538- State of the EI-Hub – Closing out 2024

Dec 20, 2024

 

New York State Department of Health
 New York Early Intervention System (NYEIS) Electronic Mailing List
 
State of the EI-Hub – Closing out 2024


Dear Colleague: 

As we approach the new year, I want to express my optimism, as we continue to work in partnership with all of you to improve the EI-Hub. The Bureau of Early Intervention (BEI), in collaboration with Public Consulting Group (PCG), has been making strategic efforts to improve system performance and functionality of the EI-Hub for all stakeholders. Please allow me to share some of the key updates we have made to the system, and activities to engage and communicate important information to you, our valued stakeholders. 


 Planned System Updates

On December 6, 13, and 16, 2024, PCG installed updates to the EI-Hub. Key updates in these system releases included:

  • Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Print Updates: Added frequency units, updated data populated in the ATD and other sections and resolved issues preventing some users from generating or printing the IFSP document. Please note, additional updates to the Print IFSP are in development.
  • Child Records with more than one active IFSP: Fixed a migration issue where some child records had multiple active IFSPs. Impacted child records should only have one active IFSP.
  • IFSP Date Logic: The IFSP now remains Active through the last day. 
  • Scripts Panel: Added a delete option in the Scripts, Orders, Recommendations, and Referrals panel. This will help users address billing rejections (F22) caused by multiple referring provider entries for a single SA. 
  • Performance Update: Improved speed/load time and AJAX errors related to 999 and 277 response files. 
    • Load times: 
      • 837/277 Download Page Load Time

o   Summary: Average wait time went from 1 minute and 30 seconds to approximately 1 second. Users are no longer encountering an AJAX/time out error. 

o   IFSP Page Loads

o   Summary: Average load time went from 7 seconds to 3 seconds. 

o   IFSP Print

o   Summary: Average time to generate print IFSP went from 28.9 seconds to 10.23 seconds.

  • Data Migration: Removed end dates from Service Coordinator assignments migrated to the Teams tab. As per standard practice, Teams tab assignments remain open-ended until a change in Service Coordinator is required. For additional details, please refer to the Assigning EIO/D and Service Coordinator job aid

For an overview of all items included in these system updates, please refer to the release notes, which are available on the EI-Hub Landing Page and in the Learning Management System (LMS).

 

New York Early Intervention System (NYEIS)

NYEIS Accessibility

In response to the Early Intervention Coordinating Council’s motion and recommendation from other stakeholders, the Department in collaboration with our colleagues from the New York State Office of Information Technology Services is pleased to report that NYEIS will no longer be decommissioned on December 27, 2024, but rather will remain accessible in read-only status until June 30, 2025. Stakeholders should be aware that because of the age of the NYEIS infrastructure, if there is a NYEIS system failure, there remains the possibility that NYEIS may be unable to be recovered and it could remain offline due to limited NYEIS support.  


 NYEIS Help Desk

The NYEIS CMA Help Desk will officially close effective end of business day on December 27, 2024. If you have any questions regarding NYEIS after this date, please email the Bureau at NYEISTA01@health.ny.gov.

 

Stakeholder Engagement

We recognize the importance of user feedback and are committed to learning from your experiences to understand what matters most as we work toward system improvements. To support this effort, the second EI-PCG NY EI-Hub Stakeholder Group meeting was held on December 18, 2024, and focused on four key areas: 

  1. Provider Payments and Managing Claim Rejections
  2. Productivity and Efficiency
  3. Data (Migration), Dashboards, and Reports
  4. Customer Service and Training

The group discussed how each issue has impacted their workflow, identified aspects of the system that were intuitive or confusing, and offered suggestions for overall improvement of system usability. In addition, the group also reviewed their top priority list, and the system updates that were completed since the previous Stakeholder Group meeting. 

A copy of the PowerPoint slides and meeting minutes will be shared with all stakeholders via the Bureau’s electronic listserv. The Bureau and PCG are reviewing the group’s suggestions and will share updates on their progress, along with any actionable items, at the next meeting, scheduled on January 25, 2025. 

 

Communications

The Bureau has disseminated several important communications to the field via its electronic listserv, to assist providers and counties with EI-Hub use. These communications are also available on the LMS.

Access to the EI-Hub by Geographical Location

The Bureau has directed PCG to only allow access to the EI-Hub for the below locations starting in 2025:

·       Continental United States (contiguous 48 states)  

·       Hawaii 

·       Alaska 

·       Canada 

·       US Territories: American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands, and minor outlying islands: Bajo Nuevo Bank, Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, and Palmyra Atoll. 

This measure is to ensure compliance with applicable state and federal policies such as the NYS Policy on International Access to NYS Systems or Data. Access to Early Intervention data systems should not routinely be accessed from outside of New York State and access from outside of the United States and Canada is prohibited.  

Starting in 2025, access will be limited based on a user's geographical location. The system will assess a user's network connection to identify their physical location and determine whether access to the EI-Hub will be granted or denied. A follow-up communication will be sent once the implementation timeline is finalized. 


New Micro Learning Courses Available on the LMS

We are pleased to announce the availability of seven new micro learning courses on the LMS landing page. These new videos are 10 minutes or less and provide information on the following topics:

·         Accessing Resources to Properly Void an 837 File - demonstrates the steps to properly void an 837 file. 

·         Voiding in Service Logging ­- gives step-by-step guidance to accurately remove or correct visit entries. 

·         Entering Scripts and Provider NPIs - demonstrates how to add a provider's NPI or a script to a child's record to support billing and claims.

·         Best Practice for Therapist Search and Lookup - covers the essential steps to efficiently search for and add a therapist to an agency. 

·         Accessing Updated Waivers Resources ­- explains how to access and navigate updated waiver resources.

·         277 Rejection Guide - shows you how to quickly find resources for identifying and interpreting 277 claim rejections within the EI-Hub. 

·         Resolving F22 and F24 Billing Rejections - how to resolve F22 and F24 rejection errors when billing.

In addition to these micro learning courses, a new job aid is available on the LMS:

·         Updating Therapist Records - provides step-by-step guidance on updating Therapist records and ensuring they are complete.

Please check the LMS regularly as resources will continually be updated.

 

Provider Payments

One of our top priorities is ensuring providers receive full and timely payments to maintain financial stability. The following temporary measures continue to be in place:

  • Stop-gap payments – issued on December 18, 2024, to those providers who opted to receive this payment. 
  • Weekly escrow payments 
  • Specific billing edits lifted (turned off)

PCG will continue to make scheduled weekly escrow payments and the next stop-gap payment will be processed on January 2, 2025.  While each individual financial institution may handle checks and/or direct deposits differently (especially on holidays) we can assure you that PCG will initiate the check processes for payment on schedule. 

 

PCG Customer Service Call Center

Please be advised that the Customer Service Call Center will be closed on the following dates: Tuesday, December 24, 2024 (carryover observance of Veterans Day) and Wednesday, December 25, 2024 (Christmas Day).  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. The Call Center team will resume normal operations on Thursday, December 26, 2024.

In closing, I want to thank you for your continued dedication to the Early Intervention Program and the children and families you serve. Our next State of the EI-Hub message will be shared with you the first week of January 2025. In the meantime, I wish you a joyful holiday season and happy New Year.

 

Sincerely,

Raymond L. Pierce

Director, Bureau of Early Intervention

 

Please do not reply to this e-mail announcement.

 

Thank You.


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