Monthly Archives: December 2013

2013 Wrap-up and Survey

The IFPS Coast-to-Coast Blog launched on April 10, 2013, with a new post issued every Wednesday. We’re so glad that you have joined us on this blog journey as we all strive to make a positive impact in the lives of the families that we serve.

A blog is an ideal way to share both content and comments about IFPS, and the blog links to other social media as well. We have followers via e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter. And we have a pool of authors! Ten contributing authors wrote posts this year and we extend our hearty thanks to all of them.

Our authors have produced three dozen posts in 13 categories. You can quickly find topics by scrolling down the right-hand side of the blog home page until you see “Categories.” After selecting a topic and viewing the most recent post, you can view other posts on that topic by selecting “Older Posts.”

The purpose of the IFPS blog is to increase visibility and knowledge of IFPS, share expertise, and expand the reach of IFPS. While we feel that we made a good start in 2013, we want to do even better in 2014. Here’s where you can help:

Please take our 2-question survey right now to provide feedback on what you liked about the blog this year and what you would like to see next year.

Here is the link to the survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FGTTFCN

Thank you for your participation, inquiries, and comments the past year.

We will be taking a break over the holidays and will resume with new posts on January 8. In the meantime, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

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Posted by Peg Marckworth

IFPS and Medicaid

In some states, IFPS services are paid through Medicaid. Arizona is one of these states. Arizona has a Medicaid waiver that allows for a wide range of services delivered through our behavioral health system.

Medicaid reimburses the state for IFPS services on a shared cost basis with federal dollars covering most of the cost and the state the balance. Children in foster care automatically qualify for Medicaid. In-home services are covered by Medicaid if the family meets income eligibility requirements.

Medicaid will only pay for specific services so an IFPS intervention is broken down and coded into those services. Typically these services include:

  • Individual Therapy
  • Family Therapy—with or without child
  • Family Support
  • Respite
  • Case Management
  • Living Skills
  • Health Promotion

IFPS providers in Arizona are licensed through behavioral health services. The licensing standards are extensive and the list can be viewed here:
http://www.azdhs.gov/bhs/provider/provider_main.htm

You can see how Medicaid reimburses for IFPS in the following chart which lists the coding number, the description of services, unit of cost, and amount for typical IFPS services:

H2017 Psychosocial rehabilitation living skills training services, per 15 minutes

$23.30
H2025 Ongoing support to maintain employment, per 15 minutes

$9.13
H2027 Psychoeducational service (pre-job training and development), per 15 minutes

$13.08
S5110 Home care training, family (family support), per 15 minutes

$23.30
S5150 Unskilled respite care, not hospice, per 15 minutes

$7.49
S5151 Unskilled respite care, not hospice, per diem

$211.45
T1016 Office case management by behavioral health professional, each 15 minutes

$25.00
T1016 Out of office case management by behavioral health professional, each 15 minutes

$33.74
T1016 Office case management, by BHT, each 15 minutes

$17.50
T1016 Out of office case management, by BHT, each 15 minutes

$23.87
T1019 Personal care service, each 15 minutes

$5.80
H0004 Office, individual behavioral health counseling and therapy, per 15 minutes

$25.00
H0004 Home, individual behavioral health counseling and therapy, per 15 minutes

$33.74
H0004 Group behavioral health counseling and therapy, per 15 minutes

$7.58
H0004 Office, family behavioral health counseling and therapy with client present, per 15 minutes

$25.50
H0004 Out of office, family behavioral health counseling and therapy with client present

$36.85
H0004 Office, family behavioral health counseling and therapy without client present, per 15 minutes

$25.50
H0004 Out of office, family behavioral health counseling and therapy, without client present, per 15 minutes

$36.85
H0025 Behavioral health prevention/promotion education service

$14.00
H0031 Mental health assessment, by non-physician

$140.00
H2011 Crisis intervention service, per 15 minutes

$32.18
H2014 Skills training and development, per 15 minutes

$23.30
H2014 Group skills training and development, per 15 minutes per person

$11.60

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Posted by Anne Cornell, Clinical Consultant, Arizona.
If you have questions or need more information, please contact Anne at mustbinsun@aol.com.

10 Steps to a Successful Intervention Plan

The previous post focused on creating goals and objectives with families. In this post, we discuss how to create an effective intervention plan. These ten steps provide a framework you can use to help your client families reach their goals and objectives.

1. Start on a positive note.

Families in crisis are often overwhelmed by things not going well. They may not know how to make changes and may not believe it’s even possible. You can set the stage for success by explaining that change is possible. Share with families that you will be helping them discover why things aren’t working and learn new skills to make things better.

2. Consider each family member’s learning style (i.e., visual, auditory, kinesthetic).

People learn in different ways. What works for one person may not work for another. It is important to ask each person how they think they learn best; observe them in teaching situations; and offer different ways for them to access material.

3. Identify the skill you are going to teach and define small steps to master the skill.

People learn best in small, easily understandable steps. When people succeed with the first step they are more likely to take the next step—and the ones after that. What is a small step for one person may be an overwhelming step for another, so gather information about the person’s abilities before you start and evaluate as you go. Don’t be afraid to make the steps smaller in order to get success.

4. Discuss and explain the importance of using the skill.

Most people, including children, want to know why they need to do things differently. We all want to know “what’s in it for me.” Discuss with family members how changing a behavior or using a new skill will benefit them.

5. Describe and show the steps of using the skill.

Show people the path you want them to take and link it back to how it will benefit them and their family. The “Four Stages of Competence” model can be a useful way to help them understand how people learn new skills.

Use the “show—tell—do” model. Show the skill, explain it in small steps, and then have the person try it with you coaching and giving feedback. This process will help the person understand and gain confidence to try it on their own.

6. Rehearse the skill with the families and provide assignments.

Few people are one-trial learners. We all need to practice. Look for ways to make practice fun—during and between meetings with you. Give homework assignments that are manageable and reinforcing. Offer rewards for simply doing the homework.

7. Practice skills with families until they accomplish their goals.

Once is probably not enough. Five or ten or 50 times may be needed. Practicing with families can give them the confidence to continue on their own.

8. Evaluate as you go.

Make sure you ask for, and observe, each family member’s understanding about the skill being taught to them. Do this at each step in the process. Stop as needed to review and reteach. Break the skill into smaller or different steps as needed. Offer other ways to learn and practice the skills. Make sure you are doing everything you can to make the experience rewarding.

9. Provide effective feedback about progress toward the goal.

Explaining: “We’ve come this far and we have this far to go.” may not seem necessary. It is. Helping people see their progress can be motivating. We’re asking families to make big changes in their behavior and in their lives. It can seem overwhelming. When we put things in perspective we help people move forward toward their goals.

10. Always provide encouragement, praise and reinforcement to families.

Rewards work for all of us. Encouragement, praise and reinforcement are an integral part of a successful behavior change plan. Be sure you provide reinforcement that has meaning to each person. What is rewarding for one person may not be for another. Talk about this in advance with families. A disinterested kid may be more willing to try if they get to do more of the thing they love as a reward. Rewards don’t have to be prizes. Listening, encouraging, even a high-five can make a difference in how a person feels about the hard work they’re doing. We have a huge role in providing that reinforcement.


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Posted by Moneefah D. Jackson