In its simplest terms, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. Occupational therapy services typically include:

• an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals,
• customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and
• an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan.

Occupational therapy services may include comprehensive evaluations of the client’s home and other environments (e.g., workplace, school), recommendations for adaptive equipment and training in its use, and guidance and education for family members and caregivers. Occupational therapy practitioners have a holistic perspective, in which the focus is on adapting the environment to fit the person, and the person is an integral part of the therapy team.

You may call, email or stop by to Offering Hope Therapies to schedule a complimentary screening to have a tour and to determine how the therapist can help you. If your concern is beyond the scope of practice for the therapist, she will try to help you find a provider who can help you.

Most often, clients are scheduled for an evaluation appointment the same week that they request an appointment.

Please wear comfortable, loose clothing which is easy to move in. Depending on the concern you are seeing the therapist for, she may ask you to put on a gown to examine specific areas more closely.

The evaluation ranges in time from 1 to 2 hours pending the complexity of concerns. Typical follow-up appointments are 1 hour in length.

The frequency of visits is dependent on the nature of the condition and severity or acuity of the concern. For those with swelling, edema, lipedema, and lymphedema, treatments are 5 days a week for the first two weeks. For most cases regarding muscular, skeletal or nerve pain or rehab, the frequency is 2 to 3 times per week. For mental health, ergonomics, incontinence, and children’s treatments, the frequency and duration are determined on a case-by-case basis.

Offering Hope Therapies does bill to most insurances, however, it is the client’s responsibility to pay deductibles and co-pay costs. Should a client not have insurance coverage, or choose to self-pay, the rates of service are provided at a discount. Please call to get the pricing for a self-pay evaluation. To learn if Offering Hope Therapies is an in-network provider for your insurance plan, please call us or your insurance plan directly.

In the summer of 2016, Occupational Therapists were provided with “Direct Access” in the State of Wisconsin, meaning that a client seeking rehabilitative or habilitative care from an Occupational Therapy provider could begin care without a prescription. If the client wishes to have his insurance company billed for the service, most likely, a doctor’s prescription is needed prior to the evaluation.

The first visit is called an evaluation (or assessment). Based on the results of this first visit, the therapist along with the patient will collaborate regarding making a plan of care that will meet the needs of the client. A report will be written and sent to the Primary Care Provider (Doctor, Nurse Practitioner, Physician’s Assistant, etc.) for review and signature. In the case of some insurance companies, a “Prior Authorization” is required. This means that the report will be sent to the insurance company for review. The insurance provider may approve a particular number of therapy visits. When communication is received from Insurance, the therapist will phone the client to schedule the approved treatment visits. Sometimes, there is a lag of time between when the report is submitted to the insurance company and when approval is granted.

Prior to the first therapy visit, the parent is encouraged to bring the child to Offering Hope Therapies for a tour and complimentary screening visit. During the evaluation, the child is assisted to choose the order of the assessments and have their parent/guardian be present and participate during the process. During the treatment session, picture cue cards are used to help the child understand the sequence of events during the session. At the end of the evaluation session (and at each subsequent follow-up visit), the child is rewarded for good participation with a positive reward chart. Based on the child’s ability to tolerate the therapy session, treatment time may vary from 30 to 60 minutes.