Billing & Payment Information
Helpful information about payments and billing
We want families to understand how insurance claims, patient balances and payments are handled before beginning services. This page explains when a payment card is required, when charges are processed, how to view invoices and what happens when an account has an outstanding balance.
Table of Contents
Billing at a Glance
- A card on file is required for commercial insurance, private-pay and scholarship clients.
- Private-pay balances are generally charged within one week of the date of service.
- For commercial insurance, AKP waits for the insurer to process the claim before charging applicable coinsurance, deductible or other patient-responsibility amounts.
- Invoices and payment information are available through the CentralReach Client Portal.
- Services may be temporarily paused when balances remain unpaid.
How Billing Works
On the day of your child’s evaluation or first session, we will ask you to provide a credit card to keep securely on file if you are using commercial insurance, paying privately or receiving scholarship funding.
The card is used only to process charges associated with your child’s services and other fees covered by your financial agreement.
Families Using Commercial Insurance
Always Keep Progressing submits eligible claims to your insurance company. Your insurer then processes the claim and determines what portion, if any, is your responsibility.
Your responsibility may include:
- Copayments
- Coinsurance
- Deductible amounts
- Additional balances not covered by your plan
Once your insurer has completed processing the claim, the remaining patient-responsibility amount will be charged to the card on file within five business days.
Insurance claims can sometimes take several weeks or months to process, depending on the insurance company and plan. Always Keep Progressing does not control the insurer’s processing timeframe.
Private-Pay Families
For private-pay services, the card on file will be charged for the outstanding balance within one week of the date of service.
Scholarship Clients
A valid payment card must also be kept on file for scholarship clients. The card may be used for balances or fees that are not covered by the scholarship, according to the applicable financial agreement.
Card-on-File Policy
Is a card on file required?
Yes. Always Keep Progressing requires a valid card to be kept on file for commercial insurance, private-pay and scholarship clients.
Keeping a payment method on file allows balances to be processed efficiently and helps prevent billing issues from interrupting your child’s therapy.
Payment card information is stored and processed through CentralReach’s PCI-compliant payment system. The saved card is used only for charges associated with services and fees covered by your financial agreement.
Can my child receive therapy without a card on file?
A card on file is required for commercial insurance, private-pay and scholarship clients. If a saved card expires, is declined or otherwise becomes invalid, you may be asked to provide an updated payment method before services continue.
Understanding Your Insurance Benefits
How can I find out my copay, deductible or coinsurance?
If your child has not yet received an evaluation or therapy session, Always Keep Progressing may not be able to provide an exact patient-responsibility amount.
For the most specific information, contact your insurance company using the member-services telephone number on the back of your insurance card. Ask about your benefits for the particular pediatric therapy service your child will receive.
Depending on your plan, you may want to ask about:
- Whether Always Keep Progressing is in-network under your specific plan
- Copayment and coinsurance amounts
- Your remaining deductible
- Visit limits
- Prior-authorization requirements
- Coverage for evaluations and ongoing therapy
- Services or charges excluded by your plan
You can also review our accepted insurance plans, but appearing on this list does not guarantee that AKP is in-network under every plan offered by that insurance company.
Question about Insurance?
We know insurance can be tricky. We'll help you understand your benefits and whether speech or occupational therapy is covered.
Why can’t AKP confirm my exact costs in advance?
Commercial insurance plans vary considerably. Benefits may depend on the specific plan, network, employer contract, location, service, diagnosis, authorization and other policy requirements.
Although Always Keep Progressing is in-network with certain insurers, we cannot guarantee whether a particular plan will treat AKP as in-network or confirm the exact amount a family will owe before claims are processed.
Your insurance company makes the final determination regarding:
- Eligibility
- Covered services
- Allowed amounts
- Copayments
- Coinsurance
- Deductibles
- Other patient-responsibility amounts
The most accurate patient-responsibility information may not be available until AKP bills the first sessions and receives the insurer’s Explanation of Benefits.
Because AKP conducts a high volume of sessions each week, families should regularly review the CentralReach Client Portal for invoices and updated account information. AKP may not be able to notify every family individually each time an insurer finishes processing a claim.
Important: Information provided before a claim is processed is not a guarantee of coverage or payment. Final benefits and patient responsibility are determined by your insurance company.
Accessing Your Invoices
When your family began the intake process, a CentralReach Client Portal profile was created using the email address you provided. You should have received a verification email from CentralReach with instructions for creating your password.
Every time a payment is processed using the card on file, the corresponding invoice will be available through the portal.
How to view an invoice
- Visit the CentralReach Client Portal and log in.
- Select Billing from the menu.
- Select Invoices at the top of the Billing screen.
- Find the relevant invoice and select the download icon next to the Paid in Full column.
The portal can be accessed using a phone, tablet or computer.
If you cannot find your verification email or access your account, contact the AKP team for assistance.
Questions About Charges
Why do I see more than one charge?
If two charges appear on the same day or within a few days of one another, they may relate to different services or balances.
Common reasons include:
- One charge relates to a recent session, while the other covers a balance remaining from previously processed sessions.
- One charge covers patient responsibility for therapy, while the other is an applicable same-day cancellation or late-pickup fee.
Review the invoices in your CentralReach Client Portal to see which dates of service or fees correspond with each payment. If you use commercial insurance, compare the invoice with the Explanation of Benefits provided by your insurer.
If the charges still appear incorrect after reviewing these records, contact AKP so our team can investigate.
Outstanding Balances and Missed Payments
What happens if a balance is not paid on time?
If your account has an outstanding balance, a notification may appear when you check in for your child’s appointment. You may be asked to speak with the front desk to:
- Provide updated credit card information
- Authorize payment of the outstanding balance
- Resolve another issue preventing payment
Once the account issue has been addressed and the front desk has updated the system, your child will be able to check in for the session.
If AKP does not receive a response or payment, services may be placed on hold until the outstanding balance is paid. A pause in treatment may also result in your child’s recurring appointment time being offered to another family.
The scheduling team can hold recurring appointment times for up to two weeks while the account is being resolved. After that period, the appointment times may be made available to other clients.
When may treatment be paused?
Always Keep Progressing reserves the right to pause treatment when:
- A credit card has repeatedly declined
- Insurance has repeatedly denied payment
- The family has not updated an expired or invalid payment method
- AKP has been unable to obtain payment for the patient-responsibility amount
- Attempts to contact the family by telephone, text message or email have been unsuccessful
If an account has reached five unpaid visits or an outstanding balance of $250 or more—whichever occurs first—and the family has not responded to AKP’s calls, texts or emails, the child’s therapist will be notified.
Treatment will be temporarily paused following the next scheduled session. After that session, the outstanding balance must be resolved with the Billing Department or Front Desk before treatment can continue.
What happens if an outstanding balance remains unresolved?
AKP will attempt to contact the responsible party through calls, text messages, emails and, when appropriate, a final written notice.
If no effort is made to resolve the patient-responsibility amount after these attempts, services may be suspended and the outstanding balance may be referred to collections. Referral to collections may affect a person’s credit or make it more difficult to obtain services through insurance in the future.
Families experiencing billing difficulties are encouraged to contact AKP as soon as possible. Speaking with the team before an account reaches the suspension threshold gives everyone the best opportunity to address the issue without unnecessarily interrupting the child’s treatment.
Contact the Billing Team
Contact Always Keep Progressing if you:
- Do not recognize a charge
- Believe a payment was processed incorrectly
- Need to update your card on file
- Cannot access an invoice
- Have changed insurance plans
- Received an insurance denial
- Have questions about an outstanding balance
- Expect difficulty making a payment
Billing telephone: (786) 206-4151
Billing hours: M-F, 9am -3pm
Please do not send credit card numbers, detailed medical information or other sensitive information through an unsecured email or general website contact form.