Yes! Although the practice doors are shut, Okey Dokey is still open and available for sessions via Telehealth. These sessions can take place using Zoom (video conferencing) or a telephone call.
COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions
Although Telehealth won’t be suitable for every child, we have found that most children engage very well with their therapist online. They are often quite excited to show their therapist things in their home that are important to them (like pets, or special toys). Our therapists have been working hard to discover new ways of engaging clients such as online games, sharing videos and other online activities, and have found it beneficial to observe children interacting in their own familiar environment. If you have any concerns about the appropriateness of online sessions for your child, please contact your child’s therapist to discuss this further.
Yes! There are lots of ways your therapist can continue to support your child and your family. Sessions can be used for things such as parenting support/strategies, creating resources, report writing/letter writing and communicating with schools/other health professionals. Please discuss the range of options available with your child’s therapist.
Telehealth sessions are charged at our current standard session rate (or current NDIS rate if applicable). A telehealth session still takes the same amount of time and work for a therapist to plan, create or source resources (both physical and online) and then deliver to your child. We are confident that when using Telehealth you and your child will still receive the same high standard of care and quality service you have come to expect from an Okey Dokey therapist.
Yes! If you have a valid Medicare plan from a GP or Paediatrician, you will be entitled to a rebate on your sessions.
These rebates have been temporarily released by the Government, and will only be available until 30 September 2020.
After this time, you will still be able to access Telehealth appointments, however Medicare rebates will not be available and sessions will be charged at the full standard rate.
All private health plans and insurers are different. Please contact your Private Health Insurer directly to find out if you can claim for telehealth. Okey Dokey will no longer be able to process private health claims. Instead, when the full payment has been received from you, we will email you a paid invoice so you can claim any rebates available directly with your insurance company.
Yes. You will still be able to access your NDIS funding in the usual way for Telehealth sessions. Please ensure you have enough funds available to cover the cost of your session.
After you have had your session, reception will be in touch to collect your payment or issue an invoice. Once you receive your invoice you can pay in the following ways:
- Visit our Payment Portal on our website and pay with a credit card
- Bank deposit using the details on the bottom of your invoice
- Call reception on 03 7034 4128 and pay with a credit card over the phone
NDIS Plan Managed clients – we will continue to issue the invoice directly to your Plan Manager for payment. Please ensure you have enough funds remaining to cover the cost of your session. In addition to this, make sure we have the correct email address for invoicing to your Plan Manager on file.
NDIA Managed clients – we will continue to claim directly from NDIA on your behalf. We will continue to log your attendance to sessions on a Support Delivery Log for our records/NDIS auditing purposes and note that the session was delivered via Telehealth. Please ensure you have enough funding allocated to us from the ‘Improved Daily Living’ category to cover the cost of your session.
Reception are actively staying in touch with all clients after sessions to explain invoicing and payment options, give you the option to pay immediately over the phone, confirm your next scheduled appointment and answer any further questions you may have. Reception will also make follow up phone calls to check in if we don’t receive your payment within 2 business days.
Self-managed clients – nothing has changed in the way you access your funding. We will continue to collect your payment and email a paid invoice for you to claim through your NDIS portal.
Plan Managed and NDIA Managed clients – NDIS has added a temporary 10% COVID-19 loading onto the cost of many services. This includes services accessed at Okey Dokey.
NDIS now also allows us to charge 100% of the service fee for short notice cancellations and non-attendance of sessions. Please ensure you give us at least 24 hours notice if you cannot attend your session to avoid cancellation fees.
If, due to the fee increase, you are running short of funds prior to the end of your plan, you can apply for a ‘soft-touch’ review and ask for additional funds to be added to your plan.
Please visit the NDIS website for further information on measures in place during this time:
https://www.ndis.gov.au/news/4676-covid-19-updates
We are unable to hold a spot for you if you do not wish to continue sessions. We encourage you to give Telehealth a try, but if you find it is not suitable and you’d prefer to wait until the practice reopens, you will need to cancel all upcoming appointments with your therapist.
Okey Dokey will email all clients on our mailing list when the practice is able to recommence face to face sessions. After that time, you are welcome to contact reception to reconnect and discuss appointment availability.
The waitlist is only open for people ready and able to commence sessions immediately. We cannot keep your spot on the waitlist if you are waiting for face to face sessions to resume, if you are waiting for funding to come through, or waiting to see if your child may need support at a later date. If this is the case, you will need to come off the waitlist, and contact us when you are ready to accept appointments.
Yes! Telehealth will still be available when face to face sessions resume. There are many ways this may be of benefit to you and your child. You may be able to use a telehealth session:
- when your child cannot attend the practice for any reason, but is still able to engage in a session
- for your therapist to attend a school meeting remotely
- for your therapists to meet with your child’s other health professionals remotely
Please note the Telehealth Medicare rebates are only available until 30 September 2020. Medicare rebates for Telehealth appointments may not be available after this time.
Yes. One of the advantages of Telehealth is we can now provide service to people all over Australia! You are welcome to access our services remotely no matter where in the country you live. All you require is a secure and stable internet connection (for video conferencing) and a safe, quiet space to conduct your session. Please contact reception to discuss appointment availability.
No. As a private practice, we do not require a GP referral to access our services and you are welcome to ‘self-refer’. However, if you would like to access a Medicare rebate for your Telehealth sessions, you will need a Medicare plan from your GP or Paediatrician.
If you plan to resume face to face sessions when available, and would like to access Medicare rebates, your GP will then need to write you a Mental Health Care Plan or Chronic Disease Management Plan to allow you to claim these rebates.
No. As a private practice, we do not require a GP referral to access our services and you are welcome to ‘self-refer’. However, if you would like to access a Medicare rebate for your Telehealth sessions, you will need a Medicare plan from your GP or Paediatrician.
If you plan to resume face to face sessions when available, and would like to access Medicare rebates, your GP will then need to write you a Mental Health Care Plan or Chronic Disease Management Plan to allow you to claim these rebates.
If there is any paperwork requiring a client signature or other input, reception will email you an online form via DocuSign. Please follow the directions to complete the paperwork electronically and return to Okey Dokey. This will then be actioned if necessary and added to your electronic client file for future reference. If you have any problems completing these forms, please contact reception who will be happy to help.
