Medicaid Managed Medical Assistance Update

On December 1, 2018, Phase 1 rollout of the new Medicaid Managed Medical Assistance programs was initiated. Early Steps is now preparing for Phase 2 of the transition.

Highlights regarding Early Steps transition of Early Intervention Services and Targeted Case Management into State Medicaid Managed Care since our last publication:

• A web-page on CMS-Kids.org website has been developed. The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and the Early Steps State Office (ESSO) collaborates weekly to discuss the transition of early intervention services into MMA.
• A snapshot/overview has been posted on AHCA’ s Website It serves as an informational document regarding MMA changes. It will be updated regularly to reflect changes as they occur.
• A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document addresses questions from AHCA’ s training webinars on Medicaid Early Intervention Services. Please check AHCA’ s website for additional information on prior and upcoming training webinars on Early Intervention Services with a live question and answer session immediately following each webinar. The webinars can be found on Here
• The Early Steps State Office continues to:
• Assist local program offices to negotiate agreements
• Monitor the fiscal impact of the transition
• Assess the impact of the transition on the determination of eligibility, timely initiation of services, services in the natural environment, and other components of service provision
• Monitor for compliance with all state and federal laws
• MMA Claims Submission Project - The Department of Health has established a process for Local Early Steps programs’ internal providers to bill MMA Plans for EIS (screenings, evaluations, assessments, early intervention sessions), and TCM (service coordination). The process uses Change Healthcare as a clearinghouse for billing and claims submission through the existing Early Steps Data System. The Department is exploring using Change Healthcare as a clearinghouse for submitting external provider claims to MMA Plans.
• AHCA has provided instructions to assist internal and external providers in submission of claims to each of the MMA Plans during the continuity of care period.

Transition Teams

Due to ongoing collaboration with LESs in the transition of Early Intervention Services and Targeted Case Management to Managed Care, ESSO has identified seven priority areas to assist with a successful MMA plan coverage transition. The priority areas and their team leads are:

• Contracts: Cassandra Pasley
• Resources: Kelly Rogers
• Credentialing Standards: Kelly Rogers
• Targeted Case Management: Renee Jenkins
• Billing Documentation: Angela Marcus
• Continuity of Care/Monitoring: Marcy Hajdukiewicz

Each team, includes participants from the ESSO and Local Early Steps (LES) representative(s) from Phase 1 of the MMA transition, and other LESs based on their interest and expertise.

MMA Contract Surveys

Surveys are continuously conducted to ascertain contract statuses and helpful experiences throughout the transition period

Early Steps Professional Development Project Presents at the Division for Early Childhood DEC Conference

Collaborators from the Early Steps Professional Development (ESPD) project being implemented as part of Florida’s State Systemic Improvement Plan presented about the project’s implementation and initial outcomes at the Division for Early Childhood’s 34th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and their Families. The conference was held in Orlando on October 23-26, 2018. Presenters included representatives from the demonstration sites, including site directors, lead implementation coaches (LICs), providers, and two institutions of higher education (IHEs; University of Florida and Florida State University).

The team presented a session titled, “Collaborative Early Intervention Professional Development Project: Supporting Caregiver Coaching and Embedded Intervention.” They described the development, implementation, and evaluation of the ESPD project. Perspectives about project processes and outcomes for providers, families, and children were shared by an LIC, providers, and an agency director. At the same conference, the team also presented a poster session titled, “Model Demonstration Project Collaboration between State and Local Part C and IHE” that highlighted how the collaborative partnerships and activities of the ESPD project are contributing to the creation of a coordinated, statewide system of professional development.

Pictured are representatives from the demonstration sites, including site directors, LICs, providers, and the IHE team

Pictured(Left to Right) are Dr. Patricia Snyder, Dr. Brian Reichow, Alexandra Stoerger, Jennifer Harrington, and Dr. Cinda Clark.

Gulf Central Early Steps Employee Spotlight

The Early Steps State Office would like to shine a spotlight on Marisol Rose, Family Resource Specialist (FRS) for the Gulf Central Early Steps in southwest Florida. Marisol is a parent of two young children and brings the family perspective to all aspects of her work.

Marisol recently attended the Division of Early Childhood 34th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families in October 2018. In addition to the main conference, she attended a pre-conference sponsored by the Early Childhood Personnel Center that focused on promoting professional development in family leaders. Marisol’s goal in attending the pre-conference session was to use the knowledge she gained to develop an action plan that includes professional development opportunities for herself and the other Family Resource Specialists statewide.

Following participation at the preconference and conference, Marisol stated she has a more profound appreciation for IDEA, OSEP, recommended practices, early intervention, and all the intricate parts of early childhood development. But her biggest take away was the importance of the family voice in providing feedback on policy and processes, and the significance of the FRS role in Florida. “As a result of attending the conference, I am more proud and passionate about my role as an FRS. I am also inspired to find ways to build upon my fellow FRSs’ current leadership skills so that we can better represent families.”

Gulf Central Early Steps and the Early Steps State Office, appreciate Marisol’s self-starter attitude and her active pursuit of opportunities to help other FRSs strengthen their abilities to serve Florida’s families

Program Services for Migrant Families in Agriculture

We are excited! La Familia Center will be accepting enrollment applications for the 2018-2019 season for the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project in Dundee, Florida. This program serves migrant and seasonal farmworker families

A variety of services are available to children ages 6 weeks to 5 yrs. old. Available services include Educational Services, Family Services, Disability Services, Health & Dental Care, Balanced Meals, and Play & Learning Experiences. La Familia Center is looking forward to providing these services.

Please see the printable flyer regarding the program.

Department of Education, Technical Assistance Paper

The Florida Department of Education has recently issued a technical assistance paper (TAP) on programmatic transition. It will assist with transition from the Early Steps program to pre-kindergarten program for children with disabilities and other community programs.

Georgetown University, Strengthening the Provider-Family Relationship in Early Intervention: A Webinar Introduction to the Facilitating Attuned Interactions (FAN) Model

Looking for a better way to support family-infant and toddler interaction? This webinar will introduce participants to the Facilitating Attuned Interactions (FAN) model developed as part of the Erikson Institute Fussy Baby Network. ® FAN includes core processes that providers can use to engage and support parents, as well as for take inventory of their own internal states as a mechanism for staying calm and grounded in the face of emotionally laden interactions with families. This interactive session will also serve as an opportunity to explore the FAN as a tool that can hold and honor the unique experiences of parenting a young child with special needs. It is a flexible, strengths-based, evidence-informed approach to reflective and mindful practice within the realm of infant and early childhood mental health. Designed to help guide providers in their efforts to be attuned, responsive, and open to the parents they serve, the FAN is intended to foster a facilitative environment for positive family change and growth.