The resources your practice has will play a role in your developmental screening instrument selection and its application. Consider the following implications.
| Practice Resources |
Screening Implications |
| Do you have professional staff that can assist families with screening procedures during visits? |
- Consider training staff to administer, score, and possibly interpret results for families.
|
| Are you in a group practice or do you have a group affiliation? |
- Consider pooling resources to bring in a developmental specialist to administer screening instruments and provide other developmental services.
|
| How is developmental screening reimbursed in your practice? |
- Consider methods that are more likely to lead to reimbursement. For example, if a standardized instrument is used and results are recorded, then CPT codes (96110) for screening can be used in many practices.
- Consider consulting with other practices that have used developmental screening instruments about their billing experiences. (See #4 Technical Assistance).
|
| Who in your office can be in charge of implementation and maintenance of screening procedures? |
- Consider delegating the major responsibilities for developmental screening to someone in your practice.
- Consider obtaining technical assistance for training and supervision.
|
| What if you can expect no more than minimal clerical assistance from your office staff? |
- Consider mailing screening forms and instructions to homes before pediatric visits.
- Focus staff training on scoring and record keeping.
|
4. What Technical Assistance and Experience are Available to You to Help Implement a Developmental Screening Program in Your Practice?
Back to Part I: Defining Your Practice's Screening Needs
