Improving Parental Consent Rates
Maximizing Medicaid reimbursement for Local Education Agencies depends in large part on receiving parental consent to bill Medicaid for eligible students.
Without parental consent, billing information cannot be released to state Medicaid agencies.
Consistently receiving parental consent in a timely manner requires buy in at all levels of the Special Education/Exceptional Children’s Program.
Here are some tips for improving the rates of parental consent:
Have clearly communicated procedures in place. Who is responsible for obtaining consent? Where does the form go once signed by the parent? Who logs the information in your billing system to ensure that it’s utilized?
Integrate obtaining consent into the IEP process. If the parental consent form is an additional, separate task, it is more likely to be delayed or missed. Are their other forms being signed by a student’s parents? Combining parental consent with another step in the process makes it easier for everyone- parents, teachers, therapists and administrators.
Obtain consent for all students regardless of medicaid eligibility status. Don’t wait to find out whether or not a student is eligible for medicaid to obtain parental consent to bill, and let parents know that this permission is obtained for all students regardless of eligibility status.
Be prepared for parent questions. Make sure that the IEP case manager and other involved school system personnel, know the answers to frequently asked questions such as:
Why is the form necessary if a student doesn’t have Medicaid? Getting this form signed for all students makes it easier to have consent when it’s needed.
What does the money get used for? This will vary state to state and school district to school district, but knowing the answer can be helpful for parents who are unsure about signing the consent form. What parents want to know is: How does Medicaid billing benefit the student in question?
Will this affect other Medicaid benefits in anyway? No. The school’s reimbursement has no affect on the family’s Medicaid benefits.
The parents say they already signed the form. In most states, consent only has to be obtained once, and then annual notice given in following years. However there are reasons why a new form may need to be obtained. Parents may also have multiple kids in the school system. Having clear procedures in place makes it easier to get the right explanation when this question comes up.
One of the things InfoHandler prides itself on is customer support. Staff are available to consult with administrators and offer suggestions for how to best set up the parental consent procedures and processes for individual school districts. Every state and school district is unique! Fill out the Contact form to learn more.