Frequently Asked Questions
What payment options do you accept? We are in network with BCBS MA . Please see financial policies below. For out of network and private pay options we can provide you with a superbill to submit to insurance. We accept cash, check, FSA/HSA , credit/debit or venmo. We require payment at the time of service.
What are my options if you don't accept my insurance. Massachusetts is a direct access state. This means that you do not need a physician referral to access physical therapy services unless dictated by your insurance carrier. It is a good idea to make your child's primary physician aware of any physical therapy services taking the place. A collaborative team approach is something we strive for with all of our patients. As parents you know your children best and if you think that your child needs PT, calling Ahoy Baby for a consultation/evaluation can save you time. Skip getting an appointment with your child's primary doctor, or a specialist. If we feel like a condition needs services that are out of our scope of practice we will make the necessary referrals for you. Those seeking wellness services such as developmental screens or infant massage are private pay only as these services are not reimbursable by insurance in any form. Since we cannot apply a diagnosis code to a wellness check insurance companies are unable to cover this service. Payment is due at the time of each visit. We will provide you with a superbill after each service to submit to your insurance company for out of network reimbursement. It is your responsibility to make sure your insurance covers out of network services.
Does my child need a diagnosis or a referral to see you? No, my sessions are focused on supporting caregivers and guiding them to help their children succeed. A referral is not needed from a physician. Massachusetts is a direct access state and anyone can see a physical therapist. If after an evaluation further visits are recommended, we send that evaluation with a plan of care to your child’s doctor. *Please check with your insurance company to see if a referral is needed to get reimbursed for out-of-network services.
What is a good fath estimate? You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. We will be happy to provide you with your estimate upon scheduling. Please see Rates listed with services and email or call with any questions.
What should I expect for my first visit? Prior to my first visit with you at your home, I will email you intake paperwork to be filled out and sent back to be reviewed. The initial evaluation will include observations, hands-on assessment, and interview questions. We will come up with a plan of care together in order to progress toward reaching your goals for your child. If you will be continuing with follow-up visits we will need a prescription from your child’s doctor.
What age group do you service? We provide therapy for children birth to 5 with some exceptions being made on a case-by-case basis.
Where do visits take place? Visits can take place in the home, daycare or other family member's home. We come to you!
Where do visits take place? Visits can take place in the home, daycare or other family member's home. We come to you! A small additional travel fee will be discussed if location is more than 25 miles from Ipswich.
What happens during a DMI intensive? ●All intensives will be based on Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI) exercises and other appropriate interventions. We will begin with an online and phone call-based consultation where we will review your child’s medical history, goals for the intensive, and talk about any questions you may have. At the end of the intensive, you will also receive 3-5 appropriate exercises for you to continue to work on with your child. These exercises can be video recorded or written down for your reference. ●Since the intensives are several days long the first day will be used as an assessment day where I assess skills, functional limitations, and strength deficits. ●In the following days we will be completing a series of DMI exercises to help achieve goals that were initially discussed ●The last day will be a review of the Home Exercise Program
Financial Policies Thank you for choosing Ahoy Baby for your child’s physical therapy and wellness needs. We are comitted to providing you with exceptional and compassionate care while also making our insurance billing processes as simple and efficient as possible. With the ever changing environment of healthcare more responsibility of payment is being placed on the patient in the form of copays and deductibles. Therefore it has become necessary to ensure that we have a guarantee of payment on file. We require all patients keep an active credit card on file with us. If known ahead of time we will charge your copay at the time of service. If using insurance benefits we will bill your insurance company first and after determination of benefits, we will charge your credit card when they inform us of patient responsibility. Once Ahoy Baby has been notified of the amount of your patient responsibility by your insurance, you will be notified via email of your patient responsibility. You will then have 48 hours to dispute the amount due before your payment is processed. Circumstances when your card would be charged include but are not limited to: -missed or canceled appointments without 24-hour notice -missed co-payments, deductible and co-insurance -any non-covered services and/or denial of services allocated to patient responsibility -any amount not paid by your insurance 60 days after a corrected claim has been file This in no way will compromise your ability to dispute a charge or question your insurance company’s determination of payment. Private pay patients or those requesting services not reimbursable by insurance will not be required to keep a credit card on file. Those services require payment at time of service. If you have any questions about this payment method, do not hesitate to ask. FAQs But I Always Pay My Bills, Why Me? Unfortunately, this is not always the case with many patients that receive our services. Most balances owed are very small. If necessary we can discuss a payment plan. We have to be fair and apply the policy to all patients. We have wonderful patients and we know that most of you pay your balances. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. When Do I Give You My Credit/Debit Card Info? Your credit card information will be given when a patient portal account is created and a visit is scheduled. How will I know how much I will be charged? You will receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) in the mail (or-email) from your insurance carrier that explains how much of your office visit they paid for and what your patient responsibility is. This EOB tells you exactly, according to your health insurance coverage, how much of your healthcare bill is your responsibility, and how much is the responsibility of your insurance to pay. When do I have to pay for Services? Any time you receive medical care, you will be expected to pay in full for your services until your deductible is met. If you have a very large deductible, called a high-deductible insurance plan, you may have to pay out of pocket for most of your primary care services. Will you send me a bill to let me know what I owe? Once we receive the insurance EOB for your visit we will charge the credit card on file the exact amount as is stated on the EOB as patient responsibility. Once Ahoy Baby has been notified of the amount of your patient responsibility by your insurance, you will be notified via email of your patient responsibility. You will then have 48 hours to dispute the amount due before your payment is processed. Once charged, we will email you a receipt of payment. I’m nervous about giving you my credit card information. Ahoy Baby does not store your sensitive credit card information at our office. We store it on a secured credit card website. My Health Plan Has a Health Savings Account (HSA) Card. Can I Keep My HSA Card On-File? Yes, you can keep your HSA card on file, however, we may require an additional card to be kept on file should the funds in your HSA account become insufficient. What If I Need to Dispute My Bill? We will always work with you and your insurance company to ensure accurate billing. If a billing error has occurred with your insurance company, we will refund any money owed to you once dispute/error is settled. We require at least 24 hours notice to cancel. If you cancel with less than 24 hours notice for ANY REASON, your account WILL be billed $50 per child, per cancellation. In the event of a true, unavoidable emergency or illness, you will be given the option to either reschedule within the month or pay the late cancellation fee . Please be aware that if you are more than 20 minutes late for your child’s scheduled appointment time, we will be unable to see your child and your account will be charged $50. Our focus is quality of care and a session that is 30 minutes or less is not sufficient to work on goals No Shows The fee for a NO SHOW will be $75. Your child will not be able to return to weekly sessions until this fee is paid. 3 no-shows for your child’s scheduled PT session will result in being removed from the schedule. Excessive Cancellations Please keep in mind: More than 3 cancellations or no shows in a 3 month period will result in having your child removed from our weekly schedule and placed on our Flexible schedule (unless there are extenuating circumstances). We also reserve this right to place your child on a waitlist for a consistent therapy slot so that another child can have the opportunity to benefit from PT services. Credit card will be kept on file for those using insurance benefits.
Cancellation Policy We require at least 24 hours notice to cancel. If you cancel with less than 24 hours notice your account may be billed $50 per child, per cancellation. In the event of a true, unavoidable emergency or illness, you will be given the option to either reschedule within the month or pay the late cancellation fee . Please be aware that if you are more than 20 minutes late for your child’s scheduled appointment time, we will be unable to see your child and your account will be charged $50. Our focus is quality of care and a session that is 30 minutes or less is not sufficient to work on goals No Shows The fee for a NO SHOW will be $75. Your child will not be able to return to weekly sessions until this fee is paid. 3 no-shows for your child’s scheduled PT session will result in being removed from the schedule. Excessive Cancellations Please keep in mind: More than 3 cancellations or no shows in a 3 month period will result in having your child removed from our weekly schedule and placed on our Flexible schedule (unless there are extenuating circumstances). We also reserve this right to place your child on a waitlist for a consistent therapy slot so that another child can have the opportunity to benefit from PT services. Credit card will be kept on file for those using insurance benefits.