AOTA

Patricia Laverdure, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, FAOTA

Assistant Professor Program Director

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

Bridgette LeCompte, MS, OTR/L

Assistant Professor

Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC

Abstract

Medicaid has unwaveringly upheld its commitment to provide comprehensive health coverage to people with low incomes, reduce health care disparities, and improve health outcomes in collaboration with states through its many programs. Occupational therapy practitioners in educational practice have long collaborated with Medicaid and its school programs to ensure that the high costs of providing services to students with disabilities are reimbursed to their schools and communities. As occupational therapy practitioners grappled with the practice challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, we quickly translated the Medicaid commitments, using them as a blueprint to re-examine our scope of practice in school settings and create a pathway toward health and well-being for students and their families, and school teams.

Learning Objectives

1.  Identify the key provisions of the school-based Medicaid programs and how they affect decision making and service delivery in educational settings

2. Recognize the influences of the global pandemic on service delivery changes and Medicaid reimbursements

3. Describe the ways in which occupational therapy practitioners can improve the quality of occupational therapy services in schools during the pandemic and the outcomes of students who are Medicaid enrolled

Learning Level: Intermediate

Target Audience: Occupational Therapy Practitioners

Content Focus: Domain: Occupations; OT Process: Intervention

Reference Information:

Laverdure, Patricia, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, FAOTA; LeCompte, Bridgette MS, OTR/L

(CEA May, 2021) Medicaid in Education During Times of COVID-19