Appointment Information

Talking Matters accepts payment by cash, EFTPOS, and in some negotiated circumstances direct deposit. We also offer automatic health fund rebates via HICAPS* which enables families to claim instantly and pay only the gap. When students are being seen at schools a direct debit system needs to be set up for these sessions if they are not claimed through the NDIA Portal.

* Please check with your health fund to determine your ability to claim with HICAPS. If your health fund does not provide HICAPS, you will need to pay in full and take your receipt to your health fund to receive your rebate.

Talking Matters requires accounts be paid on the day. A number of funding options may be available to help you pay for the services we provide. Please see our Funding page for details.

Assessment deposit

All initial assessments that are funded by families require a $75 deposit to be paid within 7 days of making a booking, and at least 3 days before the appointment. This deposit will be deducted from your fees when you attend your final assessment appointment, or cancel or reschedule with a minimum of 2 business days' notice. If you are unable to attend and do not give 2 business days' notice your deposit will be used towards the late cancellation fee.

Unable to attend?

Cancellation policy

High levels of cancellations remain a problem for health providers who still need to pay workers and overheads even when appointments are not attended. Therefore, when sessions are not attended, or are cancelled after 3pm the working day prior to the appointment, there will be a cancellation fee charged. No further sessions will be provided until the cancellation fee is paid.

Fee: Our fees is as outlined in the current NDIA pricing schedule, currently 100% of the booked session fee.

Notification is required by phone, by email or by leaving a message on the answering machine. The answering machine and email will time stamp when you provided notice.

Reschedule Appointments: In some cases we are able to reschedule appointments to another available time slot when contacted prior to the clinicians setting up for your appointment. If a suitable time slot is not available the cancellation fee remains payable.

Travel: If a clinician has travelled to an appointment that is then not able to be provided, a cancellation fee will be incurred that reflects the lost appointment plus the travel time.

Payment of cancellation fees: Cancellation fees are payable within 7 days of invoice, and before any further services will be provided. Failure to pay cancellation fees in the time provided may result in services being withdrawn, the time slot being offered to another family and the fee may be handed over to a debt collection agency.

Overall Attendance: When more than 20% of appointments are cancelled in a term you risk losing your ongoing appointment time. We will prioritise appointments for clients who regularly attend their appointments. To avoid cancellations fees we suggest you book other appointments around your existing therapy commitments.

The cancellation policy is on the screen in the waiting room, forms our Terms and Conditions of service and can be further explained by a Talking Matters team member. Please do not hesitate to clarify any aspect of the policy which you would like explained to you. We are happy to support you in understanding the policy so you can manage appointments and avoid incurring cancellation fees.

* Please note that when necessary Talking Matters uses a debt collection agency to recover unpaid debts. Administration charges and debt collection costs are added to the account where incurred.