Fees and Payments Policy

Services at The Communication Studio are $193.99 per hour. This fee is applicable for all aspects of your support, including appointment time and indirect supports such as report writing, resource development, review of external supports and communicating with you and your support team for the purpose of reaching your clinical goals. Travel fees may also apply for home and community based appointments.

We offer a range of consultation lengths, depending on your needs.

Initial consultations include 30 minutes of indirect time to allow us to read through your documentation, and develop your initial support plan. Consultations include 15 minutes of indirect time as to allow for necessary follow up, note writing and individualised resource development.

Our most common consultations:

Initial (Exploration) Consultation - $290

60 minute session, 30 minutes of indirect time

Short Consultation  - $193.99

45-minute session, 15 minutes of indirect time.

Standard Consultation - $240

60-minute session, 15 minutes of indirect time

Extended Consultation - $339.48

90- minute session, 15 minutes of indirect time

(Prices current March 2024)

You will always be informed of fees prior to a service being completed. For some indirect supports, such as report writing and resource development, an estimate of time required will be provided in advance.

Please note, prices at The Communication Studio are subject to annual review at the end of the financial year (30 June each year).

Invoices will be provided on the completion of services either to yourself, a representative or your plan manager.

All session fees are payable at the time of service. Private and/or self funded clients may choose to provide credit card details into our secure online client portal for simple and secure payment processing. Your card will only be charged with your consent. 

Future appointments will not go ahead if you have outstanding invoices. Invoices not settled within 28 days will be referred to our Debt Collection agency for recovery unless arrangements have been made with us. You will be responsible for all fees associated with the Debt Collection.

If you are experiencing financial hardship and are unable to pay your invoice in full, please contact us so we can discuss alternative payment arrangements. We work with families in a non-judgemental manner to resolve financial distress wherever possible, however this does require open and honest communication from clients.

NDIS Funded Clients

We can support NDIS participants who are Self managed, or plan managed.

Please note, The Communication Studio is not able to invoice the NDIA directly. If you have a current NDIA managed plan please contact us to discuss your options. 

Where insufficient funds remain in a participants NDIS plan to enable a claim to be processed, the client or their representative will be responsible for payment of the outstanding amount.

The Communication Studio is able to support clients to access existing funding support through:

• Self Managed NDIS plans

• Plan Managed NDIS plans

• Medicare

• Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA)

• Independent Schools Victoria (ISV)

• Supportive Charities and Organisations

• Most private health funds

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

The Communication Studio is not a registered provider of the NDIS. We are able to work with clients whose funding is plan managed or self managed. If you have a current NDIA managed plan please contact us to discuss your options.

NDIS clients must provide their NDIS reference number, plan dates and the plan goals to ensure we provide you services consistent with NDIS requirements.

Medicare

You may be eligible to access a modest rebate for your speech therapy using a certain referrals from your General Practitioner (GP) or Paediatrician. There is usually an out of pocket expense for sessions. Not all GP referrals attract a medicare rebate. Please contact us to determine the best plan for your circumstances.

Private Health

The Communication Studio is able to provide invoices suitable for claiming through your eligible private health insurance. Please contact your private health insurance company directly to find out the amount or percentage of the fee they will cover as this differs with individual health funds and policies.

Financial Hardship Program

The Communication Studio has a small time allocation available to provide minimal fee services to families in significant need. This service is only available to clients where our time will produce a significant change in circumstances for a client/family. Please note we do not take a waiting list for minimal fee supports, and as a single clinician clinic, availability is strictly limited.  

To be eligible for minimal fee service through The Communication Studio clients must meet the following criteria.

·        Currently ineligible for funding or speech pathology support though NDIS or other relevant organisations;

·        Be genuinely unable to fund the services required in a reasonable timeframe for the need;

·        Need a short term service to improve the quality of life for the client. Unfortunately services required for court proceedings can not be considered;

Minimal fee services can only be provided in a limited capacity. Unfortunately we do not have the resources to maintain a wait list for this service if there is no current capacity.

In order to determine the availability for a minimal fee service, we do need some information about the services required and circumstances of the client in order for us to determine whether we are able to provide a suitable level of support at that time. Names and identifying information is not required until services are confirmed.

To enquire about our Financial Hardship program please click here