Providing Accessible & Affordable Speech Therapy for North Carolina
- Emily Halder
- Sep 16, 2020
- 2 min read
One glaring issue with healthcare in our country is the lack of affordable options and the lack of accessibility that impact so many Americans. Blue Ridge Speech and Voice is helping the community by providing cutting edge speech therapy via mobile services and online Telepractice, and by accepting some of the major insurances offered in North Carolina.
Many of my clients have disabilities and therefore have difficulty leaving their home for outpatient speech therapy. Many are also part of a high-risk population for COVID-19. Having a speech therapist come to them, either in their home or by working online (or sometimes a combination of the two), allows them to receive specialized speech therapy without worrying about transportation or mobility. Large corporate home-health companies usually require their patients to be "home-bound," meaning they can only leave their house for an absolute necessity, like a doctor's appointment. They also often give large windows of time in which the therapist may arrive. Blue Ridge Speech and Voice does neither. You are free to continue living your life at home and in the community, and you will be given a specific appointment time when your therapist will arrive. I offer in-home visits to many areas in WNC, within a 30 mile radius of my home in Waynesville. If you are outside of this service range, Telepractice remains a good service option for most people.
COVID-19 precautions include maintaining 6 feet of distance (and/or doing sessions outdoors) and wearing a mask. Materials are either single-use or easily sanitized, to decrease risk of contamination. I am doing elbow bumps in lieu of handshakes, and making sure to sanitize my hands before and after each home visit. I am currently limiting services to no more than 2 home visits per day, to avoid the risk of cross-contamination between homes. The remainder of my sessions are done online. I do encourage people to use the Telepractice option as much as possible, but some people are unfortunately not good candidates for this service delivery model.
Insurances accepted include Medicare, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and CIGNA. If you are insured with a different company, you will need to check what your out-of-network therapy benefits cover. I can provide you with a Superbill at the end of the month for you to submit to your company for reimbursement. In order to have your services covered by insurance, I will need an order from your doctor in order to prove medical necessity to your insurance company. I also offer an affordable private pay option, with a prompt pay discount for both evaluation and treatment sessions.
Call, text, or email to schedule a free consultation and see if I'm the right therapist for you!
Call/text: (828) 222-3824 Email: emily@blueridgespeechandvoice.com
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