HomeMy WebLinkAboutEI Provider Meeting Minutes 04-17-24
Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
3³ ¥¥ 0±¤²¤³Ȁ Jenn Hawbecker, Stacey Brookens
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3¤±µ¨¢¤ !¢¢¤²² lj - ¦¤¬¤³ Holly Whiteside
!²¯¨± ³¨®² Rachel Bechtel
)µ® (¤ «³§# ±¤ Breanne Clair
!* 4§¤± ¯¸ 3¤±µ¨¢¤² Jennifer Davis
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This meeting was held in virtual format. All providers introduced themselves and their
agency affiliations.
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HealthPro has interviews this week and next for new therapists. They hope to be
able to share good news shortly. Shannan Laruso will be participating in and
representing HealthPro at the United Way Learn and Play Day with the Local
Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC).
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Invo has had interviews and hope to hire new staff.
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EI staff from SAM, along with others from MH and IDD, will be participating in the
United Way Learn and Play Day. SAM EI continues to be fully staffed!
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PTS recently hired two (2) new Occupational Therapists (OT); one is part-time and
one is hoping to become full time. PTS is continuing to look for other staff as well.
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Jenn thanked everyone for getting their contract documents submitted. From April
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1 through May 7, Jenn and Zach will be reviewing and approving budgets. As in
previous years, they will start new contracts out in a similar amount to how
providers are ending the current fiscal year or within a close amount. Jenn and Zach
monitor contract amounts closely through the year and adjust as needed. If anyone
Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
has any questions about the amount of their contract, please reach out to Zach or
Jenn.
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Please be sure you are consistently billing by the 15 of each month and to email
both Zach and Jenn when you have voids or adjustments with billing.
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All providers submitted tracking sheets to Jenn. Jenn shared numbers on how
Franklin/Fulton is doing.
The total number of EI providers that were submitted on the tracking sheets was 72.
On that sheet we track the total number of providers that
Receive the EITA Coaching Corner Newsletter 48
Completed the EI Service Delivery Online Course 66
FGRBI Online Course 62
SS-OO-PP-RR Online Course 19
SS-OO-PP-RR Webinar 17
Family 5Q Online Course 14
Family 5Q Webinar 14
Application of FGRBI Indicators Webinar: Part 1 10
Application of FGRBI Indicators Webinar: Part 2 10
Endorsed providers - 5
We still continue to meet with the core leadership team to talk about how to
promote doing the learning path and where we want to go within the county. AS of
right now, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has not told
us that they are giving any deadlines on endorsement or completing any of the
courses. Some providers are asking staff to continue along with that and giving
internal deadlines. Jenn noted that she appreciates this as this is the way OCDEL
wants EI to be provided throughout Pennsylvania. Jenn is not requiring but is asking
that everyone please complete the EI Service Delivery and Family Guided Routines
Based Intervention (FGRBI) online course, especially new staff.
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Jenn shared information on the April newsletter. As noted above, there are 48 who
receive this newsletter. Providers are able to go back and see all the old Coaching
Corner Newsletters by clicking the link - https://www.eita-pa.org/eisd/ if anyone is
new and wants to look back at them.
Jenn shared the following information from the newsletter
We can all grow, learn, and improve throughout our careers. It starts by putting our
Ȩ( ««Ǿ 0ȁ £ 3¨¬¤± «Ǿ !ȁȩ She believes this is a good quote to think about
when approaching the EI service delivery. It is a lot of work and may talk individuals
Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
out of their comfort zones but we can all learn something new and grow if we put
our minds to it.
No matter
it, you lo
more an experience is repeated, the stronger the brain connection related to that
experience. The more a skill is used and practiced, the stronger and more refined it
becomes. Zero t
Ȩ:¤±® 4® 4§±¤¤Ǿ ΕΓΔΓǾ ¯ȁΔȩȁ Family-
Guided Routines-Based Intervention and embedded instruction are evidence-based
interventions driven by the recognition of these two ingredients.
o Some ask why they have to go through the whole thing, join a trio or a
professional learning community but providing EI services takes a lot of time.
The practice, relationships building and repetition does take learning from
the course to putting it into practice.
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Implementation as intended takes time. Just as professional athletes continue to
grow and refine their skills through practice, as professionals in early intervention,
we must also continue to practice and refine skills to ensure all children and families
are receiving high-quality intervention. The goal is not to simply reach fidelity; the
goal is to consistently implement interventions with fidelity.
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some tips and changes from another county as a lot of providers are having issues with the
provider registry.
Please have staff enter trainings in a timely fashion. This helps them to make sure they do
not miss uploading any training information or certificates. It also helps at the end of the
year in the event if the system would go down.
Licenses, clearances, Mandated Reporter, and CPR/First Aid must be entered on the
The path
to enter the CPR, First Aid, and Mandated Reporter certificates is under Education tab
then CPR, First Aid, and Mandated Reporter Training. The updated section allows for less
confusion.
If you completed CPR/First Aid or Mandated Reporter training during the current fiscal
year 23-24, it must be added to the EI Training section to get credit for the hours. You need
Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
to enter it in both places to get credit. On the reports that Jenn pulls, she is making sure the
dates are current but also if you need to count it towards training hours, it also needs to be
put under the EI Training section as well. The hope is they will eventually merge this
together.
Most everyone sends Jenn information for new staff ahead of time for approval but some
counties were only having agencies upload to the provider registry and alerting them. They
have to be assigned to that county. if you are onboarding a therapist
or wanting a therapist to provide service in Franklin/Fulton, please send Jenn the material
via email to approve. Please do not assign the therapist to Franklin/Fulton County in the
provider registry until the person picks up a child. There were other counties who
provide any services.
Q: There has been some discussion about what the start date should be when someone is
put in the registry. You put in the pre-service orientation which does not count towards the
hours of training. A therapist can have different start dates in separate counties. What
should be the start date date orientation is completed? The therapist will do training
before they pick up their first child which will count towards the training hours, such as
session notes and job aide.
A: The orientation date would be a good date to use. Jenn has not heard anything specific
about that but she will reach out to OCDEL to get clarification. You do not want to add
someone too soon as that starts their time clicking for the one (1) year they have to get
their 24 training hours in and their 120 day items completed.
If you/your agency therapists have provided direct service for one or more children in
Franklin/Fulton County in the past fiscal year, the person(s) should be associated to our
county.
If a person is no longer working for EI, please end date the day after the person left their
position. If you enter a later date, it could indicate that the necessary credentials have
expired, putting us out of compliance.
One individual can only choose one role. Do not enter the same name/person for two (2)
different roles.
th However, if
during Fiscal Year 23-24, enter yourself as the discipline (OT, PT, ST, SI) not
supervisor/manager.
them to PDF's instead of as photos. Please don't add new certificates to old entries and just
change the dates.
Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Please reference the EITA portal https://www.eita-pa.org/ and scroll down to the bottom
of the home page. There are ten (10)
bullet points with guides to help.
Reminder the 24 hours of EI yearly trainings must be completed by June 30, 2024. All
information from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 must be entered into the system by August
st
1. Jenn will do a final check after that date. She has to have everything checked by
st
September 1 then OCDEL pulls the information at that time.
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Franklin/Fulton had their verification this past January. The report was received. There
were 77 indicators on the report. Requirements were met for 70 of those; leaving 7 that
requirements were not met.
Areas of Strength
Active LICC in both Franklin and Fulton Counties.
Program has effective procedures in place to identify/locate all infants/toddlers
who are eligible for Early Intervention services. Procedures reviewed included
timelines, referral procedures, materials distribution, and a variety of other
activities.
The program implements a child find system that is coordinated with other major
efforts to locate and identify infants/toddlers in the program's catchment area.
The EI program has implemented a system for tracking children who are at-risk for
developmental delay or potentially needing EI services. Strengths were noted in all
reviewed records in the team's utilization of the ASQ and documentation of detailed
parent information.
The program is proactive in its approach and this helps ensure resolution of any
potential issues before reaching the stage of formal complaint. For FY 22-23, the
program had no mediation or due process requests. Additionally, no resolution
meetings were necessary. The Service Coordinators keep in close touch with the
supervisor which helps circumvent any potential issues.
The program ensures all staff is able to describe the parents' procedural safeguards.
The program has procedures in place for procedural safeguards that meet state and
federal requirements. Additionally, brochures and resources related to parent
rights/opportunities are provided.
The program has an effective/efficient process in place to determine
initial/continued eligibility. All initial and annual evaluations are reviewed by the SC
supervisor who finalizes all evaluations.
The program has procedures in place for IFSP development and monitoring the
effective/efficient provision of services on the IFSP.
Comments from observation visits and interviews were very positive. Both SCs and
providers gathered information to better understand the priorities of the families.
Areas of Growth
Most of these are at 80 or 90%. However, they are required to be 100%.
Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
15 out of 20 (75%) of items reviewed indicated the program provides appropriate
planning for children who no longer meet eligibility criteria and who will be exiting
the EI program. There needs to be more documentation on how we help families
move into the Intermediate Unit (IU) or community setting.
9 out of 10 (90%) records reviewed indicated the review of the IFSP was held
within required time frames.
9 out of 10 (90%) items reviewed indicated the IFSP addressed how the needs
identified under special considerations would be met.
9 out of 10 (90%) record reviewed indicated outcomes/goals on the IFSP were
related to the strengths/needs of the child/family and were based on the most
current data reviewed.
8 out of 10 (80%) records reviewed indicated the program includes the family in
determining measurable IFSP outcomes/goals that are written so that all parties can
determine/document that progress is being made.
36 out of 40 (90%) of items reviewed indicated the program meets requirements
for the coordination, delivery, and documentation of service coordination activities.
30 out of 40 (75%) of items reviewed indicated the program analyzes child progress
data and adjusts the IFSP goals/outcomes and intervention plan strategies as
necessary.
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This encompasses both the determination information that is gathered every year as well
as information from the verification visit. This is done annually. It is a set of questions and
data that is looked at for the program. We may need to add activities to try to improve
areas on the plan. At the end of the QEP is information from the verification. Some of the
records that were on the areas of need, we need to pull further records that show that we
are doing those items. Jenn and Holly will be working on in this in the near future to show
showing them we are working on that now.
The QEP Planning Team consists of Jenn Hawbecker, Holly Whiteside, Zach Gantz, Wendy
Tucker and Liz Wagner-Simmons.
The first part is from the determination. It is related to family engagement and community
partnerships. This is from information on the family survey which is where data was
e talking to the families when they
complete the survey that the information comes back and guides how our programs work.
h as: filing a complaint, requesting
95% or above. This is the area of when the SCs go out they talk about procedural
safeguards, complaint process, etc. Families may hear it but do not connect it to the
question. Jenn reviewed activities/steps to reach the outcome listed.
Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
other families (for example, by connecting me to: Parent to Parent of PA, Parent Training
target percentage is 82% or above. Even though the SCs and providers talk to the families
about programs, resources, community events, etc. whe
not relevant to them, they may mark this as unfavorable response. Jenn reviewed
activities/steps to reach the outcome listed. Please review the QEP for additional detail.
The second outcome is based on data about program implementation and set by the Office
of this, such as 98.78%. The target of compliance is 100% so this had to be added. The four
program implementations are:
1) Children who received EI services on their IFSPs in a timely manner which is the 14-
day forms/14-day deadline on services 98.78%;
2) Eligible infants and toddlers for whom an initial evaluation, initial assessment and
an initial IFSP meeting were conducted wit-day timeline 99.26%;
3) Toddlers who have a transition conference conducted at least 90 days and not more
than 9 months prior to their third birthday 99.20%; and
4) Children who have their annual IFSP on time 98.91%.
Jenn reviewed activities/steps to reach the outcomes listed. Please review the QEP for
additional detail.
The third outcome is no open records for children age 4 and older. When children turn
three (3), Holly closes them out. At the end of the year, we make sure all of our children are
closed. However, this year OCDEL decided they needed to go back and clean up data. They
pulled a different data set and we found that we had four (4) records of children that
should have been closed out between 12 and 14 years ago. These were children that did
not show up on any reports except for the COGNOS dashboard. Jenn expressed that this
should not be on the QEP as they have never had any children that have not been closed out
by the age of 4. There were many other county programs that received this on their
determination as well that have never had this before. Jenn reviewed activities/steps to
reach the outcome listed. Please review the QEP for additional detail.
The fourth outcome pertains to program management. The two determination data
elements are 1) Personnel meet all necessary qualifications and clearances. Current
performance is at 98.63% and target is 100%. There was one provider who had a staff
member who left who did not have all the information added and were not closed out in a
timely fashion; 2) family survey data
target is 81%. Jenn reviewed activities/steps to reach the outcome listed. Please review the
QEP for additional detail.
We have to do validation of the verification findings within one (1) year which is January
2025. For each record listed on the QEP Verification Process that we did not meet the
indicator, we have to provide one additional record. For the first one listed
Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
guidance on that as to what it looks like. There are 20 records that we need to submit to
OCDEL to show we are actually doing what we say and are following the indicators.
Jenn will have a copy of the QEP sent with the final minutes so that all EI providers have a
copy for their records.
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Jenn sent out the provider roster yesterday. Some providers have already
responded with changes or confirming information was correct. For those who have
not, please take a look at the roster and let Jenn know.
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Minutes by Erin Nye