FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do you accept my insurance?

Sensible Rehab, is able to bill all major insurance companies. We are also in-network (preferred providers) with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Providence, Moda/ODS, Pacific Source, First Choice, OHP (Willamette Valley Community Health, Samaritan, and open card), Medicare, and many more. We can help you decipher what your insurance may or may not cover.

What payment plans do you accept?

Payment is due at the time of service. We are able to accept cash, check, and most major credit/debit cards (including HSA cards). Prices may vary depending on your insurance plan.

What if my child is already receiving services through early intervention or the schools?

Many school-based services can be limited due to funding and focus on educational impact. Additional private therapy can help your child remediate their delay or disability more rapidly, become more confident in their communication skills, and help minimize the gap in their educational development. Private therapy considers the impact of the communication disorder on education as well as on the family, social groups, and community activities/involvement.

What if my child did not qualify for early intervention or school-based services?

Some children that do not qualify for special education may still qualify for private therapy. Services can be more inclusive when seeking private therapy.

What can I expect from the first appointment?

Your therapist will complete the comprehensive communication evaluation which includes: case history/caretaker interview, observation, formal testing, and a sample of conversational speech. At the end of your appointment, you should know whether they recommend therapy or not. After that appointment, a detailed report will be compiled and mailed to you. You may request the therapist review this over the phone with you or at your next appointment (as applicable) for no extra charge.

What does a typical therapy session include?

Therapy services are provided one-on-one and consist of a review from last session, specially designed interventions, and a verbal summary of the session. Recommendations may be given to complete between therapy sessions as appropriate.

Who will be providing services?

All services are provided by a competent speech-language pathologist or speech-language pathology assistant holding a license with the Oregon Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and certified by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. We also have SLP’s who are PROMPT trained, LSVT Loud.

Where are you located?

Sensible Speech-Language Pathology, provides speech therapy services in Salem, Oregon, and surrounding areas. We are located on the corner of Capitol and Shipping St. Our address is 1475 Capitol St NE Salem, Oregon 97301.

What is the difference between a Speech Pathologist and a Speech Pathology Assistant?

We are consistently asked what the difference between an SLP and an SLPA. Sensible Rehab believes in SLPA’s and many of them are highly skilled and talented. We currently only use them to a limited capacity because of the following rules that are currently dictated by private insurance companies and the Oregon licensing board.

Outpatient Clinic Setting

All speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs), must be certified by the state licensure board. In order to Obtain the SLP designation you must have achieve a Masters or Doctorate.

Statutory and Regulatory Requirements

  1. Private Insurance Companies will not reimburse for work performed by a SLPAs in an outpatient clinic, regardless of supervision. In Oregon, SLPAs are limited to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.
  2. All supervision must be performed by a state-licensed Speech Language Pathologist with a minimum of 2 years experience. The amount and type of supervision required will be based on the skills and experience of the SLPA.
  3. SLPAs are not permitted to conduct an evaluation or change the plan of care. All changes to the patient’s treatment program must be approved by a Speech Language Pathologist.
  4. A minimum of 30% (20% direct) of all of the time an assistant is providing services for the first 90 days of employment shall be supervised. Subsequent to the first 90 days of employment, a minimum of 20% (10% direct) of all the time an assistant is providing services shall be supervised.
  5. The supervising speech-language pathologist must be able to be reached at all times and may supervise up to 4 full-time assistants.
  6. The caseload of the supervising clinician must allow for administration, including assistant supervision, evaluation of clients, and meeting times. (All clients assigned to an assistant are considered part of the caseload of the supervising clinician.)
  7. Each assistant must complete 15 clock hours of documented and approved professional development per each biennial renewal cycle.