Team Newsletter
January 2025
Hi Team, Welcome to 2025!
Please take the time (up to 30 minutes admin time) to read the newsletter and bring any questions to our upcoming team meeting on Wednesday January 8th @ 11:00.
January 2025 Newsletter
- Bambee
- Bambee will be circulating new or updated policies for 2025 in January. Please make sure you sign any required policies when received.
- Our annual employee engagement survey will be circulated via Bambee; this survey is not required to complete but is highly encouraged as it helps us obtain your valuable feedback! If you choose to complete it, you may use up to 15 min of admin time.
- For our Insurance Families
- Fusion Appointments will be adjusted by our admin team to end on the last day of the insurance authorization ,ensuring clients are not seen beyond their current authorization.
- Therapists should still note and/or organize for themselves any current clients on their caseload with an upcoming insurance auth expiration.
- If you have any questions regarding an auth renewal OR auth expiration for a client, please contact Emily, Isabelle or Theresa directly.
- If you have a client that you are discharging or recommending an administrative discharge for per Kaiser, the client should not be seen once their authorization expires and it is the therapist’s responsibility to inform the family of the last date of service.
- Fusion Appointments will be adjusted by our admin team to end on the last day of the insurance authorization ,ensuring clients are not seen beyond their current authorization.
- Kaiser PR’s
- Make sure if you’re having to redo/update/make any changes you’re updating the date of report and also the date of last session if needed.
- Mentorship Presets
- Therapists participating in mentorship meetings will now bill “indirect admin” preset: “New Therapist Training: OT, ST” as the rate has increased per updates in the 2025 Employee Manual.
- Fusion Documentation and Submitting
- Moving into 2025, we are asking therapists to please follow our policies to submit any billable charges on the day of service and submit timely documentation within 48 hours.
- This helps support a smooth payroll process for the team and up to date documentation for our clients and families.
- If you are having any difficulties staying up to date on your documentation, please see Kellie or Cierra to discuss more.
- Vacation Planning Procedures
- Therapist seeking coverage for planned vacation time will email the clinic coordinators and clinic director notifying them of the vacation.
- Therapists will personally email their families notifying them of the pre planned vacation and coordinate coverage/make ups. Therapist must always cc’ the clinic coordinator on all emails regarding coverage/scheduling.It is the Therapist’s responsibility to find coverage for their clients. Therapists will email the team with the children they are seeking coverage for.
- Email will include any restrictions with scheduling (example; group vs. must be 1:1).
- The administration team will support any outstanding coverage needs or cancel sessions if needed after the therapist has done an initial reach out to families and colleagues to arrange for coverage.
- Any admin time regarding coverage needs beyond the initial reach out must be pre-approved by the clinic directors.
- Tracking Private Progress
- Treating therapists are required to keep track of private progress reporting due dates and reach out to families for goal update collaboration and/or reassessment.
- Every 6 months therapists should
- 1: Write a progress report with a goal update that takes no longer than 60 minutes to write. and/or
- 2: Schedule a parent consultation to update goals in collaboration with parents.
- Example 1: “Child” is due for a progress report as it has been 6 months from the onset of therapy and her goals need to be updated since she has made steady gains. It is important for me to take this time to re-evaluate her goals so we can determine next steps (context of therapy, frequency of services).
- Example 2:“Child” is due for a progress report this month. It is a great time to reassess his progress over the past 6 months, identify any ongoing areas in need of support, and for us to collaborate on goal areas moving forward. I’ve included a few questions regarding his goals below so you can share your feedback and observations. Please let me know if you have any questions.
- If a family inquires about costs for reports, please direct them to our admin team.
- PSL
- For PSL being used for medical appointments during the work day and/or requesting scheduled PSL for medical reasons:
- This is required only for pre-planned appointments taking place within the work day or pre-planned medical absences that are 3 or more days. For appointments pre-planned that are less than 3 days in duration, a note is asked to be uploaded to supplement the request but it is not required.
- Please be sure to upload a doc note to your time off form. No medical information should be shared or exposed. The note should simply state that the employee is “unable to work today due to a medical condition” or “not fit for work today” for the requested PSL dates.
- This excludes regular sick days / no doctors note is needed (proceed with our usual sick day procedures)
- For PSL being used for medical appointments during the work day and/or requesting scheduled PSL for medical reasons:
- Cleanup Reminder
- Please remember to clean up craft items, dishes, etc. during holiday breaks or when our admin team is out of the clinic. You can reserve the last few minutes of a session to have your client help you clean up as well.
*Any new clinician books will be in the conference room bookshelf. New games can be found in our game cabinets on the treatment floor.
Key Take Aways to Consider when Goal Writing
- Do not use “100%” of the time for goals
- Consider realistic and empowering goals
- Parent/teacher goals should encompass some skill building
- Goals are dynamic and can be changed!
- Questions to consider when writing goals:
- Is this easy to understand?
- Is this impactful?
- Is my clinical understanding factored in?
- Does the timeframe make sense?
- Is it easy to measure?
- Is it achievable?
