Telepractice for Part C EI Services: Effective Implementation and Medicaid Reimbursement
- Division for Early Childhood (DEC)
- Dec 10, 2021
- 1 min read
Updated: Feb 14, 2022
DEC wants to call your attention to a new resource “Telepractice for Part C Early Intervention Services: Considerations for Effective Implementation and Medicaid Reimbursement”.
According to the introduction of the report, State early intervention (EI) Part C systems should consider telepractice as a method for improving equitable access for all young children with disabilities and their families to high-quality EI services. In response to inquiries concerning implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C use of funds in the current COVID-19 environment, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in its Question and Answer (Q&A) document mentions telepractice: “Use of telecommunications technology as a mechanism to provide service coordination and early intervention services, including home visits for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families are sometimes referred to as: telehealth, tele-intervention, tele-therapy, and tele-practice.” (Q&A Guidance https://sites.ed.gov/idea/files/qa-part-c-use-of-funds-06-25-2020.pdf)
Further it states that to plan for the continued successful use of telepractice, states will need to: (1) make decisions based on all available data, (2) explore state and federal policies and requirements, (3) consider and respond to issues related to Medicaid reimbursement, and (4) provide information and supports for families, providers, and state staff.
The purpose of this report is to provide information about the use of telepractice as a delivery method for EI services and the process for Medicaid reimbursement. States can use the state examples, resources, and information in the four Appendices to develop their own state-specific policies, procedures, and written guidance for using Medicaid dollars to reimburse for telepractice.
The document is available here: Telepractice for Part C Early Intervention Services: Considerations for Effective Implementation and Medicaid Reimbursement.
