NYS Department of Health, Bureau of Early Intervention, Public Forums, Tuesday, June 28th and Thursday, June 30th

Online, June 25, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Implementation of 15 Minute Increments Billing Practices
in NYS Early Intervention

Over the course of the last 15 months, the NYS Bureau of Early Intervention through the office of the Department of Health has introduced a series of regulations resulting in the progressive decimation of NYS Early Intervention, a program that provides necessary educational and therapeutic services to our most vulnerable residents, children birth through 3 years of age with developmental disabilities.

Presently at risk, is for professionals to secure and maintain consistency and predictability in the length of sessions provided, to allow for a meaningful amount of time in each session to address the complex developmental and therapeutic needs of children birth to three years of age and their families.

Session length and frequency has already been compromised for greater than 50% of children receiving these services. The NYS DOH BEI has consistently failed to produce data which would corroborate these statistics.

Professionals that provide therapy, education and other direct services in the home through this program have NOT received a cost of living increase or raise in nearly two decades. It is anticipated that this new billing change to 15 minute increments will result in further rate decreases across the state for those professionals providing these services.

Under the guise of "meaningful, flexible, cost-effective reform," the Bureau of Early Intervention is attempting to move aggressively forward, despite extensive stakeholder negative feedback, to apply a complex and rigid 15 minute increment that undermines child and family-centered hands-on edu-therapeutic approaches which yield successful outcomes to enrolled. This method of billing does not reflect either best practices or evidence-based practice; and that increases the potential for costly and harmful misinterpretations.

Essentially, our most vulnerable children, their families, and the professionals who provide front-line services are projected to be, tragically, the victims if this initiative is implemented in any form.

It is a well-known and research-based FACT that for every dollar spent in Early Intervention the state saves at the very least $7.

To initiate the restoration of services for our children and their families, to return equity, and to initiate the focus on true evidence-based practice, the United New York Early Intervention Providers (UNYEIP) and Parents As Partners (UNYEIPAP) coalitions, now 1500 strong, are working with legislators to right this wrong and continue to educate the DOH BEI of the potential devastating outcomes of their fiscal shortsightedness.

1. NEW YORK CITY: Office of Persons with Developmental Disabilities(OPWDD) Building
75 Morton Street, Activities Center, New York, New York 10014
Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 4 PM - 7 PM

2. SYRACUSE: NYS DOH Regional Office
217 South Salina Street, Syracuse, New York
Thursday, June 30, 2011, 4 PM - 7 PM

It was Governor Mario Cuomo, who on September 17, 1992, signed the Early Intervention Bill (Chapter 428 of the Laws of 1992), landmark legislation. Can we count on his son to renew this commitment to infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities or delays? For more information, please call Leslie Grubler at 917-355-5060 or email at [email protected].