Frequently Asked Questions

Therapists

What specific student services do I need to document for Ohio Medical School Program (MSP) purposes?

Therapists must document their “ETR Testing” and “IEP Direct Services” for all students that they serve. ETR Testing activities include “Classroom Observations”, Parent Teacher Interviews”, “Administering Test”, “Scoring Tests”, and “ETR Report Writing”.

Are ETR and IEP Meeting reimbursable under MSP?

No, team meetings are not eligible for MSP reimbursement.

When do I add a Referral?

An MSP Referral can be added when you suspect a disability, refer for testing, annual IEP start date, and when you accept a new student’s Plan of Care.

What is the difference between “Educational Services” and “Therapy Services”?

Educational Services can be provided by a teacher, aide, or attendant, whereas Therapy Services require the training and expertise of a licensed therapist.

How long do I have to document my services?

We actually have 365 days to process an MSP claim, but it is recommended that therapists stay caught up on their Medicaid documentation.

How often is progress required for my therapy services?

At minimum, written progress towards IEP therapy goals must be documented every 90 days. If no progress is demonstrated in two consecutive 90 day periods, Medicaid requires that the IEP goals be modified.

Treasurers

What is the difference between “Interim” payments and “Final Settlement” payments?

Interim payments are based on individual claims that are processed from therapy service documentation. The Final Settlement is based on the Medicaid Cost Report and is Allowable Medicaid Costs less what you were paid in Interim Claiming.

What district expenditures are eligible for Medicaid reimbursement on the Cost Report?

Eligible Medicaid expenditures are therapist salaries, benefits, and contracted costs, along with AUP audit fees, and durable medical equipment costs.

What revenue funds are not eligible for Medicaid reimbursement?

All Federal 500 series revenue fund spending is not eligible for Medicaid reimbursement.

What are the contract procurement requirements for the Medicaid School Program?

Detailed information is listed under “Contract Procurement” in the “MSP Information” section of our website.

What accounting firms are eligible to perform the AUP audit?

Any licensed CPA firm is eligible to perform the MSP AUP audit. A list of major CPA firms that are currently doing MSP AUP audits for our districts are listed in the “Resources” section of our website. Using a CPA firm with experience with MSP audits helps insure a quality audit at a competitive price.

How does the Indirect Cost Recovery System increase my Medicaid reimbursement?

An Indirect Cost Rate enables districts with district employed therapists to allocate an administrative overhead factor to your Medicaid salary and benefit costs. HBS will assist you or prepare the annual ICR cost report, but this rate is only advantageous for those districts with employed therapy costs.

Administrators

What services are reimbursed in the Ohio Medicaid School Program?

The main five areas of MSP reimbursement are Speech, OT, PT, Psychology, and Nursing services. The program also includes Social Work and Counseling, but are limited, since the program only reimburses for ETR/IEP services. Starting with the 2015/2016 school year Specialized Transportation became reimbursable. Look for additional services such as Delegated Nursing and Personal Care services to be added to the program in the future.

How often must a district obtain signed Parental Consent from the parent?

One-time Signed Parental Consent is required in order to bill services through the Ohio Medicaid School Program. Although the consent only needs to be obtained one time, the program does require that a Parental Consent Notification be sent to the parent of all IEP students annually. The Annual Notification explains to parents their rights relating to IDEA Parental Consent.

Can a district get Medicaid reimbursement for 504 plan services?

No, 504 services cannot be billed under the Ohio Medicaid School Program. Only ETR testing and IEP direct services are billable under MSP.

How long does it take to train my therapists?

It takes about 1 ½ hours to train MSP therapists on MSP documentation procedures and how to use our web-based documentation system. Staff training is typically done at the beginning of the school year, but HBS can come to your location and train staff at your convenience.

How can I monitor what therapists are completing their Medicaid documentation?

HBS sends out quarterly reports to districts that details the amount of documentation that each therapist documented each month. Administrators can also get administrator access to our system that will allow them to view this data directly in our system.

How do we know what students are on Medicaid?

HBS initially checks Medicaid eligibility on each IEP student that receives IEP services. We then recheck eligibility on a quarterly basis to make certain that we are billing claims for all eligible students.