Training/Technical Assistance & Best Practices

Best Practice Summary: Medicaid Approved Agency Placement Checklist

Locality: Spotsylvania
Contact: Kissel Martin
Phone Number: (540) 582-7065

Description of Best Practice: Case managers utilize a locally-developed form to document their search for a Medicaid approved facility (click link below to access form). Motivation for the form came from the CPMT Chair who was interested in seeing documentation that children in this locality were screened for Medicaid eligibility

What have been the benefits/results of the implementation? It serves as a reminder to case managers to screen children for Medicaid eligibility and then, if the child is eligible, to try and place them in a Medicaid facility. The objective is to encourage, where appropriate, the maximization of federal funds as compared to the use of local and state funds.

Estimated Savings : Spotsylvania has 29% of their children in a Medicaid facility compared with the State average of 28%.

How long has the locality been utilizing this practice? Best practice was identified through the locality’s updated utilization management plan submitted April 2004 and has been in place for 8 months.

Quick link to form

Best Practice Summary: Young Juvenile Offender Initiative

Locality: Gloucester County
Contact: J. Patrick Dorgan, Education Director, Youth and Family Services Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck-CSB
Phone Number: (804) 693-5057

Description of Best Practice: The Director of Youth and Family Services with the Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck CSB developed this project that offers assessments, intensive case management, mental health treatment and support for juvenile offenders under the age of 14 through collaboration of Juvenile Justice and Child Protective Services professionals and community-based mental health treatment providers.

What have been the benefit/results of the implementation? Multidisciplinary teams, which consists of Licensed Clinical Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Therapists, Case Managers and Mentors can determine a course of sanctions and develop individualized service plans for young offenders in an effort to reduce significant risk factors for the child, their family and the community and eliminate more serious delinquent and violent behavior.

Estimated savings: All cases are managed by licensed therapists that follow Outcome Measures developed by the Young Juvenile Offender Initiative program. Client referrals come from the Court Services Unit and through the FAPT. Therapists handle pre-imposed intensive in-home clients in which the child is in the home receiving care.

Barriers to overcome: Distance has been a concern for clients in that this program covers a ten-county wide area that ranges from the York River to the Potomac River .

Best Practice Summary: Intensive Case Coordination

Locality: City of Richmond
Contact: Debbie Hinton
Phone Number: (804) 646-7445
Email Address: dhinton@ci.richmond.va.us

Description of Best Practice: The locality requires all residential and therapeutic placements to receive intensive case management services. The City of Richmond has chosen child-placing agencies to conduct this case management. One of 3 child specific child placing agencies conduct the case management in which they charge a mandated fee for each case.

What have been the benefits/results of the implementation? There has been a refocus on "step-down" and discharge planning for cases services under intensive case management.

Estimated savings: The City of Richmond expects an approximate savings ranging from 4.5% to 10% over projected costs. The CPMT is currently creating an Intensive Case Management Team to continue to refine, develop and manage these contracts placing a greater emphasis on the achievement of outcomes and increased cost-efficiency.

Barriers to overcome: None stated

Best Practice Summary: Approval of Foster Care Prevention Funding

Locality: Williamsburg-James City, York-Poquoson
Contact: Diana Hutchins
Phone Number: (757) 259-3124
Email Address: dhutch@jamescity.va.us

Description of Best Practice: Cases are pre-approved by the Local Department of Social Services Director as well as the CPMT Chair for funding under Foster Care Prevention funding.

What have been the benefits/results of the implementation? This pre-approval process ensures that foster care prevention cases meet the Department of Social Services’ criteria for prevention. This has prevented cases from being defined as mandated foster care prevention cases when they are actually non-mandated case types. This has also ensured that cases are referred to the appropriate local agency for both mandated and non-mandated services.

Estimated savings: None stated

Barriers to overcome: None stated