At Prosper Health Collective (PHC) we want you to achieve your therapy outcomes as quickly as possible and ensure that you get the most out of your appointments with us. We will always act ethically in prescribing treatment and will never recommend treatment that is unnecessary.
We want you to know that regular attendance is imperative to your/your child’s progress towards therapy goals. The most common cause of lack of progress is inconsistent attendance. As such this attendance policy has been put together to outline both client and therapist roles and responsibilities in attending therapy at Prosper.
Attendance
Clients are expected to attend all scheduled appointments in order to make progress in their treatment plan. We understand that sometimes life can create reasons for non-attendance however our clients are expected to maintain an attendance rate of 90% within a 3 month period. If you/your child are not present for an appointment, it may negatively impact your progress.
If you miss three (3) or more scheduled appointments during a three-month period, including informed absences, the clinician may use their sole discretion to determine if and to what extent the continuation of treatment will occur. This may result in treatment being paused or ceased in your best interests.Sessions that need to be rescheduled by the clinic will not be counted towards your attendance rate.
Missed appointments affect everyone, including you, the therapist, and other clients who need our support. When clients do not attend sessions or do not give adequate notice, we are not given the opportunity to reallocate that time to another client who needs therapy.
By scheduling an appointment with PHC, clients acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agree to abide by the terms outlined in this attendance policy.
Management of Appointments
When you make an appointment, you have committed to paying for the appointment regardless of whether you decide to attend. As such we ask that you give careful consideration to scheduling appointments at times that will work for you/your family.
You will be provided with a written (digital or paper) copy of your appointment schedule and we encourage you to add these dates to your diary. You will receive a reminder of your appointment via text/SMS 5 days prior to their appointment. An email is also sent one day prior.
Clients are advised this is a courtesy service only and can be impacted by technological difficulties. As such, it remains your responsibility to attend appointments and the absence of a text/SMS reminder will not lead to fees being waived if a late notice fee is applicable. The purpose of the courtesy text/SMS is to remind you of your upcoming appointment, not as a reminder to reschedule your appointment.
Rescheduling Outside of 48 Business Hours
We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, making it necessary to reschedule appointments. Clients are required to provide at least 48 business hours notice for appointment rescheduling
requests. See our late notice policy below for cancellations within 48 business hours.
If you can not attend your scheduled appointment we will look to accommodate you within the same week where possible as we want you to receive the care you need to keep progressing with your
therapy. If it is not possible to reschedule we may offer you a substituted service so that you receive continuation of care in the absence of face-to-face services.
A substituted service may include:
● Telehealth
● Parent-Only Telehealth (for child clients)
● Liaison with another health professional in your treatment team
● Resource development or the development of a homework task/training video
*Please note that not all substituted services may be covered by funding if applicable (e.g. Medicare rebates are not applicable to resource development)
Illness and Your Appointment
To ensure the continuity of your care, and to ensure that we can continue to support as many people in our community as possible, the following policies and practices will be implemented.
As part of our infection control procedures we ask that you do not attend the practice if you are unwell. We also ask that you not attend the practice if someone in your household is unwell with an infectious disease (e.g. cold, flu, COVID-19). Please consider a substituted service in these instances as indicated in the previous section. When mandated, face masks must be worn at all times. Please let us know prior if you have an exemption. You may be requested to wear a face mask by your clinician even when not mandated if they suspect you are unwell.
If you are physically well but cannot attend a face-to-face appointment due to a condition such as COVID-19, your appointment will not be cancelled, but automatically converted to a telehealth appointment or a substituted service where suitable.
Please contact us to change your appointment to telehealth or a substituted service if:
● You are experiencing even mild cough or cold symptoms
● You have someone in your household who is unwell
If your therapist is prevented from attending the practice (such as if they have mild cough or cold symptoms), your face-to-face appointment will not be cancelled but will automatically be converted to a telehealth (phone or video) appointment if this is suitable for your treatment. If you decline or cancel this appointment with less than 48 hours notice, the late notice policy will apply.
Please note: If your therapist has told you that Telehealth will not be suitable for your treatment, you will not be charged for declining the offer of a Telehealth appointment.
Late Notice
When appointments are booked, the clinician reserves the time especially for you, therefore we require 48 business hours notice to reschedule a booked appointment without incurring any fees.
This policy is in place to allow us to offer the allocated time to another client who may be on our priority list for an appointment.
Late Notice Fees will be charged as follows:
● 0–24 hour notice: Full fee
● 24–48 hour notice: 50% of fee
● 48 hrs+ notice: No charge
A fee will not be applied if an appointment can be substituted or reallocated to another client. You may be asked to produce a medical certificate to have the late notice fee waived.
If we can reallocate your time to another client, you will not be charged for the cancellation.
The practice business hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. You may contact our office at any time, even after hours, as we do have an answering service that allows you to leave a message. We will return your call as soon as possible.
Example: If you have an appointment on Monday at 9am, you must advise the practice by 9am on the previous Thursday in order to reschedule the appointment without incurring a late notice fee.
Late notice fees cannot be claimed through Medicare or most other funding bodies.
In the event of non-payment, the outstanding amount may be deducted using our credit/debit card authority service agreement.
Late Arrivals
Clients who arrive late to their scheduled appointment may receive a shortened session to accommodate the therapist’s schedule and respect the time of other clients. Therapists will make every effort to provide quality therapy within the remaining scheduled time.
Fees for the full session will be charged in this instance. This may impact Medicare rebates if being accessed.
Absences
If you are going to be absent from treatment for an extended period and unable to attend appointments as recommended by your therapist, you should contact the clinic as soon as possible to discuss alternative arrangements if they have not already been discussed with your therapist. Places can not be held for clients who are not attending consistently.
Cessation of Services
If you need to cancel all ongoing sessions, 7 days notice is required so that the next client on the waitlist can be offered therapy.
We encourage all clients to attend a final appointment to discuss maintenance of treatment gains, relapse prevention and other clinically relevant matters
Pausing of Services
We will work with clients to establish barriers to consistent attendance and find ways to overcome these where possible.
PHC reserves the right to pause therapy services if you miss three (3) or more sessions during a three-month period, including informed absences; or if more than 1 session is missed due to late cancel / no-show; or if there is an outstanding balance of more than 2 appointments. This determination is final.
If services are paused or terminated, this will be managed ethically and alternative service providers will be offered to you as needed.
Exceptions
Exceptions to the attendance policy may be made in cases of emergencies or extenuating circumstances. Clients are encouraged to communicate directly with us if they have concerns.
Decisions to provide exceptions to the policy will be discussed with the Clinical Team Leader and/or Lead Client Relationship Officer.
Consent
● I understand that consistent attendance is necessary to achieve the goals I have set for myself/my child and that inconsistent attendance may prolong/prevent these goals from being achieved.
● I agree to attend consistently as prescribed by my clinician.
● I agree that I will alert the practice before any appointment if I am unwell or have someone in my household with an infectious illness and the appointment will be made a telehealth appointment or substituted service where suitable.
● I understand that inconsistent attendance may result in the pausing or ending of services as is in my best interests.
● I understand if services are ended, I will receive information on other resources and/or referral to another practice if required