| Standard Fee Charges A note of the fee is given to the patient upon their application to Lacap for initial consultation. The patient is asked to self-declare their income. That guideline fee is marked up in the assessment report that is generated by the patient's application. It should be the benchmark fee for discussion and agreement of ongoing fees at the assessment. If there are grounds for challenging the self-declaration, or cogent clinical reasons for varying away from the benchmark, the assessing therapist is free to execute that. During treatments, fees can and should be reviewed as and when the consulting therapist decides, with reference to the lacap formula. Standard fee Rates are appropriate for incomes of £20,000+. Please use this formula:
1/1000th of annual gross income plus £10.00
Marked and consistent deviations (up or down) away from that formula will be challenged by lacap management as inconsistent with lacap's overall policy. If a therapist cannot by and large agree with lacap's fee policy, it would not be clear why that therapist is in continuing association with lacap. This is with the exception of frequencies of twice weekly or more, where the fee per week will be no less than income x 0.0011. The ceiling for fees is £80.00. Should the patient's circumstances reduce anual gross income below £20k, and if the patient wants to renegotiate the fees, then the fee formula for the low-fee can be applied at the therapists discretion. In general that fee formula promotes fees in excess of £kx0.0011, and will prove to generate higher 'low-fees' in most circumstances. Lacap can and will change the fee formula from time-to-time. Should the fee formula establish higher fees, therapists should feel encouraged to apply that new rate to existing caseload. If the fees move downwards, therapists would not be expected to apply that to existing casework. Fees until 31.12.2005 were benchmarked at £000 x 0.001. Therapists with casework fee rates operating at period ended 31.09.2006 should consider reviewing fees in line with current fee rates, where appropriate. Fees until 8th September were 1/000th plus £7.00. Therapists with casework fee rates operating at period ended 12.09.08 should consider reviewing fees in line with current fee rates, where appropriate. | | Low-Fees at Lacap The formula for low fees is more complicated. The income is charged at a percentage rate, but there are additions or rates for various 'non-income' statuses. If you need to calculate the correct fee, you can use the low-fee calculator - asking your patient for details according to the statuses that the form requires from them. Use The Low Fee Calculator
Accepting, Agreeing & Renegotiating Fees You will know the fee that the patient is proposed to pay before assessment or before you agree to take a patient from a waiting list. If you do not want that patient because of the fee, you should follow the procedures in the Administrative Pages section to cancel that meeting or referral. You will always agree a fee with the patient at assessment on behalf of lacap. That detail forms part of the assessment report. When you confirm the assessment report, one section of the outgoing mail to the patient confirms the fee that you have agreed for ongoing work. At assessment, you do not need to feel embarrassed about checking patients earnings declarations. In particular, Lacap would fully expect a patient who has no work to take a p/t job that could go towards our fees: we understand that such small jobs have no bearing upon the benefit entitlement if earning less than £15 per week. If you are reluctant to agree a fee with a patient, please defer the matter, and ask management to deal with it later on. You do not need to consult or agree with management before renegotiating fees with patients. But you must advise us after the event. Lacap will write mail to the patient endorsing that fee change. The mechanism for this is dealt with more fully in the Administration Pages Section. |
