New Federal Regulations Regarding Medicaid Parental Consent Issued
February 13, 2013
By: Natalie Roth
Source: Accelify
New Federal regulations regarding Medicaid parental consent were announced yesterday, and will be published in the Federal Register IDEA Part B, on Thursday, February 14th. The changes will take effect on March 18th, 2013.
Prior to this change, school districts seeking Medicaid reimbursement for services rendered to Special Education students under IDEA were required to comply with strict parental consent requirements that could range from obtaining consent annually to each time access was sought. New regulations have been put in place to address the concerns expressed by state and local educational agencies to make the process less onerous. Under the new policy, districts will only be required to obtain one-time written consent to access the child’s Medicaid benefits for the first time. Once the parent/guardian signs the initial consent, districts will simply be required to provide written notification to the child’s parents on an annual basis detailing their rights and protections.
“We are thrilled to share this exciting news with our clients,” explained Alex Brecher, CEO of Accelify. “The previous parental consent guidelines created a great burden for districts seeking to access Medicaid benefits to help cover the cost of providing much needed services to Special Education students. Under the new policy, districts will be relieved of the administrative burden, allowing them to more easily claim reimbursements and provide more direct health services to their students.”
Accelify is waiting to see how each state’s Medicaid agency modifies its parental consent policies as a result of the new Federal regulations and will assist client districts in implementing these changes. Specifically, the one-time parental consent must contain the following:
- Any personally identifiable information that may be disclosed (e.g., records or information about the services that may be provided);
- the purpose of the disclosure (e.g. billing for services); and
- the agency to which the disclosure may be made (e.g. Medicaid)
In addition, the consent must specify that the parent is aware that the district may access the child’s or parent’s Medicaid benefits to pay for services.
About Accelify, LLC
Accelify, LLC (www.accelify.com) provides innovative technology solutions and comprehensive consulting services related to special education administration and Medicaid billing to school districts throughout the United States. Accelify’s web-based software products manage various processes of K‐12 special education and school-based Medicaid billing, and Accelify staff utilizes these technologies to assist school districts in lowering the workload of district personnel, increasing compliance with state and federal regulations, gaining productivity enhancements, and maximizing their participation in school‐based Medicaid reimbursement programs.
For more information about Accelify, please contact info@accelify.com.
SOURCE Accelify, LLC