Letter to Early Intervention Providers
- Letter also available in Portable Document Format (PDF)
November 1, 2016
Dear Early Intervention Providers and Health Homes Serving Children,
As of December 2016, Medicaid Health Home Program will begin serving children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21). The Health Home Program provides comprehensive case management services for Medicaid enrolled children who meet Health Home eligibility and appropriateness criteria. More information on Children´s Health Home can be found here.
It is anticipated that some children currently in the Early Intervention Program (EIP) or who might be potentially eligible for the EIP, may also be eligible for Health Home. The EI Program also includes service coordination. As a result, guidelines need to be developed and implemented to coordinate the provision of care coordination and management for children enrolled in both the Health Home and EI program. To provide the time needed to develop guidelines and engage stakeholders in the development and implementation of those guidelines, the enrollment of children in Health Home who are also enrolled in EIP will be delayed until March 2017. The Health Home Program does not change EIP eligibility but at the family option it may change the entity responsible for a child´s ongoing comprehensive care management.
Over the coming months, the New York State Department of Health´s Early Intervention Program and Health Home Program for Children will be engaging stakeholders in a discussion surrounding draft case scenarios and policies to obtain your thoughts and feedback. Stakeholder engagement will be facilitated via public forums and webinars as listed below.
In anticipation of beginning to enroll children in Health Home who are also enrolled in EIP beginning March 2017, effective December 2016, EIP providers and Health Home should employ the following procedures:
- Children enrolled in the EIP and Medicaid with an active Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) during this period will continue to receive EIP ongoing service coordination services through the child´s transition from the EIP to other supports and services or until the child exits the EIP. As part of the EIP transition plan, the EI ongoing service coordinator will discuss with families the Health Home Program if they believe the child may meet the Health Home eligibility criteria and appropriateness for a possible referral to Health Home.
- Children enrolled in Medicaid who may be eligible for the EIP and who may meet the eligibility criteria for Health Home must first be referred to the EIP in the child´s county of residence to determine EIP eligibility. If the child does not meet EIP eligibility, EIP providers should work with their local Health Home and or a care management agency to make a referral to a Health Home serving children. A list of Health Homes by county is posted on the Department of Health, Health Home Serving Children website.
Health Home serving children who receive a referral from other entities, such as foster care agencies, physicians, etc. of a child ages 0–3 years old who may meet EIP eligibility, will refer the child to the EIP in the child´s county of residence during this period to determine EIP eligibility. The DOH Early Intervention Program and Health Home Program will provide an upcoming webinar for Health Homes and care management agencies surrounding the EIP eligibility. If the child does not meet EIP eligibility, EIP providers should work with the Health Home and or a care management agency that initially referred the child to them, to make a referral back for Children´s Health Home services.
Stakeholder engagement meetings and webinars are scheduled for:
Tuesday November 15, 2016 from 1–2:30 pm for EIP providers
Wednesday November 16, 2016 from 1–2:30 pm for Health Home (HH) and CMAs
Wednesday December 7, 2016 from 1–2:30 pm for HH and CMAs
Wednesday January 11, 2017 from 1–2:30 pm for EIP providers, HH and CMAs
We look forward to working with stakeholders to develop a clear path for Medicaid eligible children to receive comprehensive care management.
Bureau of Early Intervention
Division of Family Health
Office of Public Health
New York State Department of Health
Health Home Serving Children
Division of Program Development and Management
Office of Health Insurance Programs
New York State Department of Health
