HomeMy WebLinkAboutEI Provider Meeting Minutes 01-16-19Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
EI Provider Meeting 1 1/16/19
Staff Present: Patty Winebrenner, Jenn Hawbecker, Ashley McCartney, Dan Rhodes
Providers Present: Holly Whiteside & Matt Yingling (Service Access & Management, Inc.), Krista
Miracle (Pediatric Therapy Specialists of South Central PA), Adam Rowland (Advanta Therapy),
Cynthia Bosserman & Lori Beam (PennCares Support Services), Lauren Everetts (Fulton County
Medical Center), Kelly Rice (Sovia Therapy)
Providers Present by Phone: Faith Blee & Stefany Messina (Invo HealthCare Associates), Phillip
Miracle (Pediatric Therapy Specialists of South Central PA), Megan Lesko (Building Blocks Therapy)
MEETING MINUTES
1. Welcome & Introductions
Everyone introduced themselves and their agency affiliation.
2. Fiscal Updates
Provider billing is going well with no current issues. EI will be looking into
funding options for providers whose expenses are nearing the halfway point
of their contract encumbrances.
FY 17-18/Calendar Year 2018 audits have been received from providers who
are required to submit them. As per procedure statement MHIDDEI-412 Audit
Requirements and the DHS audit policy, providers must submit an audit when
their combined State and Federal funding exceeds a threshold of $750,000.
This total amount applies to funding in all counties where the providers’
programs operate. If a provider does not meet the threshold, they must notify
Ashley by email or letter that audit submission is not required. The relevant
procedure statement is available to view on the Franklin County website and
will be sent out with this meeting’s minutes.
3. Contract Process for FY 19-20
Jenn provided an overview of the timeline for the upcoming FY 19-20 Contract
Process:
Jenn will send Appendix A and Budget Packets (for providers that do not
have a state-set rate) via email by February 10th. Providers are permitted to
use their agency’s internal budget packet documents in place of EI’s
documents if applicable.
Providers must submit their completed Appendix A and Budget Packets by
March 15th. Individual meetings between providers and EI will be scheduled
after this date in order to discuss specific details of contract planning.
4. Provider Monitoring
Jenn and Ashley have completed a couple of provider monitoring visits since
November of last year. Jenn will soon be contacting the remaining providers to
schedule their monitoring appointments in February and March.
Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
EI Provider Meeting 2 1/16/19
5. QEP Update
The FY 17-18 Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) was finalized during the most
recent QEP Planning Team Meeting on January 11th. The team will now begin
to develop a new QEP to prepare for full Verification from the state which is
scheduled to occur during FY 19-20. Full Verification will likely consist of
several on-site visits at EI’s County office for an internal procedures review
and visits with providers including going out with therapists and service
coordinators for session appointments. EI Advisor Ellen Castagneto should
have more specific information about Verification by this summer when the
QEP Planning Team will meet to begin formal preparations. Updates and new
developments will be communicated to providers when they are available.
Targeted Outcomes and Results Goals from the finalized FY 17-18 QEP were
highlighted:
o Annual IFSP timeliness is at 85.37%. The state goal is 95%. Efforts
have been made to schedule Annual IFSP Reviews well in advance of
their deadlines but unforeseen events such as family cancellations/no
shows and inclement weather have impacted timeliness.
o 14-Day Service Delivery is at 98.99%. The state goal is 100%.
Providers should continue to document a reason whenever service
delivery does not begin within fourteen (14) days of an EI eligibility
determination.
o The Family Survey return rate is at 15% which meets the state goal.
Survey reminder sheets with talking points likely improved family
participation last year. They will be distributed again this year. Also,
families’ understanding of rights/procedural safeguards increased
from 88% to 94%. Jenn will find out whether the 2019 survey will be
available online after attending the next EI Leadership Meeting on
January 25th.
o Families and children receiving EI services and supports in their
natural environments continues to be at 100%.
o All child outcomes (A, B, and C) related the ECO process have
increased since FY 16-17. New staff will continue to complete ECO
101 and 201 trainings which are intended to facilitate discussions
about child outcome information with families. The new QEP
currently being developed will only be looking at Outcome A. Jenn will
inform providers if any changes to outcomes are discussed at the EI
Leadership Meeting.
o As it pertains to the Locally Identified Goal, 53% of therapists are
using the Coaching Model with fidelity. This data is based on a review
of session notes during monitoring and therapists’ record of
participation in Coaching related activities/trainings
An overview of the new QEP currently under development was provided:
o Correction of Determination Findings is blank because requirements
have been met in all areas and there are no new strategies to put in
place.
Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
EI Provider Meeting 3 1/16/19
o Correction of Child Record Findings from Verification Visits is blank
because it will not apply until Verification occurs during FY 19-20.
o Statewide Priority #1: Inclusion will have a goal focused on training
early childhood setting (i.e. childcare center and/or pre-school) staff
to actively participate in Coaching Model practices. To gather data for
this goal, the number of observations within early childhood settings
will be added to each child’s progress monitoring graph. A survey
directed towards early childhood settings staff is also being
considered.
o Statewide Priority #2: Child Progress does not yet have a specific goal.
It will likely be aimed at bringing more Social-Emotional Development
trainings to the EI Program that can be applied to the Coaching Model
and other interactions with families.
o Additional EI Program Goal has not been identified but providers are
encouraged to contact Jenn with any ideas or suggestions.
6. Special Instruction – Hearing and Vision Services
As of the end of the last calendar year, Lincoln Intermediate Unit (LIU) is no
longer providing EI Hearing and Vision Services for Franklin County.
Aspirations has picked up additional Hearing Services but can only offer
limited availability for Vision Services. In order to give families more options,
EI applied for and received a regulations waiver from the state so that Sovia
Therapy can perform independent evaluations and provide Vision Services.
Stacy Foy, a certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired with previous
experience as an Autism Support Teacher, is now available to provide Vision
Services in Franklin County on Wednesdays.
Sovia Therapy’s waiver will be in effect through June 30th. If an alternative
Vision Services provider has not been identified by this date, EI will apply for
another waiver to extend the current arrangement with Sovia Therapy.
Finding another permanent provider for Vision Services has been challenging
because it is a low incident service with relatively few referrals and a part-
time schedule.
7. LICC Updates
The Franklin and Fulton LICC holiday parties were successful. Fulton County
had an increased turnout from the previous year’s event with ninety eight
(98) individuals in attendance. Franklin County had a strong turnout for its
first annual event with eighty one (81) individuals in attendance. Free books
were given to all children who attended the events. Jenn thanked all
providers for their participation and donations.
The next Fulton County LICC Meeting will be on February 26th from 2:00 p.m.
to 3:30 p.m. at the Fulton County Library. Plans for a spring Child Find and
community outreach activity will be discussed at this meeting.
Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
EI Provider Meeting 4 1/16/19
The next Franklin County LICC Meeting will be on March 21st from 9:30 a.m.
to 11:30 a.m. at a location to be determined. Providers will be notified when
a location has been chosen.
8. Therapist Availability and Referrals
Record breaking numbers of referrals during recent months have led to an
increased need for services. Service coordinators have experienced the most
difficulty scheduling for Speech and Physical Therapy. Providers were
encouraged to follow any leads which may allow them to hire additional
therapists. Jenn understands the challenge of hiring staff for these positions
when the number of referrals can often fluctuate unpredictably.
As a reminder, therapists should contact the service coordinator if a child is
reaching their outcomes/goals and ready to be discharged.
9. Social-Emotional Practices
Last fall’s EI Leadership Conference featured several presentations on Social-
Emotional Development. Jenn highlighted key segments of the following resources
(see meeting handouts) that therapists and supports coordinators can use to inform
their own practices:
“Leadership and the Social Emotional Outcomes of Young Children in our
Programs: Where to focus, What to influence” presentation slides by the
National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI). A large collection
of Social-Emotional content can be found by scrolling to the bottom of
NCPMI’s homepage (http://www.challengingbehavior.org) and clicking on
Resource Library.
“Caregiver Social-Emotional Practices”
“Provider Home Visiting Checklist”
“Family Guided SS-OO-PP-RR Home Visiting”
Various articles (including some with Spanish language versions) from The
Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations of Early Learning. These
articles can be shared with families for informational purposes.
There is currently a state-level focus on building Social-Emotional Development and
how EI providers can help children and families in this respect. Additional
information and trainings related to Social-Emotional are expected in the near
future.
10. Review Provider Roster
Providers reviewed the roster prior to today’s meeting to confirm that all staff
entries were up to date. Providers should contact Jenn to report any updates or
changes to their staff entries.
11. Community of Practice
The next Community of Practice Meeting will be on February 8th from 12:00 p.m. to
2:00 p.m. at the Ag Heritage Building. Rachel Bechtel will be presenting on
Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
EI Provider Meeting 5 1/16/19
Attachment Disorders followed by discussion. Participants may bring their lunch to
the meeting.
12. Keystone Scholars
Keystone Scholars is a new program through which the state Treasury Department
will contribute $100 to the PA 529 College and Career Savings Program account of
any baby born or adopted in 2019. More information can be found at the program’s
website (https://www.pa529.com/keystone).
13. Provider Updates and Announcements
PennCares Support Services
o Training on “Improving Outcomes for Children with a TBI (Traumatic
Brain Injury)” has been rescheduled for April 26th from 9:00 a.m. to
11:00 a.m. at the LifePoint Church in Chambersburg. Registration is
$10 per person and more information can be found on the PennCares
website (https://www.penncares.org/events). A flyer for the training
will be sent out soon.
o There are current openings for the Child Development and Preschool
Groups.
Service Access & Management, Inc.
o SAM has relocated their Franklin County office to Orchard Drive in
Chambersburg as of January 7th.
Sovia Therapy
o Sovia coordinates monthly clinical exchanges that are learning
opportunities for providers and therapists. The next clinical exchange
will feature Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf’s Choices for
Children Program and is scheduled for March (date to be determined)
at their outreach office in Camp Hill.
o Sovia’s monthly story time group was recently reformatted and will
soon begin again at the Fredricksen Library in Camp Hill. Additional
information on the clinical exchange and story time group will be sent
to Jenn.
Fulton County Medical Center
o Julie Wert, FCMC’s new Speech Therapist, is expected to start in
March.
Invo HealthCare Associates
o Therapists have been attempting to add more time to their schedules
in order to meet current Occupational, Physical, and Speech Therapy
needs.
Pediatric Therapy Specialists
o Grove Family Library’s “Family Place” program will be starting on
February 13th. This six (6) week program will take place on
Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. A flyer for the program will
be sent out when it is available.
Early Intervention Provider Meeting
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
EI Provider Meeting 6 1/16/19
14. Provider Reports due prior to the next meeting
Audited Financial Report (for fiscal year ending June 30th) – due December
31st (if your agency does not have this completed, a letter requesting an
extension needs to be sent to Ashley)
Audit Engagement/Extension Letter for calendar year ending December 31st
– due January 10th
Progress Report on Outcomes in Appendix A for contracts over $50,000 –
due January 31st
Schedule of Revenues/Expenditures: July – December (for non-state-set
rates) – due February 15th
Appendix A for upcoming fiscal year and Budget Packets (for non-state-set
rates) – due March 15th
Monthly Invoices – due 15th of each month
Employee Debarment and Exclusion Check – due 15th of each month
Reminders of these reports are sent out 3-4 weeks prior to their due date. You can also
review the reports/due dates in procedure statement MHIDDEI-416 Contract Required
Reports and Due Dates.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 17, 2019 starting at 10:00 a.m.
Located at the Human Services Building (425 Franklin Farm Lane)
2019 Meeting dates:
April 17th July 17th October 16th
Minutes by Dan Rhodes