Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Will insurance cover therapy?
Our team of insurance specialists works hard to ensure that brain injury rehabilitation treatments are covered by the patient’s insurance carrier. We will do everything we can to secure coverage, including filing appeals with the insurer, if a treatment is denied.
What if I don’t have insurance coverage?
We understand the anxiety that accompanies any medical treatment that’s not covered by insurance. Our representatives will help individuals locate and apply for financial assistance, from entities such as the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), which funds comprehensive rehabilitation services and vocational rehabilitation activities for patients who have the potential to return to work.
How do I begin the process of treatment?
In many cases, a referral from a hospital, insurance carrier, doctor or another source begins the process. A clinical liaison from Pate meets with a prospective patient and their family for the first time. We will talk directly with the patient, his or her family, and any other appropriate professionals involved in the patient’s care.
We will work to understand the patient’s needs, goals and expectations to design a realistic treatment plan. By getting to know the patient personally, we make an informed recommendation for placement into the appropriate treatment program and team. Programming strives to consider the patient’s personal and cultural preferences to maximize the fit between what is offered and what each person needs.
We then assemble the best team of specialists for each patient, making sure the family is an integral part of that team. The final decision on whether to go ahead is made by the patient and/or his or her family.
What type of therapies do you offer?
Our rehabilitation therapies for brain injuries include physical, occupational, speech/language, cognitive, behavioral, vocational and even animal-assisted therapy activities. Our diverse clinical teams – including 5 clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists – represent many clinical backgrounds and work together to facilitate the best rehabilitation program.
With more than 30 years of rehabilitation experience, we have devised a unique approach to therapy for persons with acquired brain injury. Our approach begins with us getting to know each patient on a deeper level. Armed with this information, we devise a rehabilitation plan based on real-world simulation, individualized therapies, and results-oriented programs.
What programs do you offer?
Pate has various programs designed to care for a wide range of patients:
- Day neuro program (Outpatient) – for individuals who live at home, but need therapy Monday through Friday. Day neuro treatment is offered from 9:00-3:30 pm Monday through Friday with opportunities to modify individual schedules based on treatment needs or other factors when necessary.
- Transitional post-acute program (Inpatient) – for individuals who are medically stable, yet require a 24-hour rehabilitation program to return to their highest level of independence.
- Supported living program – for residents who need specialized care and lifelong support. This program provides the opportunity for residents to live as independently as possible. Treatment is provided from 9am-3:30pm for inpatients.
Because Pate designs an individualized, community-based rehabilitation program for every patient, every specific treatment plan is unique to the patient’s needs. Read more about our brain injury programs and brain injury services.
Why do you emphasize neuropsychology?
Pate was founded by a neuropsychologist. Neuropsychology is a new field of psychology that studies the structure and function of the brain to understand how behavior and cognition are influenced by brain functioning and is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of behavioral and cognitive effects of neurological disorders.
Pate’s treatment philosophy is holistic and concerned with the whole person. Our clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists combine knowledge and understanding of an injury’s effect on brain function with the reality of the patient’s real strengths, weaknesses, interests, and personality in order to develop a treatment plan that will work the best for that individual patient.
Neuropsychologists supervise all treatment at Pate. It is the neuropsychologist’s responsibility to make sure that every member of a patient’s treatment team understands the whole person. The neuropsychologist is an integral part of the rehabilitation team and continually re-evaluates the patient as progress is made. The team’s ultimate goal is for the patient to successfully re-enter the real world.
Do you provide group treatment as well as individual treatment?
Yes! Along with one-on-one or individual treatment. Most people think of group therapy as several people in a room talking about their problems or performing the same activity. At Pate, group activities are designed to mimic real life while incorporating the patient’s needs and goals in an individualized activity. When patients leave Pate, they want to go back to “real life.” This means they need to be able to perform certain tasks with other people or when other people are around. Some examples are going back to work, performing volunteer work, going to school, riding on a plane, going to the grocery store or going to get a driver’s license. In fact, this approach is supported by research on evidence-based treatments for individuals with brain injury.
A brain injury can leave a person with a wide range of challenges. Many problems require individual focus from a trained therapist or professional. For example, impairments such as the inability to swallow, paralysis of a limb, communication problems like aphasia or the inability to move fingers require one-on-one interaction with a therapist at least initially.
At Pate, we believe that interactions with other people, whether coworkers, cashiers, family members, neighbors, teachers, or the general public, are very important in the brain injury rehabilitation process. The ultimate goal is for the patient to become as independent as possible, which includes self-starting and completing activities without minute-by-minute guidance from a therapist. Consequently, therapies need to eventually include other people. There is a time for quiet and one-on-one, and there is also time for carefully increased noise, distractions, and interactions with other people.
What is the benefit of an inpatient living facility instead of outpatient treatment?
We certainly understand that since your injury you have been away from home for a long time and want to return home as soon as possible. If your treatment team has recommended transitional living (inpatient) as the next step it is your opportunity to take advantage of brain injury rehabilitation technicians and therapist expertise in community living.
With their help, you can re-learn how to complete your daily tasks and routines as independently as possible. They will help you solve problems may arise, create strategies to aid your recovery, and help determine the level of support you may need to live safely in your home and community again.
When I leave the hospital, why do I need to continue rehabilitation at another facility?
Brain injury rehabilitation continues on beyond achieving medical stability in the hospital. It is very important in order to achieve maximum benefit that you continue working with the specialized team of therapists. These therapists help bridge the gap between being in the hospital and returning to active participation in your home, community and work or school. An acquired brain injury affects many aspects of a person’s life and the Pate therapy team is skilled in creating a treatment program that fits your specific life demands.
Are nurses available around the clock?
Nurses are available on campus Monday through Friday during regular business hours and some overnight hours. Each facility has a designated nurse on-call at all times: 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Our residential staff is expertly trained and, in the event of an incident, will either contact the nurse on-call for his or her on-site assistance, or relay the problem immediately to 911.
How long will I stay in the program?
Your length of stay will be determined by your individualized goals and projected rehabilitation outcomes set with your team. The average length of stay is about 3 months.
There are situations when insurance companies limit the amount of time you can stay, apart from the treatment team recommendations. Our team of insurance specialists and case managers work hard to ensure that the brain injury rehabilitation is covered. We will do everything we can to secure coverage, including filing appeals with the insurer if treatment is denied.
What medicine oversight is provided?
It depends on the patient’s recovery progress. Some patients cannot monitor their own medications, so Pate medical technicians will provide all medications. For patients who are working on skills for independent living, Pate helps them learn to manage their own medications as part of treatment.
What do I need to bring?
If a patient will be staying in one of our transitional living centers during treatment, pack comfortable clothes and shoes, toiletries, glasses, medications, all the things a person needs for daily life. For day neuro patients, simply dress comfortably and bring only the essentials you need during the day.
Do you offer driving rehabilitation?
Yes, we can help patients who are working toward a return to driving and offer behind the wheel driving evaluations and driver training. This is at no additional cost to our patients. This is real world training that does not include simulators like some other programs.
What if a patient speaks Spanish? Do you have a bilingual program?
Yes, we care for many patients who speak Spanish only or are bilingual. The programming takes into consideration the patient and their family’s unique cultural and language needs to promote comfort and recovery. In some cases, we’re able to provide translation services in additional languages, so ask us.