November 12th, 2024 IICEI Workforce Workgroup - Agenda and Meeting Reports

IICEI Workforce Workgroup

  • November 12, 2024
  • 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
  • Join Via Zoom
  • Meeting ID: 836 1690 5785
  • Password: 003786
  • One Tap Mobile: +13126266799,83616905785# US (Chicago

Agenda

  1. Welcome
  2. Ground Rules and Expectations
    1. Review of norms
    2. Approval of minutes
  3. Survey Results
    1. Findings
    2. Recommendations/suggestions based on information
    3. Connection to mentoring conversation and next steps
  4. Insurance Barriers
  5. Public Comment

Attendees

Participant Name Attended
Amanda Albright Yes
Talibah Moore Yes
Autumn Bruere Yes
Antonio Borjas Yes
Michelle Clyne No
Susan Connor Yes
Tracy Cooper Yes
Jen Crick Yes
Rob Derry Yes represented by Amy Betz
Chelsea Guillen Yes
Kesha Harris No
Katie Jacobs Yes
Zareen Kamal Yes
Jenny Masterson Yes
Rachel Mika Yes
Carol Muhammad Yes
Stephanie O'Donnell Yes
Monica Patrick Yes
Makenzie Pettit Yes
Amy Santos Yes
Delreen Schmidt-Lenz Yes
Lisa Seymour Yes
Ellen Shwatal Yes
Ashley Stoffel Yes
Nicole Van Hise Yes

Minutes

I. Welcome

II. Ground Rules and Expectations

  • Review of norms
  • Approval of October minutes: Motion to approve by Tracy Cooper, seconded by Monica Patrick. None opposed.

III. Survey Results

  • Findings Reviewed
  • Over 700 people attended Systems Overview Follow Up between July 2023 and July 2024; attendees crossed most disciplines and all parts of the state
  • Nearly 75% of those participants had been credentialed by 10/31/24
  • Reasons for not proceeding with credentialing included IMPACT, too much work/cumbersome process, concerns with 240 hours requirement, misunderstandings around the requirements
  • Barriers to credentialing centered around support, time, coursework/training, requirements, costs, and lack of referrals; specific examples from each theme were reviewed
  • Suggestions for improvement were also shared
  • Recommendations/suggestions based on information:
  • How can we provide information around how EI looks across the various work settings?
  • With low incidence disabilities or low number of referrals, new providers can be seen as a competitor. Without building a caseload, it hinders these new providers from completing the evaluations needed to apply for the evaluator credential.
  • Would be good to develop a resource on the pros and cons of working independently versus for a company. Something like a decision tree that could walk them through options.
  • There are not always options in every region. For Southern IL, there are no agencies, mostly independents, so they don't have support for that part of doing Early Intervention.
  • Would a centralized waitlist in each CFC solve any issues?
  • When there is high turnover for SCs it can be difficult for providers to maintain the relationships that ensure referrals
  • This raises a variety of questions about the evaluator credential. How do people learn about the evaluator process? Is this marketed? Is there a role for mentorship here? A way for this to be supported from the very beginning would be great. What is the rationale for the amount of time to become an evaluator? Especially for providers who have a license which allows them to evaluate in other settings.
  • Provider Connections expressed interest in doing podcast type snippets to help with what is wanted and needed on evaluations.
  • If you need to appeal a denial…how does this work? Where is that information placed. Could you do a "denied until corrections" versus just a denial.

IV. Insurance barriers:

  • Private insurance is often a thorn in the side when it comes to serving families. Barriers include: not receiving insurance info up front from SCs, insurance plans that require the parent to approve services, not sending an appropriate denial unless a certain code is used, unable to get a denial that will allow CBO to pay, etc.
  • United Health Care and Tri Care can be problematic for a few providers
  • Why do providers know what the insurance status is prior to picking up kids? The Payee agreement says that we will not discriminate based on insurance status.
  • Providers are telling Provider Connections that getting an EOB is taking more than 90 days.
  • Some providers have "Pro bono kiddos" due to knowing the insurance the family carries will likely not permit them to be paid.
  • Chasing down money with insurance can be a full time job.
  • Wondering if we can use some existing resources, e.g. could the CBO insurance billing unit be used for data and could the insurance rep on IICEI be utilized?
  • Our system for billing/insurance is flawed. If there is an error at any level of the process, it means the provider may not get paid. The provider is the one who does the work but is also negatively impacted financially if there is an error in others' systems.

V. Public Comment

* No public comment