Frequently Asked Questions

What is ABA therapy?
Why is ABA therapy important?
How many therapy hours should my child receive each week?
How does telemedicine work in ABA?
How do I enroll multiple children in Tilly’s services?
What will I be billed for?
When will I receive a bill?
How much am I going to owe out-of-pocket?
How do I pay my bill?
What do I do if I can’t afford my bill?

What is ABA therapy?

ABA therapy, also known as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), is a therapeutic approach used to improve or change specific behaviors through systematic and evidence-based techniques. It incorporates a variety of strategies such as positive reinforcement, prompting, and data analysis to encourage positive behaviors and reduce challenging behaviors. ABA therapy aims to enhance various aspects of an individual's life such as social skills, communication skills, self-care abilities, overall independence and more.

Why is ABA therapy important?

ABA is the most successful, evidence-based therapy designed to teach children new positive behaviors through the science of positive reinforcement. ABA helps children learn new, positive, social behaviors while also helping reduce or eliminate negative and self-harming behaviors over time. In many studies, ABA has also been shown to help close the achievement gap for children on the spectrum. However, this depends on how quickly a child can begin receiving care, as well as how intensively; that is, the higher the number of hours per week, the greater the likelihood of both remediating learning deficits and reducing interfering behavior.

How many therapy hours should my child receive each week?

Typically, treatment plans are authorized in 6-month intervals, and the recommended number of ABA therapy hours per week generally fall within the range of 15 to 50 hours. The number of hours needed is influenced by factors such as age, severity, and parent goals and the specific number of hours recommended for your child will depend on a comprehensive assessment of their current skills, and this recommendation is akin to a medical prescription.

How do I enroll more than one child in Tilly’s services?

At this time we can not link two multiple accounts, therefore if you have multiple children who you would like to enroll in services with Tilly, you will need to sign up each child using a different email address. That email address will then serve as the log in to onboard and manage care for that child for the duration of their care.

How does telemedicine work in ABA?

Tilly is one of the leading providers of ABA telemedicine services in the United States. Telemedicine ABA services are associated with new skills development, learning of positive behaviors, and reduction in negative behaviors. Tilly provides a hybrid model of care. This means that your assigned RBT will work with your child in person, while your BCBA will provide you with individually tailored support and training, as well as supervision to the RBT via the use of Telehealth. BCBAs will also work with caregivers over video conferences to supervise your child’s behavior, design an effective program, and provide training to help your child develop new and positive skills.

What will I be billed for?

You will be billed for coinsurance, deductibles, and copay amounts up to your out-of-pocket maximum. You may be responsible for copays for indirect services, like report writing and plan modification. This means that you may be responsible for copayments on days where there is not a provider present with your child. Typically these services will be rendered on the same day as your child’s Direct Intervention services, which will often mean that you do not bear responsibility for an additional copay amount. However, some insurance plans assess a copay per service, rather than per day. This means if your child receives multiple types of service in one day (for example, Supervision, Caregiver Training, and Direct Intervention), your insurance may assess multiple copay amounts for the same day. This is not something Tilly can control, and is something you should discuss with your insurance carrier prior to starting service so you can begin planning for your financial obligations for ABA.

When will I receive a bill?

Statements are sent each month on or around the 15th. Statements can only be sent after your insurance company adjudicates the claim we send and this can take as much as 90 days or more in some cases, especially if we receive denials and are appealing them. As such, the sequence of your billing may seem a bit irregular at times and this is unfortunately not something Tillycan control. Please also note that sometimes your new statements will contain service dates from prior months, when you have already paid your portion for services from subsequent months.

How much am I going to owe out-of-pocket?

It is common for families to hit their out-of-pocket maximum with ABA services. However, if your family receives other healthcare services from different providers, you may owe portions of your out-of-pocket maximum to those providers. For this reason, Tilly does not accept payments upfront or escrow out-of-pocket amounts. You should plan to cover copay, deductible, and coinsurance amounts up to your full out of pocket maximum with Tilly.

How do I pay my bill?

You will receive your first statement via mail. Your statement will contain a QR code that will allow you to register for Patient Notebook, Tilly's online bill pay solution. In Patient Notebook, you can pay via Credit Card or ACH (Bank Wire). Your statement will also contain a physical coupon, which will allow you to mail a check to Tilly if you choose.

What do I do if I can’t afford my bill?

We understand that ABA is a significant financial commitment, and offer flexible payment plan options with up to 6-month terms. Tilly is unable to routinely waive copay, deductible, or coinsurance amounts, and we do not have financial assistance programs. However, we encourage you to explore Medicaid programs and Regional Centers (in CA only) that may offer additional financial coverage for your child. Most states offer disability-based Medicaid eligibility to children with ASD, even when their family income would traditionally disqualify them from Medicaid coverage.

That said, please note that after 4 failed attempts to contact you and 120 days elapse, your balance will be referred for collections. After 2 attempts to collect by our collections vendor and 30 days, your account will be sent to Bad Debt and your unpaid balance will be reported to Credit Reporting Agencies. We will make every effort to work with you on your balance prior to sending your account to collections. You can always contact patientbilling@tillytherpy.com with any questions.