Learning Coach Practice Policies

Services

Practice Pledge

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

1. Student-Family Coaching for clarity and engagement in setting goals and strategies to meet them.
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 View for viewing all aspects of a problem related to learning, and identifying an accessible target for improving overall outcomes.
5. Everyday Practice for integrating therapeutic goals and methodologies into the student’s everyday contexts.

Service Process and Timelines

1. 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 the Service Contract, Notification of Privacy Policies, Informed Consent for Occupational Therapy, Electronic Communications Policy. Additionally, clients submit information regarding learning needs, insurance information, and physician referral information. Learning Coach LLC will return an Estimate of Benefits Coverage Form upon request.
3. Evaluation. Learning Coach LLC conducts an initial evaluation of the client in a location relevant to their learning needs, and then collaborates with clients to create goals and treatment strategies likely to show progress.
4. Scheduling. Clients and Learning Coach LLC review dates, times, and locations of appointments for the following calendar month. 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; virtual location; or other location agreed between the client and provider during treatment planning.
5. Service Review. Learning Coach LLC and clients collaborate to review goal progress and treatment strategies, at least every quarter (3 months). 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.

Appointments

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:

1. Rescheduling. Any cancellations to scheduled appointments require a make-up appointment within 30 days of the canceled appointment, or are subject to a $30 missed session fee. Clients can cancel and reschedule sessions via their appointment confirmation email or by texting their service provider’s number.
2. 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 $30. Non-illness-related cancellations within 24 hours of the appointment are subject to a $30 late cancellation fee and rely on good-faith honest reports from clients about the nature of the cancellation.
3. 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.)

Payment

Financial Responsibility

Learning Coach LLC strives to make services accessible to clients by utilizing third-party payer 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. 

Standard Service Fee

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 www.LearningCoachWA.com/learning-labs.

Good Faith Estimate

Learning Coach LLC services are calculated at $120 per treatment hour. One hour per week would then cost $480 per month. Three 45-minute sessions per month are discounted to $240 per month. Please ask your therapist about other cost estimations.

Estimate of Benefits

Learning Coach LLC offers an estimate of benefits to clients who provide the Insurance Verification Form, and offers a statement of insurance reimbursement (“superbill”) at the end of every service month for those opting to use a third-party payer source. Learning Coach LLC is committed to furnishing complete and accurate records of medically necessary services for third-party payer sources, but does not become involved in disputes between clients and third-party payer sources regarding uncovered charges or reasons for denial. Learning Coach LLC will provide notification if a third-party payer source determines that a rendered service is not covered.

Payments Due

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.

Communications

Contact Availability

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. 

Electronic Security

Clients may use the contact field on www.LearningCoachWA.com or the email info@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. 

Confidentiality and Autonomy

In addition to client confidentiality rights written in the Notification of Privacy Practices, confidentiality also becomes a consideration between clients, such as youth and adolescents, and parents, guardians, or legal representatives. The level of autonomy and confidentiality that the client has with their therapist can affect the motivation they have to reach their personal goals. The evaluation process is an appropriate time for clients, therapists, and family members to discuss an agreeable level of client autonomy and confidentiality.

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:

1. 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. 
2. 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.

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.

Social Media

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.

Complaint Resolution

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 protect 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: $1,000

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. The remainder of the costs will be billed after the court appearance and will be due upon receipt. 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.

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.