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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEI Provider Meeting Minutes 07-18-18Early Intervention Provider Meeting Wednesday, July 18, 2018 EI Provider Meeting 1 7/18/18 Staff Present: Jenn Hawbecker, Ashley McCartney, Dan Rhodes Providers Present: Holly Whiteside and Matt Yingling (Service Access & Management, Inc.), Krista Miracle and Phillip Miracle (Pediatric Therapy Specialists of South Central PA), Adam Rowland (Advanta Therapy), Cynthia Bosserman and Lori Beam (PennCares Support Services), Jody Bering (Lincoln Intermediate Unit #12) Providers Present by Phone: Megan Lesko (Building Blocks Therapy), Faith Blee and Stefany Messina (Invo HealthCare Associates), Rachel Bechtel (Aspirations), Isabel Stennett (BOPIC, Inc.) MEETING MINUTES 1. Welcome & Introductions Everyone introduced themselves and their agency affiliation. 2. Fiscal Updates  Franklin/Fulton County EI’s billing website has not been working this week and will be unavailable until further notice; therefore, none of this week’s billing has been processed.  Friday, July 20th is the deadline for submitting final FY 17-18 billing. Please notify Ashley McCartney about any outstanding bills submitted after this date because these will require approval to be paid.  All FY 18-19 contracts are in place and providers have received their FY 18- 19 projections spreadsheets. These spreadsheets should be submitted along with monthly invoices by the 15th of each month.  There are still some FY 17-18 contract amendments that need to be done in order to finalize June billing. This will affect providers who are either over their contract amount or have remaining funds in their allocation that must be reduced to pay others. Applicable providers will receive email notification of any contract amendments that are ready for review via the electronic process by later next week.  Providers were encouraged to always make sure that their billing is reconciled because glitches on PROMISe and county billing systems have occasionally caused missed payments. Any missed payments from the county should be brought to Ashley’s attention as soon as possible.  Providers should send an engagement/arrangement letter to Ashley if their agency is due for an audit. 3. QEP Update Jenn Hawbecker discussed updates related to the goals and outcomes of current Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) which has been in effect since March 2018.  Outcomes and the 14-day Deadline: As per the QEP, quarterly EI Provider Meetings are a setting to discuss data and review the importance of the fourteen (14) day deadline for service delivery. The outcome for meeting this deadline is not currently at 100%. Nevertheless, the diligent efforts of service coordinators and therapists during the referral process continue to be appreciated. It is important to document when the deadline cannot be met Early Intervention Provider Meeting Wednesday, July 18, 2018 EI Provider Meeting 2 7/18/18 due to a family canceling or declining offered appointment times because these circumstances will not he held against the EI Program.  Results Goal – Procedural Safeguards (Item PS-1) and the Parent Survey: The OCDEL Family Survey reminder flyer with talking points was distributed to all families prior to receipt of the annual survey in late April and early May. These materials were intended to prepare families for the type of questions they would be answering on the survey and to encourage them to raise any concerns directly with their service coordinator and therapists.  Results Goal – Service Delivery (Item SD-1): The IFSP’s delivery of quality services in each child’s natural environment and its status as a “living” document will continue to be emphasized.  Results Goal – Service Delivery (Item SD-2): ECO 101 and ECO 201 have been added to EI training logs. Providers were reminded that new staff must complete ECO 101 and current staff should complete ECO 201 if they have not done so already. After a brief discussion, Jenn agreed with changing the training logs to specify that new staff is required to complete ECO 101 within their first 120 days of employment. In addition, new staff must complete all mandatory orientation training on the Early Intervention Technical Assistance (EITA) Portal prior to entering the home setting for service delivery. Staff must register for the certificate version of EITA trainings in order to earn Act 48 credits and submit their registration by the 25th of the month prior to the month in which the training occurs. To facilitate registrations and course navigation, providers should be using Chrome and Firefox which are the preferred browsers for the EITA Portal.  Results Goal – Locally Identified: The QEP’s local goal pertaining to the Coaching Model is being addressed through EITA Portal Training and Community of Practice Meetings. New staff is required to complete EITA’s six (6) module Coaching and Collaborative Partnerships course and document completion on a training verification form since there is no certificate. The next Community of Practice Meeting is Friday, September 14th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Agricultural Heritage Building. Sara Harney, Occupational Therapist (OT) for the Lincoln Intermediate Unit (LIU), will be sharing information about the LIU preschool assessment and placement as well as the differences between Part B and Part C federal and state laws. 4. LICC Updates  Franklin County: A “Community Baby Shower” was held at the Coyle Free Library on April 28th. This was a very successful event with over 100 people in attendance. Jenn thanked everyone who helped with donations, planning, and setting up the event. The LICC is hoping to host another shower in the future. The next Franklin County LICC Meeting is Thursday, August 23rd at 9:30 a.m. at the Coyle Free Library.  Fulton County: Remaining LICC funds were spent on informational resources to be distributed in the community. Pads of flyers with EI referral, Head Start, and Fulton County Partnership/Helpline contact information will be given to doctor’s offices for wider distribution. Development wheels Early Intervention Provider Meeting Wednesday, July 18, 2018 EI Provider Meeting 3 7/18/18 including an attached label with the 800 number and website for CONNECT Helpline were also purchased. As the wheel is turned, specific examples of development are paired with tips to help development for children from birth through age six (6). The next Fulton County LICC Meeting is Tuesday, August 21st at 2 p.m. at the Fulton County Library. 5. EI Billing  Issues o Providers should contact Holly Whiteside immediately if a child is nearing the end of their EI services (i.e. reached goals or turning three [3] soon) but still needs more units added to their plan. Holly will request funding for these additional units from Jenn. Units cannot be added to a plan that has already been closed. o Providers should contact both Jenn and Ashley whenever voids and adjustments occur due to the potentially confusing ways these changes are recorded within the County’s billing website and systems. An email specifically stating what the intended billing action is supposed to be often minimizes any confusion.  NPI Updates o Providers are reminded to verify that medical necessity has been determined prior to submitting billing for children receiving Medical Assistance (MA). If there is not yet a medical necessity determination for a child receiving MA, the billing will be voided and returned. Holly currently reviews various EI referral forms and records on PELICAN whether medical necessity has been determined. She is gradually getting more doctors’ offices to use a common referral form which will simplify the process. o No significant issues were reported as most doctors are routinely including their National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers on submitted referral forms and scripts. Jenn will send out a listing of local medical providers’ NPI numbers with the minutes for this meeting. Providers are encouraged to contact Jenn and Holly if they have any NPI-related questions or concerns. 6. Interpreter Costs  There is a possibility that the county may have available funds to assist providers with some of their FY 18-19 interpreter costs although an amount has yet to be determined. County EI staff recognizes that these costs have presented a financial burden to many providers going back several years and that neighboring counties often cover them by contracting directly with interpreter agencies. County policy does not allow EI to reimburse providers for previously incurred costs so potential contracts with other interpreter agencies, in addition to BOPIC, are currently being explored.  Ashley explained that the extent to which the county will be able to assist with interpreter costs would depend on the outcome of future re-budgets and whether additional funds are received from the state over time. Determining the amount of available funds will continue to be a challenge Early Intervention Provider Meeting Wednesday, July 18, 2018 EI Provider Meeting 4 7/18/18 because recent re-budgets have been delayed much longer than usual. Jenn will be reaching out to all providers to inquire about their final FY 17-18 interpreter costs as contracting and funding options continue to be considered. 7. Provider Booklet  Through EI training dollars, 200 “Guide to Infant and Toddler Early Intervention Services in Franklin/Fulton County” booklets were printed. Service coordinators will be giving the booklets to families who are new to the EI Program. The front section of the booklet contains spaces to write in names/phone numbers of the child’s service coordinator and therapists along with a note taking area to record “Things to discuss with my Service Coordinator.” The remaining contents are descriptive overviews of EI services to aid families in choosing their providers and information about the LICC which encourages family participation. 8. Provider Roster  A current provider roster was circulated during the meeting and will be sent out with the minutes. Providers should contact Jenn to report any updates or changes to their staff entries on the roster. 9. Training Logs  Updated training logs for current and new staff will be sent out with the minutes including changes discussed at this meeting. 10. Provider Updates and Announcements  BOPIC: Providers should be aware of BOPIC’s charges for multiple follow-up voicemail/text message appointment reminders for families who do not answer phone calls. These charges have not changed for several years. Isabel Stennett is willing to further discuss them with any providers who have questions.  Building Blocks Therapy: Emily Robertson is always on-call for evaluations and all other therapists are regularly scheduled.  Aspirations: New referrals have been received for Social Work Supports. Aspirations is currently providing this service to several families in Franklin/Fulton Counties. Rachel Bechtel thanked other providers for making referrals which ensure that social work is accessible to families in need.  Pediatric Therapy Specialists: Candace Hess and Ava’s Army (her daughter’s advocacy group) are planning “A Very Special Show: What’s your Super Power?” to raise funds for the Fulton County Sensory Playground. This event will be a super hero-themed pageant for special needs children scheduled for Saturday, September 8th at the Fulton County Amphitheatre. Vendors and sponsors are still needed for the event and can contact either Candace or Krista Miracle for more information. Amy Spade Elias and Jennifer Morgan are still seeking grants and donations to fund the planned playground and have set up a non-profit for this purpose. Early Intervention Provider Meeting Wednesday, July 18, 2018 EI Provider Meeting 5 7/18/18  Lincoln Intermediate Unit: Jody Bering announced that a small support group for three (3) to five (5) preschool children focused on “Trauma-Based, Trauma-Informed Practices” will be forming soon. An adverse childhood experiences survey will be completed during the group sessions to assess the needs of children and families. There are plans to expand this support group to other ages in the future as “Trauma-Based, Trauma-Informed Practices” is a statewide theme for intermediate units (IUs) this year.  PennCares Support Services: Spots are expected to open in the Child Development Group as current children transition to the Preschool Group during August and September. Providers may call the PennCares Chambersburg office or contact Cynthia Bosserman to make a referral for the Child Development Group.  SAM: New SAM office locations have been acquired in both Franklin and Fulton Counties. The Franklin County office will move to Orchard Park Commons, 1640 Orchard Drive, Suite 3, Chambersburg, PA 17201 by November. The Fulton County office has already moved to 216 North Second Street, Suite 3A, McConnellsburg, PA 17233. Holly observed that the number of referrals seems to be increasing and expressed an interest in tracking the age of each child at the time of referral. Going forward, SAM is most focused on improving engagement with families and increasing coordination between service coordinators and therapists in the development of outcomes and goals. 11. Provider Reports Due Prior to the Next Meeting  Progress Report on Outcomes in Appendix A (July 31st)  Staff Training Logs (July 31st)  Monthly Invoices (15th of each month)  Employee Debarment and Exclusion Check (15th of each month) The following are NOT required for providers whose service is being paid at a “state-set” rate:  Schedule of Revenues/Expenditures for FY ending June 30 (August 15th)  Salary Review for FY ending June 30 (August 15th)  Property Purchased Report for FY ending June 30 (August 15th)  Property Leased Report for FY ending June 30 (August 15th)  Fixed Assets Purchased with MH/IDD/EI funds for FY ending June 30 (August 15th) Next Meeting: Wednesday, October 17, 2018 starting at 10:00 a.m. Located at the Human Services Building (425 Franklin Farm Lane) Minutes by Dan Rhodes