes other) frequency. This time is rarely flexible and needs to be attended to avoid cancellation fees.
Initial bookings for new clients will require a deposit to be paid. Deposits for Parent Meetings will be taken at the time of booking via Credit Card details costing $90. This will be allocated to the total session cost after the parent meeting has occurred.
- Cancellations
Cancellations the day before a scheduled session will incur a 50% (100% for client’s using NDIS under their guidelines) fee.
Cancellations of scheduled assessments within 48 hours of the assessment will incur a 50% cancellation fee unless rescheduled within two weeks from the date. This may not always be possible within the therapists’ calendar. All short-notice cancellations must occur by via phone call to the office or your therapist. If they are unavailable, leaving a voice message is required. Text messages or emails for short-notice cancellations will not be accepted.
- Fees
FFT will only charge fees for work that is directly related to a clients’ care/support. You understand this may include direct sessions, travel, report writing, resource-creation (specific for the client’s goals) and phone calls (to you and to other support services/professionals).
- Reports
A minimum of 2 weeks’ notice is required for report writing
Condition of Service
Functional Focus Therapy aims to provide a professional, fun and safe environment for all clients, their families and other stakeholders with direct or indirect support in a person’s life. As such we have a range of conditions in place which ensure families understand the requirements of Functional Focus Therapy but also their own requirements when accessing the service.
Responsibilities of Functional Focus Therapy
Functional Focus Therapy agrees to:
- talk to you about the sorts of supports you would like to receive
- provide the supports that we have agreed on
- communicate openly and honestly
- treat you with courtesy and respect
- include you in all decisions about how supports are provided
- listen to your feedback and resolve problems quickly
- give you information about managing any complaints or disagreements
- give you information about our cancellation policy
- tell you if we have to change an appointment with you and give you a minimum of 24 hours notice whenever possible
- tell you if Functional Focus Therapy needs to end this service agreement and give you the agreed notice
- keep your information private and confidential
- obey all relevant laws and guidelines, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 and rules, and the consumer law
- keep your records about your supports
- give you regular invoices and statements for your supports
- ensure equipment is safe and ensure insurance is present for accidents onsite.
Participant (Participant Representative) Responsibilities
Participants agree to:
- communicate honestly and openly
- treat Functional Focus Therapy staff with respect and courtesy
- talk to Functional Focus Therapy about any problems or concerns about the supports being provided
- tell Functional Focus Therapy if you can’t make an appointment by contacting at least a minimum of 24 hours before the scheduled appointment time
- tell Functional Focus Therapy if you need to end the Service Agreement (see Ending the Service Agreement below for more information)
- For NDIS participants you will let Functional Focus Therapy know immediately if your NDIS plan changes or you stop being part of the NDIS
General Processes
- Therapists may need to observe and work with a child in community settings such as schools, preschools and day care centers without the parents present. Appointments such as these will first be agreed to by the parents.
- Parents are strongly encouraged to stay with their children during clinic-based therapy sessions in order for strategies to be carried over to home. If you are unable to stay for the therapy session, please ensure your child is picked up on time. There are no child-minding facilities at the clinic and often the therapist will need to leave the clinic to attend other appointments. Fees for the extra time may be applied if the therapist is required to mind your child following the appointment. These fees will be charged in 30 minute increments.
- If you are late for an appointment the therapist will endeavour to make extra time for you at the end of the session. This may not always be possible if the therapist needs to attend other appointments. You will be charged for the full session time however.
- Time will be allocated as part of the session for discussion with parents and the child about progress. If families require a written summary of the session time will need to be allocated during the session to complete the summary notes.
- Progress reports are available for collection within no less than 2-week of a request. These reports cost are charged at the normal hourly rate for therapy support.
- Session times may change during holidays. If you have had a regular timeslot during the term, this time will need to be confirmed prior to the school holidays. If you would like to be seen in the holidays, then please contact your therapist prior to the commencement of the break. Appointment times will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
- Home programs and activities will be provided when deemed necessary by the therapist.
- Siblings can be a help or sometimes a distraction for your child. If the therapist feels a sibling is decreasing the effectiveness of a session, they may ask that the sibling not attend future sessions. You also acknowledge that siblings are not covered by FFTs insurance and no risk is accepted by FFT for siblings.
- It is recommended that your children do not play with the therapy toys or equipment unless supervised by the therapist. This will prevent breakages and accidents (some equipment is fragile while other pieces can be dangerous if not used correctly).
- Staff will endeavour to respond to phone calls promptly however specific times are allocated for extended phone calls and at times this may be a couple of days after your contact.
- Non-direct aspects of therapy provision (including talking with other stakeholders, creating resources, etc.) are a necessary part of the therapeutic process. Non-direct work that is specific and relevant to a client will be charged at the normal hourly rate. General resources will not be charged.
Fees and Payments
Functional Focus Therapy will seek payments on a regular basis for their provision of supports provided. Clients who attend the clinic should pay on the day. For community-based sessions clients will need to have credit card details kept on file to be debited following the session. For NDIS clients your funds will be deducted in accordance with the Schedule of Supports (see attachment) depending on how your plan is managed. Functional Focus Therapy may also have a direct debit payment system set up which, will allow for automatic deductions from a nominated card/account once an invoice is created. All payments are required to be paid no later than 7 days from being invoiced. Please be open and honest with your therapist about any payment issues as Functional Focus Therapy will work with you where possible to create payment plans or the like.
For new clients, a $90 deposit is required at the time of booking the initial parent meeting. This will be completed over the phone via our client management software; Halaxy. This deposit is required for the booking to be confirmed. In the rare instance therapy begins before a parent meeting, a $300 deposit for the assessment session is required. If not formal assessment is taking place a $90 deposit for the initial treatment session is required.
You agree to ensure that Functional Focus Therapy is paid for services.
|
|
FEES |
Initial Assessment and report |
Standard assessment $600 Comprehensive Assessment $780 Screening Summary $300 – please note that a screening summary is a specific type of assessment for certain referral types. If this is an option you are considering please discuss it with your therapist. |
Individual Consultation |
Therapist Rate (current) $190 per hour $145 per 45 minutes $95 per 30 minutes |
School or Home Visit |
Prices as above with additional travel costs outlined below Travel fee: Rates are charged at $47.50 per 15-minute interval. This means from 1-15 minutes would be charged at $47.50, 16-30 minutes would be charged at 2 x $47.50. No more than 30 minutes travel will be charged unless under extenuating circumstances such as a one-off visit well outside of the geographical area of practice. |
Reports |
$190 per hour (current) |
Meetings |
$190 per hour (current) |
Phone Calls and Video Conferences |
Phone calls are free for up to 10 minutes. Phone calls beyond this time may be charged as per the normal therapy rate. |
National Disability Insurance Scheme |
Standard Therapist Rate Based on the current NDIS therapy rate per hour with standard NDIS travel rate applied |
Groups |
Costs vary depending on the size of the group and number of therapists. Parents will be informed of costs for groups before attending. Group sessions are paid for up front as a block of sessions. Reimbursement will not be provided for missed sessions or non-attendance. |
Travel
In providing supports to you, Functional Focus Therapy may incur travel costs. Travel costs are outlined in the table above. For extreme travel circumstances (i.e. completing a specific visit 60 minutes away from the clinic) an individual travel cost agreement will be discussed with the client and/or their delegate prior to the visit occurring.
Multidisciplinary Collaboration and Liaison
From time-to-time collaboration, discussion and communication between Functional Focus Therapy and other organisations/individuals in a client’s care/support team (e.g. teacher, support worker, psychologist, speech pathologist, etc.). This is a highly important part of the therapeutic process that supports transparency and consistency in information sharing between support networks in a clients’ life. Any communication of this nature greater than 10 minutes, that is regarding a specific client, will be charged under the normal therapy rate in increments of 15 minutes.
Changes to the Conditions of Service
If something needs to change about your supports or the way they are provided, we agree to discuss this and then to review the Agreement of Service. Any changes to the Agreement of Service will be in writing and signed and dated by you and Functional Focus Therapy.
Feedback, Complaints and Disputes
If you want to give Functional Focus Therapy feedback or have a problem or a complaint, you can do this by:
- Speaking to a Functional Focus Therapy staff member
- Emailing Functional Focus Therapy directly
- Mailing a letter to Functional Focus Therapy
- Accessing Feedback and complaints form (general or NDIA specific)
- Using the anonymous feedback or suggestions box available within the clinic.
If your queries do not receive a satisfactory response you can contact the service governing bodies OT Australia or AHPRA on https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Notifications/Make-a-complaint.aspx
For NDIS clients If you are not satisfied with this you can contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguard Commission by calling 1800 035 544, visiting one of their offices or https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/participants/complaints for further information.
Cancellation Policy
All cancellations and non-attendance without prior notification will be billed at the following rates:
- Ongoing appointments
- More than the day prior to your scheduled appointment no charge
- The day prior to your scheduled appointment (short notice cancellation) 50% of scheduled fee
- Failure to attend, no notice 100% of scheduled fee
(for NDIS clients 100% of the original fee will be charged under NDIS guidelines)
- Assessments (including parent meeting and initial assessment session).
- Less than 48 hours’ notice (short notice cancellation) 50% of scheduled fee unless re-scheduled for a later date
When you have provided more than one business day’s notice (48 hours for assessments), we will reschedule your missed appointment whenever possible without charge (subject to therapist availability). Please note this as the day before your scheduled appointment not 24 hours
All short-notice cancellations must be made via phone call to the office or your therapist. If staff are busy, please leave a voicemail. WhatsApp messages or emails will not be accepted as forms of notification for short-notice cancellations.
Illness Policy
Functional Focus Therapy endeavours to maintain a hygienic and safe environment for all children and adults. If you or your child are sick, then you should not attend therapy. Your therapist may refuse to treat your child if they are ill. In these circumstances a full cancellation fee will be applied. If you or your child has had a gastrointestinal issue resulting in vomiting and/or diarrhea they should not attend therapy within 48hours of the cessation of symptoms.
Ending Services or Changing Frequency
Frequency of service
Bookings are generally long term and ongoing. At FFT the majority of our clients will book in for weekly or fortnightly appointments. This is our standard of practice. In the initial stages of therapy all new clients (unless in circumstances discussed with the therapist upon making a booking/in the initial assessment) will be seen weekly. This allows for a more regular capacity to build rapport, share information and collaborate. Following this initial period (e.g. 5 weeks), a decision can be made with the therapist as to shifting the frequency of the sessions based on a client’s goals and progress. Less frequent (i.e. consultative or school holiday) sessions are also options for service delivery for clients, however these instances must be first formally discussed with the client or their primary caregiver(s) and the therapist. This does not include an email, text message or something similarly informal that suggests you would like the frequency of the service to change.
For changes in frequency of any kind to occur the following is required
- A minimum of 1 sessions notice. For example if your fortnightly session was on a Thursday, you would be required to fulfil that session before the frequency changes.
- A formal discussion with the therapist where both parties can collaborate on the pros, cons and adjustments necessary for the shift to be most beneficial, or deemed clinically appropriate.
If the above do not occur, a session fee will be charged per the previously agreed upon session time and frequency.
Withdrawal or Termination of Services by a Participant
Functional Focus Therapy acknowledges that participants have choice and control in the delivery of their supports. In line with this a participant may terminate their Individual Agreement of Service at any time. For participants accessing services through NDIS a minimum of 14 days’ notice is required for termination of an Agreement of Service. Notices should be given in writing or via email for NDIS participants. For client’s paying
privately or with different funding types a minimum of 7 days’ notice is required for termination of the service without incurring a cessation fee.
As part of our commitment to quality service delivery and continuous improvement, Functional Focus Therapy will endeavour to ascertain the reason for the termination of services by the Participant.
Withdrawal or Termination of Services by Functional Focus Therapy
The Service Agreement may be cancelled by Functional Focus Therapy if:
- The Participant and/or their Nominee fails to do what is required of them under the terms of their Individual Service Agreement
- The Participant and/or their Nominee fails to comply with the policies and procedures of Functional Focus Therapy including the staff’s right to feel safe and secure.
- The Participant and/or their Nominee fails to communicate and provide information pertaining to changes to support needs
- Workplace Health and Safety considerations are ignored
- Communication has broken down between the Parties and/or
- Payment for support and/or expenses has not been received
Privacy
At Functional Focus Therapy, we take the privacy and personal information of the clients who visit us, our employees and our suppliers very seriously. We won’t discuss you/ your child or give you/your child’s personal information to any individual, company or organisation outside of Functional Focus Therapy unless you’ve provided us with your written consent, or we are legally obliged to under court order.
Importantly, in the case of divorced or separated parents, we will only deal with the fee-paying party who engaged our services in the first instance. We will only share information relating to the assessment and treatment of the child with the other parent and/or carers if we have the consent of the initial party or are legally obliged to disclose specified information under court order.
We will never sell or trade your personal data to third party list brokers or direct marketing companies. We’ll do our very best to ensure that your personal data is kept safe and secure for as long as your details are in our care. Once our relationship has been concluded, Functional Focus Therapy will destroy or de-identify personal information due to redundancy, after our legal obligations to retain the information have expired.
Functional Focus Therapy takes reasonable steps to protect personal information held from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, for example by use of physical security and restricted access to electronic records.
- Texting communication
For clients wishing to communicate with their therapist via a text style carrier service WhatsApp must be used. Therapists will not respond to SMS communication. WhatsApp allows client sensitive data to be sent via an encrypted service. It also allows communication to be exported to a client file for record keeping (necessary for health service providers and their obligations). Families/client’s do not need to use WhatsApp and are welcome to use email/phone calls. Families/clients should also note that therapists are not obligated to have access to their emails on their mobile phones.
By reading and signing this service agreement you imply that you understand that client’s personal and health information will be stored on what are reasonably understood to be secure software platforms.
