For New Clients

ALL CLIENTS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 MUST HAVE A REFERRAL FROM THEIR GP.

Fees:

• $195  per 50 minute session payable at time of appointment

• Patient requests for phone calls, emails, report reading or report writing incur a charge at the hourly rate after the first ten minutes.

  CANCELLATION POLICY

  The aim of this policy is: 

  - To reduce disruptions to Toni's diary and loss of time in preparation because of client late cancellations, late rescheduled and missed appointments.  

  - To make sure that other clients do not miss out on the opportunity to access therapy.

  -  To reduce the income loss as a direct result of client cancellations, late reschedules and missed appointments. We are a private practice, therefore if a client cancels or reschedules late or does not arrive for their scheduled appointment it directly affects our income. 

  - To reduce the level of late cancellations, late rescheduled and missed appointments.  

  A few important points to remember: 

  - Booking your appointment has already incurred business costs (e.g admin staff charges and reminder SMS charges which cannot be otherwise recouped when you cancel.) 

  - It is our "time" you are paying for and we only have a limited amount of time per day we can see patients. We also can't "make it up" like businesses who sell products can.

  - Last minute cancellations are difficult to fill. However if we are able to fill your appointment we will not charge you.  

   Change Modalities to avoid a cancellation fee

  If you can't make it to an appointment, instead of cancelling and incurring a cancellation fee, please consider changing the modality of the appointment to online or a phone appointment. 

  If for some reason you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please allow a minimum of 48 business hours’ notice, i.e. call, SMS or email PRIOR to 9.00 am the day before your appointment; if your appointment is at 9.00am on a Monday, you must cancel prior to 9.00am on the Thursday prior, otherwise you will incur a fee. Cancellation fees will be charged at $90.00 for appointments cancelled within 48 business hours and the full fee for missed appointments or appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours notice.

  You can text, call or email to let us know if you need to change your appointment. You are welcome to leave a message outside of business hours if it is before the cancellation deadline. (Please do not call after 5.00pm on a Friday and leave a message to cancel an appointment scheduled for the Monday as you will incur the cancellation fee).

  Business Days:

  Business days are classed as Monday to Friday.

  Please note that while we endeavor to remind you of your appointments through SMS reminders, these should not be relied upon and it is your responsibility to remember appointments you have made. Appointments cancelled after the SMS reminder has been sent will incur a cancellation fee. 

  CANCELLATION FEES

  Appointments cancelled within 48 business hours of your appointment time will incur a $90.00 fee. 

  Appointments cancelled within 24 business hours of your appointment time will incur the full fee of $195.00.

  This includes once the SMS reminder has been sent.  The cut off time is not negotiable. 

  If you do not show for your appointment and have not contacted us, the full $195.00 fee will apply. 

  This is a strict fee and there are NO exceptions. This applies to all clients and is NOT covered by Medicare.  

  Multiple cancellations will subsequently require payment at time of booking and will preclude the patient from booking further appointments at the busiest times (out of school hours).

  Late collection of children from appointments will incur a fee.

  Fees outstanding for more than 7 days will incur a fee.

  Outstanding payments may result in the cancellation of booked appointments on future dates.

  Please note:  Our phone/email is not staffed after hours to take cancellations. Any messages left after hours will not be received or acted upon until 9am the following business day.

  A late cancellation, late rescheduled appointment or failure to attend your appointment is a loss to three people:

  1.      The client who is delaying their therapy progress

  2.      Another client who has been sitting on the waiting list to see Toni

  3.     Our practice which has spent time preparing for the session, set aside the time our calendar and lost income.

  We want to ensure that you get the most from your therapy.

  (The Office of Fair Trading states that a business is within its rights to charge a cancellation or “no-show” fee for appointments, so long as this has been communicated to a new patient or customer before making the appointment.)

For patients under NDIS, the following applies:

• Toni Hanna accepts NDIS plans that are either plan or self-managed.

• Payment is expected at the time of appointment.

• Referrals under NDIS require Toni to report back to NDIS when requested.

For patients under a Medicare Plan, the following applies:

• A Medicare rebate may be claimed for eligible patients under Mental Health Care Plans.

• Referrals under Medicare require Toni to report back to your referring health practitioner.

private health

The following Private Health funds are able to be used without a Mental Health Care Plan

• Bupa

• HCF

• Teachers Health Fund

Appointment Times:

• Please note that appointments out of school hours are in demand and may not always be available.

• It is suggested that multiple appointments are booked in advance for those requiring regular appointments.

• For new clients, there may be a wait of a few weeks before regular times can be established.

• Clients are encouraged to go on the cancellation list as these often become available.  

Supporting your child in the therapeutic process:

Toni tends to spend most of the appointment alone with the young person. This is essential for building trust and acceptance which is the most reliable factor in determining success of therapy. Parents are required to be on the premises for clients under 16 years of age- and available to come into the session if required. At some point in therapy, a parental appointment is useful to talk over relevant history and to help parents with supporting their child with any strategies provided.

Please note that any correspondence outside of sessions over 10 minutes will be charged in accordance with the hourly rate – this includes liaising with parents, other health care professionals and schools. Emails are the preferred method of correspondence but will not necessarily be answered the same day.