Canceling therapy question

[lil' maids in a row]

Dd has a therapy session today. The fee is $15 normally (thanks to insurance), but there is a $60 fee if you cancel with less than 24 hour notice. Well, dd woke up sick this morning and I really don't want to pay $60 for having to cancel (this month is tight already).

 

Should I give her meds and take her anyway, should I call the therapist and explain the situation and ask her to waive the additional fee (I don't mind paying the $15).

[Night Elf]

I'd call them first. If they say no, I'd give her the medicine and take her in. She could just say she isn't feeling well and doesn't want to stay for the whole appointment.

[Valley Girl]

Same here.  I'd call and explain the situation, telling them you do not want to incur the $60. Leave it up to them as to whether or not they want a sick child in the office. If they insist you'll incur the fee, then unfortunately I'd take her in. I'd hate to do that with a kiddo who's not feeling well, but $60 is a big hit.  I'm betting they won't want her to come in. (I think those $60 fees aren't meant for this situation, but I could be wrong.)

[marbel]

FWIW, I have never had to pay a fee when I cancel an appointment due to the child being sick, even if it's the day of.   In my experience the cancellation fee is to discourage chronic cancellers.  Most people do not want to see a sick child.   So I'd call and ask to have the fee waived. 

 

(I did have to pay the - very high! - cancellation fee once when I just forgot about an appointment.  But that is different.)

 

[lil' maids in a row]

I hate asking the therapist for special treatment, but we have had to take everyone to the doctor this month and Geesh it gets expensive (even with good insurance).

[Lawana]

I agree with pp's that the cancellation fee is intended for situations other than illness on the day of the appointment. Please call and talk to them. I don't think that is special treatment. Wouldn't the therapist cancel with you if she woke up ill? Even if that meant inconveniencing you? And would you want her to bring illness to an appt?

[Paige]

I'd call and cancel. In every office we have been in, if you call the day of and say there's been an illness, they don't charge you. A therapy office really doesn't want a sick child there spreading germs to all the other children and therapists. I wouldn't ask them to waive the fee but would wait and see if they ask for it.

[marbel]

Now that I'm thinking more about it, I've never actually asked to have the fee waived.  I've always called to say the kid was too sick, and ask what the cancellation fee is.  And they have waived it.   But if they don't offer... is it worth it to you to take your sick child in to the appointment?   I don't mean to trivialize the financial hit.  But would it be worth it to save the $45?

 

 

[lil' maids in a row]

Most of the time, yes the fee wouldn't be a problem, but this month throwing away an extra $45 just isn't an option. I wish I was in a position to hope that the fee wouldn't be charged, but this time I just need to know :-(. I will just have to call and ask exactly how she handles cancellations for illness.

[PuddleJumper1]

I'd call and let them know. I can not imagine any clinic charging you a fee for cancelling due to illness. For us - I am not allowed to bring ds to therapy when he's sick. I wouldn't anyway but the risk to the other children there (some who are medically fragile) isn't worth it. 

[Moxie]

I've never had to pay a cancellation fee. I assumed it was just there to discourage people from being abusive. I'd cancel and then argue with them if they charged the fee.

[GoVanGogh]

DS has had therapy at several different facilities.

All have had signs up (especially in the winter months) saying NOT to bring in sick children, as so many of their clients are already medically fragile. They do not want their therapists to get sick. They do not want the germs going through the office.

Fees are generally for no-shows - people who forget the appointment, make a habit of missing appointments, etc. Not for sick children, as that is just part of doing business with children.

I have had to cancel several times over the years and I just call and say my child woke up with a fever, threw up overnight or whatever the case was. We have never been charged a cancelation fee. If we were, I would asked to have it waived as I was respecting their own policy to not bring sick children into the facility.

Please do not take a sick child to therapy! The germs at a therapy facility are already icky enough, in my opinion.

[Murmer]

Mine charges a cancellation fee but I have never been charged it for sick or weather related day of cancellations.  They don't want my sick kid there.

[lil' maids in a row]

I talked to the therapist and there is no fee..... Phew!

[texasmama]

FWIW, I have never had to pay a fee when I cancel an appointment due to the child being sick, even if it's the day of.   In my experience the cancellation fee is to discourage chronic cancellers.  Most people do not want to see a sick child.   So I'd call and ask to have the fee waived. 

 

 

Exactly this. 

 

I once got an appointment time mixed up for a long-term service and missed the appointment.  The service had a fee for late cancellation policy and was not charged because it happened once in three years.

[Lanny]

Many years ago, my wife and I went to a marriage counselor for a short time. I got sick and he charged us for cancelling the appointment within "n" hours of the appointment. I went to his office and I paid him, but he lost us as clients. I think a year or 2 after that, he got a divorce...

[Barbara H]

Glad it worked out. One thing that put these cancellation fees into perspective for me was being told by the physical therapy clinic they were to the point where many days a third of their appointments would be no shows and most of those without a phone call. That ends up being a huge waste of therapist's time and frustrating for people who are on a waiting list to get in too.

[Joanne]

Many years ago, my wife and I went to a marriage counselor for a short time. I got sick and he charged us for cancelling the appointment within "n" hours of the appointment. I went to his office and I paid him, but he lost us as clients. I think a year or 2 after that, he got a divorce...

 

I am not sure how that is helpful, informative, or funny.

[Lanny]

There is another side to this issue. That is when a Therapist or M.D. or other person cancels the appointment at the last minute. I have had that happen to me a number of times and I had no problem with that. I went to a Psychologist in Dallas who is an expert with P.T.S.D., for a number of years. I remember several times he had to cancel at the last minute. I also remember going to an appointment with our Ophthalmologist here, years ago, and she was hours late. She had an emergency. I had to wait for her, but I was extremely thankful that I was not the patient with an emergency.