Professional Fees & Payment Options
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Professional Fees
Professional Fees
Quoted fees remain guaranteed for a period of one year from the start of service. After one year, fees will be adjusted to reflect the current rates.
View the Fee Schedule.
Brief, 15-minute exploratory/information sessions (no charge) are optional for people who are considering services and would like to book time to ask questions and more fully understand whether our services would be recommended to meet their needs. Next steps may include being referred to another health discipline (e.g., physiotherapy, psychology, speech-language pathology, medicine), being directed to another service (e.g., IWK, NS Rehab), or scheduling an assessment/treatment at Shoreline. If you would like a longer initial information session with an SLP or OT, you can book a 30-minute session for $35.
Missed Appointments and Late-Cancellation Policy
We understand that life is busy and most of us have mixed up an appointment at some point in our lives. We know that it’s never intentional. However, when a client makes an appointment, they have reserved the clinician’s time. When a client does not arrive for their appointment or cancels with minimal notice, it means that staff have already spent time preparing for the appointment (writing session plans, planning activities, doing research, creating materials). It also means that it’s too late to fill the spot with another client (e.g., those waiting for an assessment, clients who ask to reschedule due to a conflict). It also impacts families who are on the waitlist waiting for a caseload spot (especially high demand evening and weekend caseload spots).
When a client does not arrive for a scheduled appointment or cancels with less than 24 hours of notice, they will be responsible for the full fee for the time they reserved with the clinician. Exceptions: illness, dangerous weather, emergencies (no charge). Most of the time, we waive the fee for the first occurrence, but this is at the discretion of the clinician. Our system will send a reminder 48 and 24 hours in advance as a courtesy, but clients are responsible for making note of their appointments when they book them.
Out of consideration for our clinicians, we cannot continue to hold a caseload spot if a client cancels a large proportion of their appointments. If a client frequently cancels they will be asked to consider if the timing is right for therapy, if another day/time would work better with their schedule, or if services should be discontinued until a better time for them.
Methods of Payment
Insurance
Please speak to your insurance provider to inquire about coverage for speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, or counselling therapy services. To protect your privacy, insurers will not release the details of your coverage to a provider, so we cannot do this for you. You will want to know the following about your coverage: what is your annual benefit (dollar amount or number of visits for the year), what percentage of each claim is covered (e.g., 80%, 100%), and what is the maximum covered per visit (e.g., up to a maximum of $120 per visit).
We are able to direct bill to your primary insurer. We are unable to direct bill to any secondary insurer (e.g., if you have coverage under your spouse's plan we cannot direct bill on your behalf because of the limitations of insurers' systems). This is because the insurers' platforms do not allow us to direct bill to secondary payers.
Direct billing can be done by Shoreline on behalf of the following insurers for speech-language pathology:
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Medavie Blue Cross
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Green Shield Canada
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SSQ Insurance
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Canada Life (note: Canadian Forces' members' plans do not allow for direct billing yet - they are working on correcting this issue)
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Canadian Construction Workers Union
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Chambers of Commerce (Johnston Group)
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ClaimSecure
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Desjardins Insurance
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First Canadian (Johnston Group)
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Industrial Alliance
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Johnston Group
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TELUS AdjudiCare
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plus some additional smaller insurers (please contact Shoreline to inquire)
Direct billing can be done by Shoreline on behalf of the following insurers for occupational therapy:
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Medavie Blue Cross
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Canadian Construction Workers Union
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Chambers of Commerce (Johnston Group)
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ClaimSecure
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Desjardins Insurance
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First Canadian (Johnston Group)
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Industrial Alliance
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Johnston Group
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TELUS AdjudiCare
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plus some additional smaller insurers (please contact Shoreline to inquire)
Any amount not covered after direct billing will be payable by the client. At intake you will be asked if you would like to save your credit card information so we can charge your card for you as a convenience.
For clients of other insurance providers whose systems do not permit SLPs, counselling therapists, or OTs to direct bill yet (e.g., SunLife, Manulife), professional fees will be due at time of service. You will be provided with a detailed invoice by email to submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement.
Credit Card / Debit
Clients may pay online via credit card through our clinic management system Jane App.
Clients may pay by debit, Apple/Google Pay, or credit card at our office.
Jordan's Principle
Eligible First Nations persons can apply for funding for private services for children through Jordan's Principle. More information can be found at the link below.
Link: https://www.unsm.org/dept/jordans-principle
Disability Tax Credit
For information about the disability tax credit, visit the CRA's website and/or speak with your accountant.
Where appropriate, some sections of the application form may be completed by a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist. Speak directly with your Shoreline clinician and/or the Clinic Manager about how to complete this process.
Link:
Child Disability Benefit
Link:
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/child-disability-benefit.html
Medical Expense Tax Credit
For information about the medical expense tax credit, visit the CRA's website (link below) and/or speak with the accountant who prepares your annual tax return. Occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists are "authorized medical practitioners" for the purposes of the medical expense tax credit.
Link:
Workers' Compensation Claims
For services related to a workers' compensation claim, professional fees are due at the time of service. You will be provided with a detailed invoice to submit for reimbursement.
Department of Community Services
If you receive support through the Disability Support Program, there are times when coverage may be available for SLP and OT services.
According to section 7.4.2. of the Disability Support Program policy, the cost of private services may be approved when "they are not available through insured services and the lack of availability creates a significant impact on the health and safety of the participant."
The Department of Community Services requires that persons first seek services through the public service (e.g., Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia). The Department of Community Services considers coverage for private therapy:
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where there is no public service available, or
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the wait list is long, and
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all private insurance coverage has already been used.
In these cases, the department may consider coverage of private services until public services are available.
There is no list of pre-approved SLP and OT providers with the DCS (as there is for psychology and counselling) - you just need to speak with your individual case worker.
For more information, please contact the Department of Community Services Disability Support Program:
https://novascotia.ca/coms/disabilities/index.html
Disability Support Program Policy:
https://novascotia.ca/coms/disabilities/documents/Disability_Support_Program_Policies.pdf