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Therapist FAQ's

Answers to common questions.

What does it mean to be an independent contractor vs. employee?

As an independent contractor, you have the freedom to manage your own schedule and workload. The graphic below illustrates some of the differences between the two classifications:

Therapist FAQ

Will taxes be taken out of my payments?

No. You will receive a 1099 at the end of the year. A 1099 is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) form that is used to report income.

How and when will I get paid?

You will receive direct deposit to your bank account bi-weekly in arrears (with a one week lag to allow time for any adjustments to the appointments schedule and for session notes to be input).  Payments are triggered by an appointment in TheraNest with an associated session note or evaluation report.  For evaluation sessions, compensation is based on two hours of work (session time and report writing).  For subsequent therapy sessions, compensation is based on the duration of the session up to a maximum of one hour.  Pay days are generally every other Friday.

How long is a session?

Speech and language sessions are 45 minutes in length. OT and PT are 55 minutes. If you think a client would benefit from a shorter or longer session time, please contact us to discuss.

Will I be evaluating my client?

If a child has not been evaluated within the past 12 months, you will need to conduct an evaluation and write new treatment plan prior to getting started.  The evaluation is conducted at the child’s first scheduled session.  Within one week from the evaluation, you should provide the family with a copy of your evaluation report that includes treatment goals, frequency recommendations, and a general idea of the length of treatment.

If a client has been evaluated within the last twelve months and has a copy of the report, a new evaluation is not required.  That said, if you feel the child would benefit from an updated evaluation, you may conduct one but please let us know beforehand as we will need to check the client’s insurance to see if it will be covered.

How long is an evaluation?

Evaluations are conducted at the first session (same length as a therapy session).  If therapy is recommended and you need more time to complete the evaluation, you may continue the evaluation in the next scheduled session.  

What is the cancellation policy?

TherapyWorks Cancellation Policy:

The late cancellation / no show fee is $100 and is not billable to insurance. If you are unable to attend a session, please cancel your session a minimum of 12 hours in advance. That said, we understand that children may present symptoms of illness the morning of his/her therapy session. Parents will not be penalized for late cancellations due to illness. If you do need to cancel the same day as services, please text your therapist directly or call us at 312-780-0820.

We have a reminder system in place through our software, but a text or email from you will help ensure that families remember their scheduled appointments. 

What format do I use for notes and evaluations?

Our practice management software, TheraNest, provides a general template for notes and evaluations.

You are welcome to use any format that you are comfortable with. We have templates and example evaluations on our dashboard page.

The most important aspect of evaluations and reports is measurable data. Your progress notes should concretely show a child’s progress.

Do parents see my progress notes or do I need to send them?

Parents are not able to view your progress notes but you are more than welcome to share them. Parent communication is highly important to us.  If a parent is not present for a session, please provide them with a text or email to let them know what you worked on and how the session went (and please remember to only use initials if you communicate via text or email.)

Do you have evaluation materials?

Yes.  We have hard copies of assessments as well as digital copies through Q-interactive.  Email [email protected] and we will work with you to make sure you have the materials you need for your evaluation.

Do the parents typically sit-in on therapy sessions?

Parents are often present for in-home sessions.  This decision can be made in conjunction with the parents based on the needs of the child.

What happens if my session is cut short?

Occasionally, this happens, especially when working with children.  Please note the session length in the TheraNest calendar.  Any portion of time that is billable to insurance will also be paid time for you. 

Do we need to write a note for cancelled sessions?

If a session is fully cancelled, there is no need to write a progress note but please note the reason for the cancellation in the calendar.  If the session is cut short, please provide a note that describes the reason the session was cut short (and anything else that is relevant). 

What if parents do not fill out the intake form before my first session?

TherapyWorks provides an optional intake form for therapist use. We’ve found that some therapists like to send the form before meeting a family and others prefer to do a live interview at the first session. If you send the intake form, you will be notified when the completed form is added to TheraNest. 

Do we have cut off scores that we use to qualify clients for therapy?

No.  If a child presents with a delay or disorder that impacts them academically, socially, communicatively or emotionally, and our services will improve their skills and/or abilities; therapy is warranted.  Your clinical recommendations, as the evaluating therapist, are respected and will be followed.

Do we get paid for report writing, meeting with parents, or phone consultations?

There is no additional payment for report writing as it is built-in to your flat fee compensation for evaluations.

If a parent requests an in-person meeting at home or school, we want to make sure they know that meetings are not billable to insurance. We’re happy to discuss with your families before the scheduled meeting. 

Phone consultations in order to introduce yourself or familiarize yourself with a case are not reimbursable.

In the event that a family requests a phone consultation in lieu of therapy (i.e. if you are providing therapeutic instruction and recommendations over the phone), we consider this a billable service.

What if I need to cancel a session or have a vacation planned?

As an independent contractor you are in charge of your own schedule. You do not need to notify us or ask permission for vacations. Simply notify your families (with as much advance notice as possible) and keep your appointments updated in TheraNest.

If you’re able to schedule a make-up session, you can arrange an alternative time with the family and add the appointment to the calendar.

Our primary focus is ensuring that the kids we treat make progress. Use your clinical judgment to determine whether a make up session is needed.