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Home My WebLink AboutEI Provider Meeting Minutes 01-15-25 Early Intervention Provider Meeting Wednesday, January 15, 2025 3³ ¥¥ 0±¤²¤³: Jenn Hawbecker, Zachary Gantz, Angela Alleman, Stacey Brookens, Erin Nye 0±®µ¨£¤±² 0±¤²¤³Ȁ (¤ «³§0±® 0¤£¨ ³±¨¢² - Cynthia Bosserman 0¤£¨ ³±¨¢ 4§¤± ¯¸ 3¯¤¢¨ «¨²³² - Krista Miracle -®µ¨¦ -®´³ ¨² 0¤£¨ ³±¨¢ 4§¤± ¯¸ Lauren Everetts 3¤±µ¨¢¤ !¢¢¤²² ǉ - ¦¤¬¤³ Holly Whiteside )µ® (¤ «³§# ±¤ - Joanne LaSalle 5#0 ®¥ #¤³± « 0! Marci Walborn !* 4§¤± ¯¸ Services Jennifer Davis PennCares 3´¯¯®±³ 3¤±µ¨¢¤² - Airica Evangelista-Simmers % ±«¸ )³¤±µ¤³¨® 3¯¤¢¨ «¨²³² Brittany Stough )²¯¨±¤ (¤ «³§ £ %£´¢ ³¨® - Deb Marsilio -%%4).' -).54%3 7¤«¢®¬¤ £ )³±®£´¢³¨®² This meeting was held in virtual format. All providers introduced themselves and their agency affiliations. 0±®µ¨£¤± 5¯£ ³¤² £ !®´¢¤¬¤³² 3¤±µ¨¢¤ !¢¢¤²² ǉ Management (®««¸ 7§¨³¤²¨£¤ Service Access and Management (SAM) continue to be short staffed. They currently have four (4) full-time and two (2) part-time employees. They have been advertising for months looking for someone that's bilingual. They had a couple of individuals th interested, but they didn't work out. Heather Cook will be off starting February 6 for two (2) to four (4) weeks. Holly has already reassigned most of her caseload. Holly plans to send out a list with that information. If anyone has any questions about who's covering a particular individual, please contact her. Holly is trying to cover the individuals that don't need an actual monitoring meeting. )µ® (¤ «³§# ±¤ - *® ¤ , 3 ««¤ Invo has job opportunities open. They interviewed an individual; however, she is still waiting to get her license. (¤ «³§0±® 0¤£¨ ³±¨¢² #¸³§¨ "®²²¤±¬ HealthPro continues to look for additional occupational therapists (OTs). !* 4§¤± ¯¸ 3¤±µ¨¢¤² *¤¨¥¤± $ µ¨² AJ Therapy Services has openings for speech therapy. 0¤# ±¤² 3´¯¯®±³ 3¤±µ¨¢¤² - !¨±¨¢ %µ ¦¤«¨²³ -Simmers PennCares continues to look for both physical therapists (PTs) and OTs. Early Intervention Provider Meeting Wednesday, January 15, 2025 % ±«¸ )³¤±µ¤³¨® 3¯¤¢¨ «¨²³² Ȩ%)3ȩ "±¨³³ ¸ 3³®´¦§ EIS is looking to hire additional staff. They have posted ads; however, they have not had any applicants. They have changed their focus from hiring to staff retention. They have noticed that employees tend to leave for financial reasons. 0¤£¨ ³±¨¢ 4§¤± ¯¸ 3¯¤¢¨ lists +±¨²³ -¨± ¢«¤ Pediatric Therapy Specialists (PTS) has hired a new special instructor (SI), Karla Strite. Karla is experienced in working with the hearing impaired. They are looking to onboard a nurse as well. PTS also has a music therapist that serves Cumberland County. She might also serve Franklin County if there is a need. They have hired an office manager named Courtney who handles all the referrals. PTS has not done any other recruiting. They are waiting to see how things are rolling out with other agencies that are recruiting. Krista asked Jenn if there are any children on a waiting list. Jenn responded that there is not a waiting list and that the reason they are seeing requests come through multiple times is due to the service coordinators having difficulty covering certain times. )²¯¨±¤ (¤ «³§ £ %£´¢ ³¨® $¤¡ - ±²¨«¨® through the years. She has had some early graduations in the last couple of months. She is excited to see children move along on their own with their families and no longer need services. Deb has some availability primarily on Wednesdays and Thursdays for both traditional SI and behavioral challenges. 50# ®¥ #¤³± « 0! - ±¢¨ 7 «¡®± UPC is looking for PTs and speech therapists. They recently had one of their SIs leave and are looking to replace them. They are having trouble finding some of the more professional disciplines as opposed to SI. They have a registered dietician on staff that serves both Franklin and Fulton Counties. They are looking to hire an additional dietician. Jenn shared that she is hopeful that the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) will see the need to increase rates for EI services which will help with recruitment. -®µ¨¦ -®´³ ¨² , ´±¤ %µ¤±¤³³² Lauren announced that Meghin Boryan, a speech therapist who has worked with her for years, has decided to leave at the end of January. Megan will be starting her own cash-based practice called More Than Words Speech Therapy in Chambersburg. She specializes in feeding and swallowing for all ages. If anyone would like her information for referrals, let Lauren know. Jenn will share any information Lauren provides to her with everyone else. &¨²¢ « 5¯£ ³¤² %£ ®¥ # «¤£ ± 9¤ ± "¨««¨¦Ȁ *´«¸ - December Zach is completing 2024 calendar year billing. All 2024 invoices are due by Friday, thth January 24. If for some reason you are unable to make the January 24 deadline, or Early Intervention Provider Meeting Wednesday, January 15, 2025 you are holding billing, please let Jenn and Zach know the amount that you are expecting to submit. ΑΏΑΔ ΑΏΑΕ #®³± ¢³² th Contract documents will be sent out February 10. Please return those documents st to Jenn and Zach by March 31. "¨««¨¦ 2¤¬¨£¤±² th Please be sure you are consistently billing by the 15 of each month. Please be sure to email both Zach and Jenn when you have voids or adjustments with billing. If anyone has any questions, please reach out to Zach and Jenn. & ¬¨«¸ 3´±µ¤¸ 3´±µ¤¸ ¨² ®¯¤ * ´ ±¸ Ε - ¸ ΒΏǾ ΑΏΑΔ Jenn will send out a list of names for each provider to ask to complete the survey. She will also be sending out flyers in English and Spanish to everyone. If you need additional languages, please let Jenn know. There is a QR code on the flyers that families can use to access the survey. Please be sure not to coach the families on how to answer the questions as you introduce the survey to them. If a family has questions about the survey, by all means, help them to understand the questions that are being asked. Please reassure families that the information collected is beneficial for the determination of the program and all responses are anonymous. Please do not pressure a family to take the survey if they refuse to participate. 2¤³´± 2 ³¤ ΑΔυ ώ ΗΏ ²´±µ¤¸² The number of surveys is a few higher than last year which was 76 surveys. .¤¶ &¤ ³´±¤ 0±®¬¯³² ³® !««®¶ &¤¤£¡ ¢ª There were some questions or some areas last year where families could provide some feedback. The new feature this year is an update to prompts that allows families to directly share feedback. The hope is this will be beneficial to families. 3´±µ¤¸² ²§®´«£ ®³ ¡¤ ®¥¥¤±¤£ ³® ¥ ¬¨«¨¤² ¶§® ±¤ ±¤¥¤±±¤£ ®± ¤µ «´ ³¤£ ¥³¤± th * ´ ±¸ Ε. The goal is to have only families that have been in the program long enough to be able to thoroughly answer the questions. The survey responses are important to both OCDEL and the EI program. Reminders ΐΓ $ ¸ $¤ £«¨¤² Please ask your staff to make their best efforts to make the fourteen (14) day deadline time frame. This regulation is listed in the determination. Jenn recognizes that case loads are getting fuller and that the interpretation process can cause things to take longer, however, the response rate for that needs to be 100%. Documentation on the forms is very important, especially the ones that the fourteen Early Intervention Provider Meeting Wednesday, January 15, 2025 (14) day deadline hasn't been reached. If that deadline has been reached, Holly Whiteside puts the date in Pelican and it's good to go with no further explanation needed. However, if we don't meet the deadline, Holly has to list a reason. If she doesn't get a clear picture of what happened, she can't determine if the fault falls on the family, a system issue, or an act of nature. If it was a family or act of nature issue, it does not get counted against us. If it was a system issue with us or a provider, it has to be listed on our quality enhancement plan (QEP). Please make sure you are documenting thoroughly. Holly commented that not receiving the fourteen (14) day deadline form isn't a valid reason to miss the deadline. If SAM failed to inform you that you were getting a child, please write in the explanation that the service coordinator did not give you this information until after the fourteen (14) days had passed. The form lists the date the family confirms a provider. If a date is listed that is on or after the deadline, that fault would fall on the family. -®³§«¸ 3¤²²¨® .®³¤ 3´¡¬¨²²¨® ³® 3ervice Coordinators (SC) th Please have session notes submitted directly to the SCs by the 15 of the following month. The preferred delivery method would be electronically by secure email with easily move the document into their individual files. If you prefer to send only one attachment, please have Session notes can also be delivered by mail or hand delivered. Please be sure to separate .®³¨¥¸ *¤ £ (®««¸ 7§¤ 3³ ¥¥ ,¤ µ¤ Please email Jenn and Holly with the therapist or SIs last day, caseload/SC and if there is anyone in the agency that could fill the spot if the family wants to stay with them. Holly will notify SCs of staff leaving. If the therapist or SI is leaving the EI system completely, they can let the family know that they are leaving and that the SC is aware and will reach out to the family with their options for moving forward with services. If for some reason the therapist or SI needs to leave a family situation because it's no longer working for them, as long as they remain in the system, they do not need to disclose that to the family. The SC will take care of notifying the family. Holly commented that when somebody is leaving regardless if they're changing agencies, then we need to have the parent sign forms. If a therapist is leaving and their agency has somebody to fill that slot, other than talking to the family about it, there's nothing else that we need to do. We do not need to go see the family or have them sign anything because it's just a lateral move. However, if they are changing agencies, we are required to see the family and get forms signed. Keeping Jenn and Holly informed of any changes helps them know how to address the situation and who to expect paperwork from. %) 3¤±µ¨¢¤ $¤«¨µ¤±¸ 2¤¢¤±³¨¥¨¢ ³¨® ®¥ %£®±²¤£ #® ¢§¤² 3¤²²¨® .®³¤²Ǿ !³³¤²³ ³¨® ǉ 4± ¨¨¦ (®´±² All providers must submit a completed session note to demonstrate use of caregiver coaching concepts and collaboration with the caregiver. Providers must also Early Intervention Provider Meeting Wednesday, January 15, 2025 continue to provide high quality home visits and complete coaching approved training hours totaling four (4) per year. 2 £®¬ 3¤«¤¢³¨® - ΐΏυ ®¥ 0±®µ¨ders A random selection of providers will be selected to submit a full video of a session with a family. Those required to submit a video will be notified in January of the year of expiration. Contact information will include where and how to submit the video. Session note submission should be from the same child as the video submission. &¤¤£¡ ¢ª 3¤²²¨® ¶¨³§ 0±®µ¨£¤± ®± - ²³¤± #® ¢§ Providers must develop a plan for next steps based upon skills demonstrated in the video. If additional support is determined as a need for the provider, the feedback coach will work with the provider to identify a reasonable plan to support their recertification. ,¤ ±¨¦ 0 ³§ 4± ¢ª¨¦ 3§¤¤³ The EI Service Delivery Learning Path tracking sheet mid-year submissions are due January 31, 2025. Jenn will email tracking sheets to providers. Please give Jenn feedback on these processes. Jenn will take the information that she is given to Liz Wagner Simmons who is our Early Intervention Technical Assistance (EITA) consultant. Liz is on the core leadership team and she welcomes all feedback. Liz will then take that information back to EITA and OCDEL. 0±®µ¨£¤± 2¤¦¨²³±¸ 2¤¬¨£¤±² Please make sure staff is entering training certificates throughout the year and that they're aware of how many hours they have and any training that needs to be completed. Make sure that licenses, clearances, and certificates are uploaded in all of the correct areas. Please keep in mind that some need to be updated in two (2) separate areas. Please be sure to send all new hire information directly to Jenn prior to starting a new staff person and entering them into the provider registry. responsibility to make sure that they meet requirements and that they have all of the qualifications needed prior to seeing any children. Interpretation Communication Jenn is aware that there are still some communication issues between providers and International Corporate Training & Marketing (ICTM). She has been having conversations with ICTM regularly and is working to improve communication. Please continue to let Jenn know when you have an issue. Early Intervention Provider Meeting Wednesday, January 15, 2025 A question was asked if providers will be notified when referrals go out if the child needs an interpreter. Holly responded that she will have the SCs provide that information. 2¤¬¨£¤±Ȁ 3´¡¬¨²²¨® ®¥ 3¤²²¨® .®³¤² £ -¨²²¤£ 3¤²²¨®² Please continue to provide the session notes and missed session information to Jenn th by the 15 of the month. Please email schedule@ictmllc.com and sila@ictmllc.com with any requests for services. A question was asked if there is a timeline that we should expect ICTM to respond. Jenn responded that she has told ICTM that they need to respond within 24- 48 hours. If you have specific cases where that timeframe is not being met, please let trying to schedule services. P%3) 4± ¨¨¦ Opportunities Franklin/Fulton Mental Health will be offering PESI trainings again this fiscal year. The specific trainings have not yet been determined but more information will be coming out soon. Trainings will be available for one (1) year. Those interested in the trainings will need to complete the registration form and send it to Cori Seilhamer (caseilhamer@franklincountypa.gov). Once you have completed the training, please send your certificate of completion to Cori. !££¨³¨® « 5¯£ ³¤² - %) 0±®µ¨£¤± 2®²³¤± 5¯£ ³¤ Please send Jenn any updates to the EI roster. Holly commented that whenever there is a change in services, the service coordinator has to have the family sign a Parent Rights Agreement (PRA). For example, the therapist wants to go from weekly sessions to every other week. This requires the SC to go out, meet with the family, and have them sign a paper. not being done or you haven't noticed any change in the plan, please let Holly know and she will take care of it immediately. Holly wants to insure that PRAs are getting signed so that the changes can be made. Therapists are to continue the current frequency until the paperwork is signed. 0±®µ¨£¤± 2¤¯®±³² due 0±¨®± ³® ³§¤ .¤·³ -¤¤³¨¦ st Audited Financial Report (for fiscal year ending 6/30) $¤¢¤¬¡¤± Βΐ th Audit Engagement/Extension Letter for calendar year ending 12/31 J ´ ±¸ ΐΏ Progress Report on Outcomes in Appendix A (not required for contracts with an st encumbrance under $50,000 or more) J ´ ±¸ Βΐ Schedules of Revenues / Expenditures (July-Dec) (for non-state-set rates) th &¤¡±´ ±¸ ΐΔ st Appendix A for upcoming fiscal year - ±¢§ Βΐ Early Intervention Provider Meeting Wednesday, January 15, 2025 Budget packets (to include Budget/Rate Letter, Staff Roster, Unit Assumptions, Budget Narrative for upcoming fiscal year if appropriate) (for non-state-set rates) st - ±¢§ Βΐ th Monthly Billing £´¤ ΐΔ ®¥ ¤ ¢§ ¬®³§ th Employee Debarment and Exclusion Check £´¤ ΐΔ ®¥ ¤ ¢§ ¬®³§ 2¤¬¨£¤±² ®¥ ³§¤²¤ ±¤¯®±³² ±¤ ²¤³ ®´³ Ζ-Η ¶¤¤ª² ¯±¨®± ³® ³§¤¨± £´¤ £ ³¤ȁ 9®´ ¢ «²® ±¤µ¨¤¶ ³§¤ ±¤¯®±³²ȝ£´¤ £ ³¤² ¨ ¯±®¢¤£´±¤ ²³ ³¤¬¤³ -()$%)-ΗΔΙ #®³± ¢³ 2¤°´¨±¤£ 2¤¯®±³² £ $´¤ $ ³¤²ȁ .¤·³ -¤¤³¨¦Ȁ 7¤£¤²£ ¸Ǿ April 16Ǿ ΑΏΑ5 starting at 10:00 a.m. ththth ΑΏΑΔ -¤¤³¨¦ D ³¤²Ȁ !¯±¨« ΐΕǾ *´«¸ ΐΕǾ £ /¢³®¡¤± ΐΔ Minutes by Angela Alleman