Frontline Blog

You might know what it’s like. The letter arrives in the mail: your district is being audited. As you stare down weeks or months of sweat-inducing, tedious work providing all the documentation that’s going to be required, you wonder… What could I have done to prepare for such a time as this?

Some people who previously tested positive for COVID-19 are now showing symptoms like tiredness, fatigue, difficulty thinking, concentrating, headache, changes in smell, taste, dizziness, or fast beating or pounding heart, usually appearing about a month after that initial positive test. This condition is being referred to as “Long COVID.”

Among the expectations, pressures, and responsibilities placed on school nurses, documentation might be one of the most important, yet tedious, of all. Compliance requirements like those associated with FERPA and HIPAA make proper documentation more complex.

A new year brings the K-12 public school budgeting process into full swing as drafts are written, reviewed, revised, and await approval in the months ahead. K-12 school business leaders play a key role in communicating and executing district operations and budgeting.

After enduring one of the most difficult times in the history of U.S. education, what makes now the best time to examine your current approach to human capital management (HCM) and opportunities to improve?

Unexpected school closures happened so quickly in the early days of the pandemic. Managers of Section 504 programs faced — and still face — a great deal of uncertainty because closures and hybrid learning don’t change the fact that schools are responsible for preventing discrimination and providing the appropriate supports for students with disabilities to ensure they enjoy equal opportunity to access education. However, making sure students receive the services they’re entitled to during a global pandemic isn’t easy and introduces a lot of questions from a compliance perspective.

In today’s culture, schools do more than just educate. They are outreach centers, health care providers, and community leaders who are integral to connecting families to services. Much of this is rooted in the development of schools as health care providers and Medicaid outreach organizations. 

The Random Moment Time Study (RMTS) is a critical element of both school-based Medicaid Administrative Claiming and Cost Reconciliation and Settlement. However, each state’s implementation of the RMTS determines how it is administered and to what extent individual districts can impact the results. This guide will help you understand what the RMTS is, when it’s used, and to how you can maximize your results.

School-based Medicaid claiming programs enable districts to seek reimbursement through three distinct avenues: Fee-for-Service Billing (otherwise known as Direct Service Billing), School-Based Administrative Claiming, and Cost Reconciliation. Understanding the definitions of each program and how they are related are the first steps to understanding how the cost reconciliation process can impact your district’s revenue.