Question 1

What is ViaThera?

Accepted Answer

ViaThera is a technology platform — not a billing agency — built exclusively for pediatric OT, PT, and SLP therapists. Use it to manage your existing clients (scheduling, AI documentation, secure messaging, telehealth, superbills) and optionally get discovered by new families through our marketplace. You bill every payer, including insurance and Medicaid, directly under your own NPI.

Question 2

How do I sign up?

Accepted Answer

Apply through "Apply as a Therapist." You'll submit your credentials, license, professional liability insurance, and complete a brief profile. Our team verifies and approves applications, then walks you through onboarding so you can start adding private clients and opt into the marketplace.

Question 3

Are there any startup fees or monthly subscriptions?

Accepted Answer

There's a Free plan with no setup costs and no per-session charges — you pay $0 per session, always. An optional Premium plan ($59/month) unlocks additional tools like commercial payer credentialing tracking; Founding Members get Premium free for 12 months, then $39.99/mo. The only money that ever flows to ViaThera is the flat $11.99 booking charge paid by families at booking (and Premium, if you choose it) — never a cut of your rate or reimbursement.

Question 4

Do I ever pay ViaThera per session?

Accepted Answer

No. Therapists pay $0 per session, always — for marketplace clients, private clients, insurance sessions, and Medicaid sessions alike. ViaThera is a technology platform, not a billing agency, and never takes a percentage of your rate or reimbursement.

Question 5

How does the ViaThera booking charge work?

Accepted Answer

Families pay your rate plus one flat $11.99 ViaThera booking charge on every billable private-pay and commercial-insurance session — the same amount no matter the session length, type, or whether it's in-person or telehealth. The free 15-minute phone screening and Medicaid sessions have a $0 booking charge. The booking charge is paid entirely by the family and never deducted from your earnings.

Question 6

What rates can I set?

Accepted Answer

You set your own rate for every session type and every client — marketplace or private. There are no ViaThera-imposed rate ranges. Update your rates anytime; changes apply to future bookings only.

Question 7

How is a marketplace client different from a private client?

Accepted Answer

It's automatic. If a family books you through ViaThera's search and booking marketplace, they're a marketplace client. If you manually add a client to your dashboard, they're a private client. Either way, you set your own rate, keep 100% of it, and the family pays the same flat $11.99 booking charge plus card processing (2.9% + $0.30) — there's no waiting period or fee ramp for either.

Question 8

When do I get paid?

Accepted Answer

For private-pay sessions, you're paid through ViaThera's payment processing — funds are deposited to your connected bank account. For insurance and Medicaid sessions, you bill the payer directly under your own NPI, so reimbursement comes straight from the payer to you. ViaThera never holds or remits your session payments.

Question 9

Do I pay any processing or transaction fees?

Accepted Answer

No. Card processing (2.9% + $0.30) is paid by the family at checkout as its own line item — it is never deducted from your earnings. Your full rate is paid out to you.

Question 10

How do families find me?

Accepted Answer

Families use our matching algorithm and search by location, discipline, specialties, languages, session settings, and availability. Your profile shows credentials, bio, specialties, and reviews. Therapists who respond promptly and keep availability current get shown more often.

Question 11

Are there marketplace requirements?

Accepted Answer

Maintaining current availability and responding promptly to booking requests directly boosts how often you're matched to families.

Question 12

How quickly will I get my first marketplace client?

Accepted Answer

Most approved therapists receive their first booking request within 1–2 weeks. Response rate, completeness of your profile, and current availability are the biggest factors.

Question 13

Does ViaThera credential me with insurance or Medicaid, or bill on my behalf?

Accepted Answer

No. ViaThera is a technology platform, not a billing agency — we don't credential you under a group practice, submit claims for you, or hold your reimbursement. You credential yourself and bill payers directly under your own NPI-1, keeping 100% of what you're reimbursed. ViaThera gives you step-by-step guides to make credentialing straightforward: the Health First Colorado (Medicaid) guide is free for every therapist, and commercial payer credentialing guides and tracking are part of the Premium plan.

Question 14

What tools does ViaThera give me for billing?

Accepted Answer

ViaThera provides eligibility checks, superbill generation, and auto-generated CMS-1500 data pulled from your session notes — everything you need to submit clean claims yourself, whether to a commercial payer or Health First Colorado.

Question 15

What is an NPI number and do I need one?

Accepted Answer

An NPI (National Provider Identifier) is a free 10-digit number from the federal government. You need your own Type 1 NPI to bill any payer — private insurance, Medicaid, or generate superbills for families.

How to get your NPI:
1. Visit nppes.cms.hhs.gov
2. Click "Apply for NPI" (free)
3. Complete the application (~10 minutes)
4. Wait ~10 business days for approval
5. Add it to your ViaThera profile settings

If you already have an NPI, just add it to your profile.

Question 16

Am I an employee or independent contractor?

Accepted Answer

Independent contractor (1099). You set your own schedule, choose which clients to accept, and practice — and bill — under your own license and NPI. ViaThera issues a 1099-NEC at year-end summarizing any payments processed through the platform.

Question 17

How do taxes work?

Accepted Answer

As a 1099 contractor, you're responsible for your own taxes. We recommend setting aside 25–30% of your income for federal/state income tax and self-employment tax, and making quarterly estimated payments to the IRS. Consult a tax professional for personalized guidance.

Question 18

Is there a non-compete clause?

Accepted Answer

No. There are no non-compete clauses, exit fees, or penalties. Your client relationships are always yours. You can deactivate your profile anytime once any scheduled sessions are completed and notes are submitted.

Question 19

What insurance do I need to join?

Accepted Answer

Active professional liability insurance with $1,000,000 per occurrence / $3,000,000 aggregate, listing ViaThera LLC as an "additional insured." We recommend HPSO (hpso.com) or CM&F Group (cmfgroup.com). Most policies cost $800–$1,500/year.

Question 20

Is professional liability insurance tax-deductible?

Accepted Answer

Yes — 100% deductible as a business expense on Schedule C (Line 15: Insurance) for independent contractors.

Example: If you pay $1,000/year and you're in the 22% tax bracket, your after-tax cost is roughly $780 (~$65/month).

Keep your receipts and certificates with your tax records, and consult a tax professional for personalized advice.

Question 21

Is ViaThera HIPAA compliant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All messaging, video calls, documentation, and data storage are fully HIPAA compliant with enterprise-grade encryption (AES-256 at rest, TLS in transit) and strict access controls. Telehealth runs on a HIPAA-compliant Google Meet integration with a platform-wide BAA.

Question 22

What features are included?

Accepted Answer

Smart scheduling, AI-assisted SOAP/DAP documentation and goal generation, HIPAA-compliant telehealth, secure messaging, parent portal, goal and progress tracking, family matching and bookings, automatic superbill and CMS-1500 generation, eligibility checks, and credentialing guides. The Free plan covers the essentials; Premium ($59/month) adds commercial payer credentialing tracking and more.

Question 23

What happens if a family disputes a private-pay charge?

Accepted Answer

ViaThera handles the dispute and chargeback process for payments processed through the platform on your behalf. Your payout is not reversed during the review period. We contact you before any adjustments and work to resolve disputes quickly.

Question 24

What if I want to leave ViaThera?

Accepted Answer

Deactivate anytime once scheduled sessions are completed and notes submitted. No exit fees, no non-compete, no penalties. We require 30 days' notice for departure to ensure clinical handoffs are completed for your active clients.

FAQ for Therapists

Getting Started

Pricing & How You Earn

Marketplace

Insurance & Medicaid Billing

Contractor Status & Taxes

Liability Insurance

Platform & Compliance

Ready to get started?