Information for clients

Therapy via telepractice will be different from your in-person therapy. We may use electronic materials on PowerPoint, Word, or whiteboard during therapy. We will provide these materials and show you how to use them.  

Helpers: Sometimes a “helper” is used during telepractice therapy sessions. A helper typically helps running the technology and facilitating activities for the client. 

Zoom (the online meeting website) is HIPAA compliant, meaning that our sessions will remain private. Please check on the Zoom website to make sure you have the technology requirements to use Zoom. In general, these include: 

• Computer or tablet with a webcam (video camera) and microphone 
• Bandwidth of 50-150kbps (high-speed internet access, with hard-wired internet preferred to wifi) 

You will also need a private, quiet space.  

Insurance and payment: We will continue to follow our regular billing and payment practices (please visit our payment practices website for details).  

Limitations: The use of technology removes the ability to have an in-person experience. With regard to speech-language therapy, this may mean the inability to provide tactile cues, monitor through touch, or the exclusion of specialized materials that do not interface with the electronic platform. Visually, information may be better or worse than in person.  

Trouble-shooting technology: Information forthcoming.  

What if my session is cut short due to technology difficulties? Just as with in-person services, sometimes sessions end early for various reasons. Your student clinician and clinical educator will determine whether enough skilled therapy was provided prior to your session ending to bill for that visit. They will inform you of their recommendation, and you will have the opportunity to discuss with them and/ or the Clinic Director if there are further questions.  

What happens if I experience an emergency during my telehealth session? We have your emergency contact information on file as well as your home address. If you experience an emergency during your telehealth session, our students and clinical educators will either work with your helper to assist you, or we will contact your local emergency services and alert them to your location. 

Questions? Please email the assigned student or supervisor with any questions. You may also call the clinic at 406-243-2405. 

Your feedback is valuable to us. We are in process of designing a survey to learn more about your experience with our telehealth services.   

Please note that email is not secure (i.e., not HIPAA compliant). If you need to communicate sensitive information, please request a phone call or Zoom meeting. Our electronic health records system allows us to send documents securely to you via email as needed. These emails will come from the sender “Therabill.”