Kid’s Creek Therapy COVID-19 Addendum to Policies and Procedures
Thank you for your support and patience as we navigate this uncertain and challenging time together due to COVID-19. The safety of our team and our patients is our top priority while we provide patients with the services they need. We will continue teletherapy services as long as possible for patients where it is appropriate and covered by insurance. In-person appointments will be prioritized for those where teletherapy is not effective, or not covered by insurance.
Please review this content fully and carefully so that you are properly informed about our new policies and procedures related to attending therapy in person and requirements for infection control and sanitization.
**All of our infection control policies and procedures are informed and designated by recent training methods learned from professional healthcare organizations, required federal and state policies/procedures for facilities reopening, and CDC specified guidelines. We will continue to stay informed and adjust our safety measures as needed.
Infection Control Procedures
Our entire facility has been professionally cleaned and sanitized in preparation for reopening. In addition to the required daily cleaning and sanitizing procedures that our staff will follow, we will continue to have bi-weekly cleaning of the entire facility by an experienced cleaning crew that uses hospital-grade cleaning supplies that are odor-free and safe for our team and patients.
Please find below a summary of the policies and procedures implemented by Kid’s Creek Therapy. Please pay particular attention to our highlighted PARENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES SECTION.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
PPE required for Therapists:
- Cloth or Disposable Mask (1 per day, disinfected at end of day)
- Face Shield (1 per day, disinfected at end of day)
- Gloves if working with body fluids (dispose/replace gloves between touching patient and/or therapy materials)
PPE required for Patients:
- Cloth or Disposable Mask for parent/caregiver/patient
- Patients over the age of 3 will be asked to wear a mask
- Cloth masks will be available for day use to be sanitized
- Paper masks will be available if cloth options are not feasible
Rules for Masks:
- Masks upon entry for everyone
- Children with respiratory issues or under age 3 do not have to wear mask
- If child does not tolerate a mask they can take it off once back in a private room
- Therapists: at end of each day, place mask in available sanitizing bin to be washed
- Patients: after session, place mask in available sanitizing bin
- Masks are washed in washing machine by a staff member at the end of each day.
- If patients are not wearing masks they are NOT allowed to be in the Big Gym.
Treatment Session Procedures
Before Sessions:
Upon arrival, Parents will be asked screening questions:
- Do you, or anyone in your household, have any signs of illness including coughing, cold, fever, aches or other signs of illness today?
- Are you, or anyone you reside with, aware of having been exposed to a person who is known or suspected to have COVID-19?
If NO to both questions:
- The therapist will pick the child up at a designated area. Parents will wait in their cars unless bringing an infant or for an initial evaluation.
- Parents attending a session with an infant or initial evaluation will meet the treating therapist at the front door promptly at session appointment time. No waiting allowed in the waiting room.
- Upon entering they will need to use hand sanitizer or wash hands.
- Temperature check at temperature station. If below 100.4, may proceed with therapy.
- No one waiting in the waiting room, that area is designated for patient shoes and departure after sessions.
- No items from home unless therapeutically relevant
If YES to either question, the appointment is canceled. Instruct to self-quarantine 72 hours. If they test positive or do not receive testing, they will be removed from the clinic appointment schedule for 14 days. If they are tested and test negative, they may return to appointments after 48 hours of being fever free (unmedicated).
The current attendance policy will be lifted per these scenarios. Recurring no shows without a valid reason will still be considered for termination of services.
Parent Policies:
- No parents allowed in treatment sessions unless medically necessary or for a child under 3; no siblings allowed in facility at any time.
- The number of individuals allowed in our facility at one time will be limited. At this time, we will not be an in-person training facility for graduate students unless it is through teletherapy.
- One parent may be present for initial evaluations only. No siblings.
- Live video streaming can be used for parent participation/observation of sessions. Streaming must be requested through email to the treating therapist at least 24 hours in advance of the session.
- No personal items may be brought in from home (i.e., fidgets, comfort toys, water bottles, cups, etc.) Only therapeutic equipment (i.e. braces or assistive devices) may be brought in with the patient.
- We will provide single-use cups as needed for patients who need a drink.
Patient Arrival:
- Upon arrival, families should wait in their cars in the front parking lot. Five minutes prior to session time, parents may line up in the carpool check in line (left side of building in drive-thru lane).
- Therapists will come out to cars to pick up patients. Prior to entering the facility, parents will be asked screening questions and the child’s temperature will be taken.
Patient Dismissal:
- Parents will line up in designated cone area in front of the building at 15 minutes prior to the end of session time (for one-hour appointments) and 10 minutes prior to the end of session time (for 30-minute appointments).
- No in-person parent feedback will be provided regarding sessions to allow therapists the time needed to clean and disinfect areas in preparation for the next therapy sessions. Your therapist will discuss with you how they will communicate with you regarding progress and home programming.
- Parents may not leave the premises for 30-minute therapy sessions.
- If your child has back-to-back therapy sessions, you will need to pick up your child in-between sessions at the designated area and then return to the carpool lane for the next therapist to pick them up. We understand that this is inconvenient and requires extra effort on your part, but is necessary due to the cleaning procedures required at this time.
- It is vital that all children arrive on time and are picked up on time.
- No papers or materials will be sent home with patients.
Patient Accounts:
With our waiting room closed, we will not be able to take payments in the office. Parents who routinely have co-payments, co-insurance, or private pay for sessions will be required to have a credit card or HSA card on file in Fusion Web Clinic. Your card information is encrypted in the system. When your child is checked in for their appointment, your card will be charged for the amount due for that session or other amount as agreed upon by you and our office manager, Myrlaine.
Beginning June 1, we will no longer allow monthly billing for private pay patients, co-payments, and co-insurance amounts. These amounts must be paid at the time of service.
Our balance limit on accounts is $200. If your account currently has a balance of over $200, you will be asked to pay off that balance prior to resuming therapy services.
Thank you for allowing us to serve your child and family. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our owner, Melanie McGriff, at mmcgriff@kidscreektherapy.com.
