When MFC staff identify that a medical foster parent is not following MFC operating procedures as outlined in the current MFC Statewide Operational Plan and the MFC Services Coverage and Limitations Handbook, MFC staff must provide teaching assistance and, if necessary, corrective action to the medical foster parent. All teaching assistance and corrective action provided must identify the deficiencies, provide instructions to the parent for correction of the deficiencies, identify the timeframe in which the deficiencies are to be corrected by the parent and followed up on by the MFC staff.
Teaching Assistance
• Teaching assistance provided to MFC parents by MFC staff is an informal and ongoing process during the course of service provision. Teaching assistance enhances good communication and quality services provided to the child and can be accomplished face to face or over the phone with the MFC parent. All teaching assistance must be followed up on by the MFC staff to determine if the identified deficiencies were corrected.
• All teaching assistance with the due date for staff follow-up, associated activities and the outcome of these actions must be documented. All issues related to teaching assistance that impacts the parent will be documented in the administrative record for the purposes of tracking only. It is the care coordinator’s professional discretion to document appropriate child-related issues regarding teaching assistance and its impact on the child in the child’s medical record.
Corrective Action Plans
If the provision of teaching assistance does not bring the medical parent into compliance by the follow-up date, the following formal corrective action planning process is required:
• A corrective action plan requires written notification to the MFC parent documenting the identified deficiencies, previous teaching assistance provided, the exact instructions provided to the parent to correct the deficiencies, and the date that MFC staff will provide a follow-up review to determine if the deficiencies were corrected. All corrective action plans must be signed and dated by the MFC MD;
• MFC staff must review the corrective action plan with the medical foster parent and request that the medical foster parent sign a statement on the corrective action plan that they reviewed the plan. If staff has documented care concerns on the corrective action plan, the medical foster home should be visited more frequently than usual and the findings of the visits must be documented. MFC staff are responsible for reviewing the outcome of the corrective action with the medical foster parent by the date specified on the plan;
• All corrective action plans, associated activities and the outcome of these actions must be documented. It is the care coordinator’s professional discretion to document appropriate child-related issues regarding corrective action and its impact on the child in the child’s medical record. All issues related to corrective action that impacts the parent will be documented in the administrative record. All corrective action plans are to be filed only in the Administrative record;
• If the foster parent does not meet the annual minimum MFC Program requirements by the MFC MD Certificate of Approval renewal date, MFC staff will provide corrective action which must include notifying Medicaid. See “Reporting to Bureau of Medicaid Services” in the next section;
• If corrective actions do not bring the home into compliance with MFC and Medicaid standards within the timeframe identified, the Medical Foster Parent Certificate of Approval may be withdrawn or other appropriate action taken;
• In some cases in which the level of non-compliance of program standards is considered significant and may harm a child, a corrective action plan will be immediately implemented and copies provided to the medical foster parent, to the CBC licensing counselor and to the child’s foster care counselor. In some cases, the MFC MD may recommend transferring a child out of a MFC home due to care concerns. These concerns must be communicated and coordinated with the child’s foster care counselor. Permission from DCF or CBC must be obtained before any foster child can be placed in a new setting. See “Child Transfers Within MFC” in Chapter 4, and
• If neglect or abuse of a child is suspected, MFC staff must notify their supervisor, the child’s foster care counselor, and the Florida Abuse Hotline at (800) 962-2873. A decision regarding continued placement of a medical foster child in the home under investigation for abuse, neglect or care concerns in relation to the medical foster parent must be coordinated with the CBC foster care unit and the MFC Program.
The CMS nursing director and contract program administrator, if applicable, and the MFC MD will provide technical assistance to staff regarding which issues can be addressed by teaching assistance, corrective action and/or abuse hotline methods.
Reporting to AHCA, Bureau of Medicaid Services
For foster parents who require a corrective action plan due to failure to meet their annual MFC Parent Requirements, corrective action must include the local area MFC staff reporting via e- mail to the MFC RN Consultant at AHCA, Bureau of Medicaid Services Headquarters and copying the MFC Consultants at CMS Central Office in Tallahassee. Medicaid Headquarters and CMS Central Office staff will follow up by contacting the MFC parent. Failure to meet the annual requirements within a prescribed timeframe may result in the pending of the Medicaid Provider number which will suspend Medicaid reimbursement. Decisions regarding Medicaid reimbursement issues will be made by Medicaid.