How to access OT?

[Desert Strawberry]

Do we need an eval or referral? Can we just make an appointment? We are cash pay.

[texasmama]

My older son received excellent OT through the local school district as a walk-in for years without being enrolled as a student. It would be worth some research to see what services are offered to homeschoolers in your district.

[Little Women]

When we did it, I called the OT office and asked them what I would need. They told me exactly what code the doctor needed to order and what the diagnosis code needed to be.    Then I went to the doctor and said, "I've been reading about this and I think my dd has it.  Would you be willing to order the testing?   Here's what the OT office said she would need and the diagnosis they suggested. "  

 

 He did a few neurological tests like having her walk toe-heel and touch her nose with her eyes closed.    He then said, "I can see what you are talking about, but I don't know anything about it.  Would you ask them to send me the test results, so I can learn more about this?"     (He was a family practice dr.  My pediatrician friend says she would have caught it herself, but the family practice residency is unable to cover every possible pediatric problem.)   At any rate, he was very willing to order the tests I asked for.

[kbutton]

Around here, cash pay customers can just call the OT and schedule and eval. Usually a therapist will call you to see if what you are concerned about it within their scope of practice. They will also look at an intake form. For us, they did all of this before scheduling an evaluation--you get questions answered that way, and they have a better idea what therapist to assign to the client.

 

We were not cash customers, but we don't need a referral for our insurance. (We have a high deductible plan as well, so we pay until the deductible is met; in return, they are more willing to cover stuff without getting all picky about it--we almost never hit the deductible.)

[prairiewindmomma]

We have been doing cash pay OT (it's cheaper than billing our insurance). We just called up the OT, asked for an eval, and started therapy once we knew which priorities we wanted to target first.

[Storygirl]

We did ask our pediatrician for a referral, but we didn't need it. Our insurance did not require it, and the OT did not ask for a referral before booking an appointment. For cash pay, I think I would call and talk to several OT providers before making an appointment. Tell them your concerns (or diagnosis if you have one) and ask what therapy they would do and what it would cost. I think you will find that OTs have different things they like to focus on, and I would want to be sure to know exactly what we were getting.

 

Our OT wrote up great evaluative reports detailing results of screening tests that she ran, but she did not write up goals or track progress in any kind of written way. I think others may be great at making and tracking goals. I think if I were paying cash, I would want the OT to have goals and a specific plan for meeting them, so that I could be sure the time was being used wisely for the exact needs that we had. Our OT just kind of worked on everything in a variety of ways all at once without a definable and stated goal in mind. I think I'd be less comfortable with that approach if I were paying cash.

 

ETA: I meant to add that different OTs may charge different prices, so I'd factor that in as well when deciding who to go to.