New AWARDS Users Group Discusses Change to Fee-for-Service

Like many organizations across the nation, Behavioral Healthcare agencies in New Jersey are facing comprehensive changes to their operating environments, and are being introduced to the world of EHRs and billing for the first time. For those agencies that provide Developmental Disabilities services under the auspices of the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities (NJ DDD), the changes have a particular urgency, as the State is moving to harness Medicaid dollars and implement a Fee-for-Service model.

With more than a dozen agencies in NJ now using Foothold’s AWARDS software to track their DD services and manage their billing, Foothold is positioned to bring these various providers together for interactive conversations where they can share their successes and challenges. To that end, we recently launched a new Users Group event for NJ DDD providers. The first call, on Monday, October 28th, was the first installment of what will be a monthly online session. Attendees on this call represented 11 provider agencies in New Jersey in various stages of using AWARDS software for their DD services.

Members of the Foothold Billing Team provided a comprehensive demonstration of the AWARDS BillingBuilder module and outlined how we will work with providers once NJ DDD releases the final rates to ensure AWARDS can accurately capture billable services and generate complete claim files. The session also included open dialogue focused on the Individualized Service Plan requirements as well as general implementation questions.

Providers appreciated the opportunity to come together to discuss common concerns; and as always, we apply the feedback we hear from our customers towards improving our software and services. We are looking forward to this regular communication moving forward.