Learn More About Trainings
Did You Know? Now You Know!
An Introduction to Health Care and Community Supports for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs and/or Disabilities
The “Did You Know? Now You Know!” trainings offer participants a comprehensive overview of how to navigate health care and community supports available to children with special health care needs and/or disabilities. The training is comprised of five modules (see details of each module below).
Participants will learn: where to find resources, how to pay for services and supports, how to collaborate with providers and other families, and how they can be informed, effective navigators of their child’s care. Participants will also have the opportunity to meet other families and providers and will leave the training feeling more informed, empowered, and ready to advocate for their child!
Who Should Attend? Parents, Grandparents, Caregivers, Teachers, Aides, Health Care and Human Service Professionals, Community Providers, and any individual who works with children and youth with special health care needs and/or disabilities.
Module I: Parents and Partners on a Journey
This introductory session provides an opportunity for participants to:
- share their stories
- learn that they are not alone
- realize that they are experts in their children’s care
- learn that they can become effective partners with medical and social service providers
- become familiar with effective communication and advocacy strategies
- to begin to formulate plans for more effective health care strategies
This introductory session also allows providers to learn alongside parents/family members. Oftentimes, providers specialize in one area of medicine or one aspect of the social service delivery system. Sometimes providers focus only on one part of a family’s needs. This integrated learning experience allows parents and providers to jointly examine the complexity of caring for children with special health care needs and/or disabilities.
Module II: Public Support Systems Available to Assist You and Your Child
The public support system can be difficult to navigate, even for seasoned parents/family members and providers. During this module, parents/family members gain a greater understanding of the various levels of support available to them, and they gain a better understanding of what services they might need for their children. In addition, providers who specialize in one service area may find this module highly informative as they broaden their knowledge base to a wider range of program areas. More specifically, this module provides:
- an introduction to federal, state and local programs and specific program requirements
- information on how public programs are interrelated
- a description of county-based programs and how they vary by county
- basic information on Medicaid waiver programs and waiting lists
- references to other public sources of support
- ideas about what to do when services are not readily available
- information on where programmatic decisions are made within the public support system so parents and providers can more effectively advocate for improvement
Module III: Private Insurance and Your Provider
Understanding insurance terms and procedures can be a challenge for parents/family members and providers. Learning about the rules and procedures of a clinic or hospital can be challenging, too.
In this module, participants learn more about effective communication and advocacy strategies. They learn to work collaboratively with their insurance representatives, physicians and other providers.
In addition, as part of the learning process, parents have the opportunity to ask themselves: "What are my health care goals?" "What do I expect from my child’s doctor?" "What do I expect from a clinic?" "How do I find what I need and want?" In short, parents/family members learn that in many cases they do have choices, as well as the ability to make effective decisions. This module provides basic information on:
- types of insurance plans (managed care and fee-for service)
- benefit packages
- appeal processes
- criteria to select a primary care physician and clinic
- the concept of a medical home
Module IV: More About Medicaid
Health care programs often are full of technical terms and complex rules. This module provides an overview of the essential elements of Medicaid (also known as Medical Assistance), as well as the different ways to access Medicaid benefits in Wisconsin.
More specifically, the module provides basic information on the range of Medicaid benefits and the “functional screen” – an eligibility assessment tool. The module presents concepts and strategies to maximize access to benefits, including a focus on:
- "Medical Necessity"
- "Prior Authorizations" and "Denials"
- "HealthCheck” and "HealthCheck Other Services"
- "Waivers"
- "Duplication of Services"
Module V: Advocating for Systems Change
In this module, parents/family members discuss the importance of their role in building partnerships with medical and other providers. They further explore what it means to be an expert in their child’s care. They begin to examine how they might become involved as advocates for better systems of care at the local, state and federal levels.
More specifically, the module provides:
- an historical perspective of the critical role that parents have played to improve health care systems
- tips on how to work with decision makers at all levels for program improvement
- specific ways to become involved with system change
- insights on how best to tell “your story,” along with advocacy strategies