School-Based Services (SBS) Strategic Plan
Strategic Priority #1 Full-time Position to Lead School-based Services
Submit a cost increase request within TennCare’s annual budget request for a full-time position
Rationale: To accomplish the objectives of this three-year plan, a full-time position is requested to meaningfully engage school-based stakeholders, to perform data analysis, and to facilitate policy development to strengthen school-based services infrastructure.
Strategic Priority #2 LEA and SBS Provider Experience
Improve the LEA and School-based Provider Managed Care Experience
Rationale: Tennessee is one of few states in the US where school-based services are carved into the managed care model. Consequently, Tennessee LEAs and school-based providers have a unique experience that deserves to be evaluated and improved upon, based on recommendations of all stakeholders involved in the SBS contracting, billing, and reimbursement processes.
Strategic Priority #3 Dashboard for Key Performance Metrics
Identify TennCare’s Child Members Receiving SBS and Create a Dashboard to Monitor Key Performance Measures for SBS Medicaid Reimbursement and TennCare Quality Measures for School-age Children
Rationale: Identifying TennCare and CoverKids members that have insurance coverage but do not complete a visit with their Primary Care Provider during the entire year of insurance coverage is an issue SBS can help address. The goal is to identify key measures that will aid TennCare in identifying and monitoring this population to perform an EPSDT visit and connect them with a PCP.
Strategic Priority #4 Toolkit to Initiate School-based Services
Develop a toolkit to share with LEAs and Community-based Healthcare Providers that explains best practices for initiating health screening, primary care, behavioral health, specialty referral, and dental services
Rationale: Sharing best practices to delivering SBS provides an opportunity to improve the integration of health and education systems by fostering collaboration between community-based providers and education stakeholders. This can improve the experience of students and families interacting with these systems (e.g., improved access to healthcare for students to thrive in school and at home).
Strategic Priority #5 LEA Participation in School-based Services
Develop a plan to address known barriers to LEA participation in Medicaid reimbursement to increase LEA participation.
Rationale: Use the knowledge gained from executing strategic priorities 1 through 4 to facilitate improvements in school-based Medicaid reimbursement in Tennessee to remove system barriers that prevent and/or discourage new LEAs from Tennessee Medicaid participation.