Research:

• As stated by the American Academy of Pediatrics, developmental screenings provided by or coordinated with the child’s medical home are more likely to reduce duplication of services and cost, assure follow-up, and identify or prevent secondary conditions that can interfere with healthy development.

Current Realities:

• Comprehensive early childhood screening will continue to be a key requirement for More at Four, however, Smart Start funding for screenings will be more restrictive.   
• PFC is more strategic about the screenings.    PFC screens M@F children and develop strategies to increase successful referrals into services for all children birth to five.    These services may include screening, but will not be dependent on mass screenings.
• PFC involvement in the local LICC continues to facilitate creation of strategies on ways to enhance the provision of and delivery of early intervention services in Cumberland County.
• Coordination with the school system to facilitate access to therapies will continue.
• Under the new service definitions as a result of the mental health reform, there is no longer any reimbursement for any type of screening completed on a child. A large part of what the Early Intervention Team does is screening.
• There is no reimbursement for helping the families get connected with other providers of services or care coordination and there is no reimbursement for the parenting skills training and education, which is also a key component of the program.
• In the past there were direct and indirect services that were reimbursable from the State or Medicaid. Relative to in home services, the Division and Medicaid have re-defined this to be an intervention where a team of three staff are working with up to 8 families at a time over a period of time. This is not the type of in home services we have provided in the past nor is it what the families we are seeing in the Smart Start Early Intervention Team need.
• The last change is related to basic benefits or outpatient services. In the past Medicaid provided reimbursement for services delivered by Qualified Professional level staff.  Now, providers must be able to be independent practitioners who are licensed and can bill Medicaid directly.
• All of our staff are Qualified Professional with many years of experience with this population but they are not direct enrolled providers with Medicaid.